The answer is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is correct because GDPR specifically governs the processing of personally identifiable information (PII) of European Union citizens, applying extraterritorially to any cloud provider or customer handling that data, regardless of where the data is stored or processed. On the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) exam, this scenario tests your understanding of data sovereignty and the distinction between data controller and data processor obligations in a public cloud environment—a common trap is confusing PCI DSS (payment card data) or HIPAA (US healthcare data) with EU PII, but GDPR is the only framework here that mandates consent, breach notification, and cross-border transfer safeguards for EU citizens. For a quick memory tip, remember “GDPR governs EU PII globally”—if the data subject is an EU citizen, GDPR applies, no matter the cloud region.
CCSP Legal, Risk and Compliance Practice Question
This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of legal, risk and compliance. 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 company is moving its customer database to a public cloud provider. The database contains personally identifiable information (PII) of European Union citizens. Which legal framework imposes requirements on the cloud customer regarding data protection and privacy in this scenario?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the correct legal framework because it specifically governs the processing of personally identifiable information (PII) of European Union citizens, regardless of where the data is stored or processed. As the cloud customer is moving a customer database containing EU PII to a public cloud provider, GDPR imposes strict requirements on the data controller (the customer) for data protection, consent, breach notification, and cross-border data transfer safeguards.
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.
✗
Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)
Why it's wrong here
SOX addresses financial reporting and corporate governance.
✓
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Why this is correct
GDPR governs processing of personal data of EU individuals.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Why it's wrong here
HIPAA applies to protected health information in the US.
✗
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
Why it's wrong here
PCI DSS applies to payment card data, not general PII.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
ISC2 often tests the misconception that any data privacy law applies globally, but the trap here is that candidates may choose HIPAA or PCI DSS because they are familiar with data protection, failing to recognize that GDPR is the only framework specifically designed for EU citizen PII regardless of industry.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under GDPR, the cloud customer acts as the data controller and must implement appropriate technical and organizational measures (Article 32), such as encryption at rest (e.g., AES-256) and in transit (e.g., TLS 1.2+), and must execute a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with the cloud provider as the data processor. A real-world scenario where this matters is when a U.S.-based company uses AWS to store EU customer data; the customer must ensure the data is not transferred to a non-adequate jurisdiction without Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs).
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 SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
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.
Legal, Risk and Compliance — This question tests Legal, Risk and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the correct legal framework because it specifically governs the processing of personally identifiable information (PII) of European Union citizens, regardless of where the data is stored or processed. As the cloud customer is moving a customer database containing EU PII to a public cloud provider, GDPR imposes strict requirements on the data controller (the customer) for data protection, consent, breach notification, and cross-border data transfer safeguards.
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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