CCSP Cloud Data Security Practice Question
A company stores sensitive data in cloud object storage and wants to protect against ransomware attacks that could encrypt or delete objects. Which TWO measures should they implement? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often mistakenly choose cross-region replication or lifecycle policies as ransomware defenses, not realizing that replication alone does not prevent deletion/encryption, and lifecycle policies could actually delete data. The correct approach combines immutable storage to prevent modification and versioning to allow recovery of prior states.
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
✓
Implement immutable storage (e.g., Object Lock)
Immutable storage (Object Lock) prevents objects from being deleted or overwritten during a specified retention period, directly thwarting ransomware that attempts to encrypt or delete data. This is a foundational defense because even if an attacker gains write access, they cannot modify or remove locked objects, preserving clean backups. Object versioning provides an additional layer of protection by maintaining multiple versions of an object. If ransomware encrypts or deletes the current version, prior unaltered versions can be restored, enabling recovery without relying solely on immutable storage.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use cross-region replication
Why it's wrong here
Replication alone doesn't prevent ransomware from affecting data.
- ✓
Implement immutable storage (e.g., Object Lock)
Why this is correct
Immutable storage prevents data from being altered or deleted.
- ✗
Configure signed URLs for access
Why it's wrong here
Signed URLs control access but don't protect against ransomware.
- ✓
Enable object versioning
Why this is correct
Versioning preserves previous versions for recovery.
- ✗
Set short object lifetimes using lifecycle policies
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle policies delete objects automatically, which could be exploited.
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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.