This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of cloud data security. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 healthcare organization wants to perform analytics on encrypted patient data without decrypting it first, to maintain privacy. Which cryptographic technique supports this use case?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Homomorphic encryption
Allows computation on encrypted data without decryption.
Tokenization
Why wrong: Tokenization does not support computation on tokens.
Format-preserving encryption (FPE)
Why wrong: FPE is not designed for computation.
Cryptographic hashing
Why wrong: Hashing is one-way; cannot perform analytics that require recomputation.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Homomorphic encryption
Homomorphic encryption allows computations to be performed directly on ciphertext, producing an encrypted result that, when decrypted, matches the result of operations performed on the plaintext. This enables the healthcare organization to run analytics on encrypted patient data without ever exposing the underlying sensitive information, thus preserving privacy throughout the processing lifecycle.
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.
Homomorphic encryption
Why this is correct
Allows computation on encrypted data without decryption.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Tokenization
Why it's wrong here
Tokenization does not support computation on tokens.
Format-preserving encryption (FPE)
Why it's wrong here
FPE is not designed for computation.
Cryptographic hashing
Why it's wrong here
Hashing is one-way; cannot perform analytics that require recomputation.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between 'processing on encrypted data' and 'protecting data at rest or in transit'—candidates mistakenly choose FPE or tokenization because they see 'encrypted' or 'token' and assume it supports analytics, but neither allows computation without decryption.
Detailed technical explanation
Homomorphic encryption schemes, such as the Brakerski-Gentry-Vaikuntanathan (BGV) or Cheon-Kim-Kim-Song (CKKS) protocols, support either partially homomorphic (e.g., Paillier for addition-only) or fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) for arbitrary computations. In practice, FHE is computationally expensive—operations on ciphertext can be millions of times slower than on plaintext—so healthcare analytics often use leveled homomorphic encryption with a limited depth of operations to balance privacy and performance.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Cloud Data Security — This question tests Cloud Data Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Homomorphic encryption — Homomorphic encryption allows computations to be performed directly on ciphertext, producing an encrypted result that, when decrypted, matches the result of operations performed on the plaintext. This enables the healthcare organization to run analytics on encrypted patient data without ever exposing the underlying sensitive information, thus preserving privacy throughout the processing lifecycle.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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