ISC2 CC Practice Question: Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Incident Response
Which of the following is a key component of the 3-2-1 backup rule?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates memorize '3-2-1' as a slogan without mapping each digit to its meaning, so they swap the '2 media' and '1 off-site' counts under time pressure.
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
✓
Three copies, two different media types, one off-site
The 3-2-1 backup rule specifies three copies of data (one primary plus two backups), stored on two different media types, with one copy kept off-site. Option D captures all three elements precisely, which is why it is the canonical definition used in CompTIA and vendor backup guidance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Two copies on different media, one off-site
Why it's wrong here
The rule requires three total copies, not two, so this fails the copy-count requirement. It is tempting because it correctly pairs two media types with one off-site copy, which matches the media and off-site halves, but the 3-2-1 rule mandates three copies overall.
- ✗
One copy on two different media, two off-site
Why it's wrong here
The rule requires three copies total, not one, and two on different media, not one. It is tempting because it preserves the off-site element, but inverts the copy and media counts, so it fails both the 3 and 2 requirements.
- ✗
Three copies on different media, two off-site
Why it's wrong here
This reverses the rule's media and location axes: 3-2-1 requires three total copies, two stored on distinct media types, and one copy off-site. Stating three copies on different media with two off-site describes a 3-3-2 arrangement. The option would fit a stricter variant demanding two geographically separate off-site copies.
- ✓
Three copies, two different media types, one off-site
Why this is correct
Three copies of data, stored on two different media types, with one copy held off-site, directly satisfies the 3-2-1 rule's redundancy and geographic-separation constraints. The two-media requirement protects against media-specific failures, while the off-site copy survives local disasters affecting the primary and secondary copies.
About these practice questions
This CC question is part of Courseiva's 989-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
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.