SSCP Security Operations and Administration Practice Question
Which of the following backup methods copies all data that has changed since the last full backup, regardless of any intermediate backups?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse differential and incremental backups, mistakenly thinking differential only captures changes since the last backup of any type, when it actually captures all changes since the last full backup.
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
✓
Differential backup
A differential backup copies all data that has changed since the last full backup, regardless of any intermediate backups. This means each differential backup grows in size as it accumulates all changes made since the last full backup, making it distinct from incremental backups which only capture changes since the last backup of any type.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Differential backup
Why this is correct
A differential backup copies all changes since the last full backup.
- ✗
Full backup
Why it's wrong here
A full backup copies all data, not just changes.
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Incremental backup
Why it's wrong here
An incremental backup copies changes since the last backup of any type (full or incremental).
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Snapshot backup
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots capture the state of a system at a point in time but are not classified under the same scheme as full/incremental/differential.
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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.