- A
Storage capacity
Why wrong: Storage capacity may influence retention, but the primary driver is regulatory requirements.
- B
Incident response needs
Why wrong: Incident response may require logs, but retention is generally driven by compliance.
- C
Regulatory requirements
Regulations often specify minimum retention periods for logs.
- D
Log volume
Why wrong: Log volume does not determine retention period; it affects storage needs.
Question 132 of 1,000
CISSP Security Assessment and Testing Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security assessment and testing. 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 required to retain logs for regulatory compliance. Which factor primarily determines the log retention period?
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
✓
Regulatory requirements
Regulatory compliance frameworks (e.g., PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR) explicitly mandate minimum log retention periods (e.g., PCI DSS Requirement 10.7 requires at least one year of logs, with three months immediately accessible). Storage capacity, incident response needs, and log volume are operational considerations that may influence implementation but do not override the legal or contractual obligation to retain logs for a specified duration. The primary factor is the regulatory requirement itself, as failure to comply can result in fines, legal liability, or loss of certification.
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.
- ✗
Storage capacity
Why it's wrong here
Storage capacity may influence retention, but the primary driver is regulatory requirements.
- ✗
Incident response needs
Why it's wrong here
Incident response may require logs, but retention is generally driven by compliance.
- ✓
Regulatory requirements
Why this is correct
Regulations often specify minimum retention periods for logs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Log volume
Why it's wrong here
Log volume does not determine retention period; it affects storage needs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse operational factors (storage capacity, log volume) with the primary driver (regulatory requirements), mistakenly thinking that if storage is limited, the retention period can be shortened—but compliance mandates are non-negotiable and must be met regardless of infrastructure constraints.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, log retention periods are often specified in terms of 'retention in place' (e.g., PCI DSS 10.7: 'retain logs for at least one year') and 'immediate accessibility' (e.g., last three months online). In real-world scenarios, organizations must implement log rotation and archival strategies (e.g., using syslog-ng with time-based rotation, or AWS S3 lifecycle policies) to ensure logs are retained for the required duration while managing storage costs. A subtle behavior is that some regulations (e.g., SOX) require logs to be retained in a tamper-proof format (e.g., using syslog over TLS with cryptographic signing) to ensure integrity during the retention period.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CISSP question test?
Security Assessment and Testing — This question tests Security Assessment and Testing — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Regulatory requirements — Regulatory compliance frameworks (e.g., PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR) explicitly mandate minimum log retention periods (e.g., PCI DSS Requirement 10.7 requires at least one year of logs, with three months immediately accessible). Storage capacity, incident response needs, and log volume are operational considerations that may influence implementation but do not override the legal or contractual obligation to retain logs for a specified duration. The primary factor is the regulatory requirement itself, as failure to comply can result in fines, legal liability, or loss of certification.
What should I do if I get this CISSP 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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CISSP 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 CISSP exam.
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