easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CCSP Practice Question: A development team is working with…
A development team is working with production-like data in a non-production cloud environment. To comply with data privacy regulations, sensitive fields must be obscured without being retrievable. Which technique should they apply?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between reversible and irreversible data protection methods, and the trap here is that candidates confuse 'masking' (which can be reversible or irreversible) with 'encryption' or 'tokenization,' assuming any transformation that hides data is sufficient, without recognizing the critical requirement of non-retrievability.
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
✓
Irreversible masking
Irreversible masking (C) is correct because it transforms sensitive data into a non-reversible format, ensuring that the original values cannot be retrieved. This meets the requirement of obscuring production-like data in a non-production environment while complying with data privacy regulations that prohibit reversible transformations. Unlike encryption or tokenization, irreversible masking does not provide any decryption or mapping mechanism, making it suitable for scenarios where data must be permanently de-identified.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Format-preserving encryption
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is reversible with the key.
- ✗
Reversible masking
Why it's wrong here
Reversible masking allows original data to be retrieved.
- ✓
Irreversible masking
Why this is correct
Irreversible masking prevents reconstruction.
- ✗
Tokenization
Why it's wrong here
Tokenization is reversible via the token vault.
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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.