CCSP Legal, Risk, and Compliance Practice Question
A healthcare organization stores protected health information (PHI) in a cloud environment. Under HIPAA, what must the organization obtain from the cloud provider before processing PHI?
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
✓
A Business Associate Agreement (BAA)
HIPAA requires a covered entity to obtain a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) from any cloud provider that will handle PHI. The BAA ensures the provider agrees to safeguard the PHI appropriately.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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A Data Processing Agreement (DPA) under GDPR
Why it's wrong here
GDPR DPA is not specific to HIPAA requirements.
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A Business Associate Agreement (BAA)
Why this is correct
Correct. A BAA is legally required under HIPAA for any business associate that handles PHI.
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A Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 report
Why it's wrong here
SOC 2 reports are useful for due diligence but are not a substitute for a BAA.
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An ISO 27001 certification
Why it's wrong here
ISO 27001 certification is a security management standard, not a HIPAA requirement for PHI handling.
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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.