mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: An organization's security policy requires that…
An organization's security policy requires that all data at rest be encrypted. A database administrator objects, stating that encryption will degrade performance. What is the best response?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose column-level encryption (Option C) thinking it is more targeted and thus less impactful, but they overlook that TDE is designed specifically to minimize performance impact by operating at the storage layer without requiring application changes.
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
✓
Implement transparent data encryption (TDE) to minimize performance impact.
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) encrypts data at rest at the storage layer, automatically encrypting data before it is written to disk and decrypting it when read into memory. This minimizes performance impact because encryption/decryption occurs outside the application logic and does not require schema changes, making it the best response to the DBA's concern while still meeting the policy requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Remove the encryption requirement for databases.
Why it's wrong here
This violates security policy and exposes data.
- ✗
Encrypt only the backup files, not the live database.
Why it's wrong here
This leaves live data unencrypted, violating policy.
- ✗
Use column-level encryption on sensitive columns only.
Why it's wrong here
Column-level encryption addresses only specific fields, but the security policy requires encryption of *all* data at rest, including non-sensitive columns and entire tables. This partial approach leaves unencrypted data exposed, violating the policy’s blanket mandate. It is tempting because it reduces performance overhead compared to full-database encryption, and would be correct if the policy targeted only sensitive fields rather than all stored data.
- ✓
Implement transparent data encryption (TDE) to minimize performance impact.
Why this is correct
TDE encrypts the entire database transparently with low overhead.
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This SSCP question is part of Courseiva's 920-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.