- A
Incremental backup strategy
Why wrong: Incremental is a backup type, not the overall strategy.
- B
Grandfather-father-son rotation
Why wrong: This is a backup rotation scheme, not the 3-2-1 rule.
- C
3-2-1 rule
Correct. This matches the description.
- D
Disaster recovery plan
Why wrong: Disaster recovery is broader than backup strategy.
Question 44 of 1,000
SSCP Security Operations and Administration Practice Question
This SSCP practice question tests your understanding of security operations and administration. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
An organization's backup policy states: 'Maintain three copies of data on two different media types, with one copy stored offsite.' This is known as:
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
✓
3-2-1 rule
The 3-2-1 rule is a foundational data backup strategy that mandates maintaining three total copies of data, stored on two different types of media (e.g., disk and tape), with one copy located offsite to protect against site-level disasters. This directly matches the policy described, making option C correct.
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.
- ✗
Incremental backup strategy
Why it's wrong here
Incremental is a backup type, not the overall strategy.
- ✗
Grandfather-father-son rotation
Why it's wrong here
This is a backup rotation scheme, not the 3-2-1 rule.
- ✓
3-2-1 rule
Why this is correct
Correct. This matches the description.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Disaster recovery plan
Why it's wrong here
Disaster recovery is broader than backup strategy.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the 3-2-1 rule with backup rotation schemes like GFS or incremental strategies, because all involve 'backup' and 'copies,' but only the 3-2-1 rule explicitly defines the count, media diversity, and offsite requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the 3-2-1 rule ensures redundancy across failure domains: the two different media types (e.g., SSD and LTO-9 tape) mitigate against media-specific failures like bit rot or mechanical breakdown, while the offsite copy (often replicated via rsync or AWS Snowball) protects against site-wide events such as fire or flood. In a real-world scenario, a ransomware attack that encrypts the primary and secondary onsite copies still leaves the offsite copy intact, provided it is air-gapped or immutable.
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 security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
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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Security Operations and Administration — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SSCP question test?
Security Operations and Administration — This question tests Security Operations and Administration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: 3-2-1 rule — The 3-2-1 rule is a foundational data backup strategy that mandates maintaining three total copies of data, stored on two different types of media (e.g., disk and tape), with one copy located offsite to protect against site-level disasters. This directly matches the policy described, making option C correct.
What should I do if I get this SSCP 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 SSCP 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 SSCP exam.
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