hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CCSP Practice Question: During a cloud migration, a company discovers…
During a cloud migration, a company discovers that some sensitive data was inadvertently stored in an object storage bucket with public read access. The security team needs to determine the scope of exposure and remediate. What is the FIRST step they should take?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the principle of 'preserve evidence first'—candidates mistakenly jump to remediation (changing permissions or deleting objects) without first conducting forensic analysis to determine the scope of exposure.
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
✓
Review the bucket's access logs to identify any unauthorized access.
The first step is to review the bucket's access logs (e.g., AWS CloudTrail or S3 server access logs) to identify any unauthorized access. This determines the scope of exposure—who accessed the data, when, and from where—before taking any remediation action. Without this forensic step, the company cannot assess breach notification obligations or legal liability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Notify the data protection authority.
Why it's wrong here
Notification should come after the scope is determined.
- ✗
Change the bucket's permission to private.
Why it's wrong here
While necessary, this should be done after preserving logs for forensic analysis.
- ✗
Immediately delete all objects in the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting objects without investigation could destroy evidence needed to assess the breach.
- ✓
Review the bucket's access logs to identify any unauthorized access.
Why this is correct
Access logs reveal who has accessed the data, which is crucial for scope assessment.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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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.