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 company receives an erasure request under GDPR. The cloud provider can delete from active storage within 24 hours but requires 90 days to delete from archives. The company has a contractual obligation to ensure deletion within 30 days. What should the company do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Request the provider to delete from archives within 30 days and verify.
Option C is correct because the company has a contractual obligation to ensure deletion within 30 days, which overrides the provider's default 90-day archive retention policy. The company must formally request the provider to expedite the deletion from archives and verify compliance, as GDPR Article 17 requires the controller to ensure erasure without undue delay, and the provider as processor must assist. Relying on the provider's standard timeline without action would breach the contract and GDPR accountability requirements.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 data from the application layer only and rely on provider for archives.
Why it's wrong here
Partial deletion does not satisfy the erasure request; the data subject expects complete deletion.
✗
Accept the 90-day timeline and inform the data subject accordingly.
Why it's wrong here
This violates the contractual 30-day requirement and may breach GDPR.
✓
Request the provider to delete from archives within 30 days and verify.
Why this is correct
This actively pursues compliance with both the contract and GDPR by expediting deletion.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Reject the request as impractical.
Why it's wrong here
Rejection violates GDPR's right to erasure unless an exception applies.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the misconception that a cloud provider's default retention policy absolves the controller of contractual or regulatory deadlines, when in fact the controller must actively manage the processor's actions or employ alternative technical controls like key destruction to meet the timeline.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, cloud providers often use immutable or WORM (Write Once, Read Many) storage for archives, which physically prevents deletion within a short timeframe. However, the controller can implement a cryptographic erasure strategy—encrypting the data before archiving and then destroying the encryption keys—to render the data unrecoverable within the required 30 days, even if the provider's physical deletion takes 90 days. This approach aligns with NIST SP 800-88 guidelines for media sanitization and is a common workaround in GDPR compliance scenarios.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Legal, Risk and Compliance — This question tests Legal, Risk and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Request the provider to delete from archives within 30 days and verify. — Option C is correct because the company has a contractual obligation to ensure deletion within 30 days, which overrides the provider's default 90-day archive retention policy. The company must formally request the provider to expedite the deletion from archives and verify compliance, as GDPR Article 17 requires the controller to ensure erasure without undue delay, and the provider as processor must assist. Relying on the provider's standard timeline without action would breach the contract and GDPR accountability requirements.
What should I do if I get this CCSP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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