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CCSP Practice Question: A cloud administrator is rotating encryption keys…
A cloud administrator is rotating encryption keys for a data storage service. The administrator wants to ensure that previously encrypted data remains accessible after the rotation. What is the best practice?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that key rotation requires immediate re-encryption of all data, but the correct approach is to retain old keys and use envelope encryption to maintain access without re-encryption.
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
✓
Retain the old key and use envelope encryption so the new key can decrypt the old key
Envelope encryption allows the new key to decrypt the old key, which in turn decrypts the data. This ensures that previously encrypted data remains accessible without re-encrypting it, as the old key is retained and protected under the new key. This is the best practice for key rotation in cloud storage services like AWS KMS or Azure Key Vault.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Delete the old key after rotation
Why it's wrong here
Data encrypted with old key becomes unreadable.
- ✓
Retain the old key and use envelope encryption so the new key can decrypt the old key
Why this is correct
Old keys are kept but not active; new wrapped keys allow access.
- ✗
Re-encrypt all data with the new key immediately
Why it's wrong here
Not practical for large volumes.
- ✗
Disable the old key and only use the new key for new writes
Why it's wrong here
Old data becomes inaccessible.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CCSP 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 CCSP exam.