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 SaaS provider stores customer data in a multi-tenant database. A new regulation requires that data of former customers be completely erased within 30 days of account closure. Which process should the provider implement?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Encrypt each customer's data with a unique key and delete the key upon account closure.
Option D is correct because it implements cryptographic erasure, which renders the data permanently inaccessible by deleting the unique encryption key. This approach satisfies the regulation's requirement for complete erasure within 30 days without physically destroying hardware or risking data remnants, as the encrypted data becomes irrecoverable without the key. In a multi-tenant SaaS environment, this method is efficient, scalable, and avoids service disruption to other tenants sharing the same storage.
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.
✗
Physically destroy the hard drives containing the data.
Why it's wrong here
Not practical for a multi-tenant cloud environment.
✗
Mark the data as deleted and exclude it from query results.
Why it's wrong here
Data remains on disk and could be recovered.
✗
Overwrite the data with zeros using a secure delete tool.
Why it's wrong here
Overwriting in a shared database may affect other tenants' data.
✓
Encrypt each customer's data with a unique key and delete the key upon account closure.
Why this is correct
Crypto-shredding ensures data is effectively unrecoverable.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the distinction between logical deletion (soft delete) and cryptographic erasure, trapping candidates who think marking data as deleted or overwriting with zeros is sufficient in a multi-tenant cloud environment, where shared storage and data redundancy make physical overwrite impractical.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cryptographic erasure relies on encrypting each tenant's data with a unique key (often derived from a key hierarchy) and then securely deleting that key, typically by overwriting the key material in a hardware security module (HSM) or key management system (KMS). Under the hood, even if the encrypted ciphertext remains on disk, it is computationally infeasible to decrypt without the key, effectively achieving data destruction. A real-world scenario is AWS S3's 'Bucket Key' feature or Azure Storage encryption at rest, where deleting the customer-managed key renders the data inaccessible, satisfying compliance requirements like GDPR's right to erasure.
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 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
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.
Cloud Data Security — This question tests Cloud Data Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Encrypt each customer's data with a unique key and delete the key upon account closure. — Option D is correct because it implements cryptographic erasure, which renders the data permanently inaccessible by deleting the unique encryption key. This approach satisfies the regulation's requirement for complete erasure within 30 days without physically destroying hardware or risking data remnants, as the encrypted data becomes irrecoverable without the key. In a multi-tenant SaaS environment, this method is efficient, scalable, and avoids service disruption to other tenants sharing the same storage.
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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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.
Question Discussion
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