ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
During a disaster recovery test, backup tapes fail to restore data due to format incompatibility. Which element of the Business Continuity Plan should be updated?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between 'plan testing and maintenance' (which validates technical execution) and 'recovery strategies' (which are high-level design choices), leading candidates to mistakenly select recovery strategies when the root cause is a failure in validation and upkeep.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Plan testing and maintenance
The failure of backup tapes to restore data due to format incompatibility indicates that the recovery procedures and tools were not validated during testing. This directly points to a deficiency in the 'Plan testing and maintenance' element, which ensures that backup media formats, restoration tools, and procedures are regularly verified and updated to match the current production environment. Without scheduled testing and maintenance, format drift between backup software versions or hardware changes can render tapes unreadable.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Plan testing and maintenance
Why this is correct
Updating plan testing and maintenance ensures recovery procedures are validated against actual backup formats before a disaster, exposing incompatibilities during exercises rather than live recovery. This directly addresses the stem's constraint: tapes failing to restore because format compatibility was never verified, so the maintenance schedule must mandate periodic restore testing.
- ✗
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
Why it's wrong here
The BIA quantifies the impact of disruption on business processes and sets recovery priorities; it does not specify backup media formats. It is tempting because a failed restore threatens critical functions, but the BIA would only need revision if impact tolerances or process dependencies had changed.
- ✗
Recovery strategies
Why it's wrong here
Recovery strategies describe how systems and data are restored, not the tape format itself, so updating them does not resolve the incompatibility. It is tempting because recovery failures surface during testing, yet the fix belongs in the backup and restoration procedures specifying media and formats.
- ✗
Communication plan
Why it's wrong here
The communication plan covers who notifies whom during and after disruption; it cannot correct a tape format mismatch. It is tempting because disaster tests often expose notification gaps, and it would be the right element to update if stakeholders had not been informed of test outcomes.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
BC/DR Planning and Testing
Key term
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
Key term
Business continuity plan
A Business continuity plan (BCP) is a documented strategy that outlines how an organization will continue critical operations during and after a disruptive event.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CC exam.