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CCSP Practice Question: Which TWO statements about data masking are…
Which TWO statements about data masking are correct?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse data masking with encryption, assuming both are reversible, or mistakenly think masking is used in production environments, whereas the CCSP emphasizes that masking is for non-production use and is irreversible by design.
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
✓
Data masking replaces sensitive data with realistic fictional data.
Data masking replaces sensitive data (e.g., credit card numbers, SSNs) with realistic but fictitious data that preserves the original data's format and referential integrity, ensuring that the masked data remains usable for testing or analytics without exposing actual sensitive information. This is distinct from encryption, as masking does not use a key to transform data but rather substitutes it with a non-sensitive equivalent.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Data masking is a form of encryption.
Why it's wrong here
Masking is not encryption; it substitutes data rather than encoding it.
- ✗
Data masking is primarily used for production environments.
Why it's wrong here
Masking is used in non-production to protect original data.
- ✗
Data masking is reversible.
Why it's wrong here
Masking is designed to be irreversible to prevent re-identification.
- ✓
Data masking replaces sensitive data with realistic fictional data.
Why this is correct
It produces realistic data for development and testing.
- ✓
Data masking can be static or dynamic.
Why this is correct
Static masking modifies stored data; dynamic masks data on retrieval.
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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.