This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of legal, risk and compliance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A cloud provider experiences a data breach affecting customer data. Which of the following laws most likely requires the provider to notify affected customers within 72 hours?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
SOX
Why wrong: SOX does not mandate breach notification to customers.
HIPAA
Why wrong: HIPAA requires notification within 60 days, not 72 hours.
PCI DSS
Why wrong: PCI DSS requires notification to payment card brands, not directly to customers.
GDPR
Correct. GDPR requires notification to data subjects within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
GDPR
The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) explicitly requires data controllers to notify the relevant supervisory authority of a personal data breach within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, and to communicate the breach to affected data subjects without undue delay if it poses a high risk to their rights and freedoms. This 72-hour notification mandate is unique to GDPR among the listed options, making it the correct answer for a cloud provider experiencing a data breach affecting customer data.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
SOX
Why it's wrong here
SOX does not mandate breach notification to customers.
HIPAA
Why it's wrong here
HIPAA requires notification within 60 days, not 72 hours.
PCI DSS
Why it's wrong here
PCI DSS requires notification to payment card brands, not directly to customers.
GDPR
Why this is correct
Correct. GDPR requires notification to data subjects within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between regulatory laws (like GDPR) and industry standards or frameworks (like PCI DSS), causing candidates to mistakenly select PCI DSS because it is commonly associated with data security, even though it is not a law and lacks a 72-hour notification requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, GDPR Article 33 mandates that the notification to the supervisory authority must include the nature of the breach, categories and approximate number of data subjects and records concerned, contact details of the data protection officer, likely consequences, and measures taken to mitigate adverse effects. For cloud providers acting as data processors, they must notify the controller without undue delay after becoming aware of a breach, and the controller then has the 72-hour window to notify the authority. A real-world scenario: if a cloud provider's misconfigured S3 bucket exposes customer PII, the provider must immediately inform the customer (controller), who then has 72 hours to report to the Irish DPC if the provider is based in Ireland.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Legal, Risk and Compliance — This question tests Legal, Risk and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: GDPR — The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) explicitly requires data controllers to notify the relevant supervisory authority of a personal data breach within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, and to communicate the breach to affected data subjects without undue delay if it poses a high risk to their rights and freedoms. This 72-hour notification mandate is unique to GDPR among the listed options, making it the correct answer for a cloud provider experiencing a data breach affecting customer data.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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