CCISO Business Continuity 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An organization stores encrypted backup tapes off-site. Which BC control does this practice primarily support?
- Recovery Time Objective reduction
- Data availability and integrity for recovery operations (Correct answer)
- Physical security of the primary data center
- Network redundancy during failover
Correct answer: Data availability and integrity for recovery operations
Off-site encrypted backup tapes ensure data remains available and uncompromised for recovery even if the primary site is completely destroyed.
Question 2: What is the relationship between Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) and Business Continuity Planning (BCP)?
- DRP and BCP are identical documents with different names
- DRP is an IT-focused subset of the broader BCP (Correct answer)
- BCP is executed only after DRP is fully completed
- DRP replaces BCP once systems are restored
Correct answer: DRP is an IT-focused subset of the broader BCP
DRP focuses on restoring IT systems and infrastructure, while BCP encompasses the broader strategy for maintaining all business functions during and after a disruption.
Question 3: Which document formally records the results of a BIA, including critical processes, dependencies, and recovery priorities?
- Risk Register
- BIA Report (Correct answer)
- Incident Response Plan
- Change Management Log
Correct answer: BIA Report
The BIA Report is the formal deliverable that captures all findings, including process criticality rankings, interdependencies, RTOs, RPOs, and resource requirements.
Question 4: A CISO implements a reciprocal agreement with a partner organization for BC purposes. What is the main risk of this arrangement?
- The agreement is too expensive to maintain
- Both organizations may be affected by the same regional disaster simultaneously (Correct answer)
- The partner organization may steal proprietary data
- Regulatory bodies may not recognize reciprocal agreements
Correct answer: Both organizations may be affected by the same regional disaster simultaneously
Reciprocal agreements are cost-effective but risky if both organizations are in the same geographic region or industry sector and face the same disaster event.
Question 5: Which BC strategy involves running parallel operations at both the primary and recovery sites simultaneously to ensure zero downtime?
- Cold site failover
- Active-active configuration (Correct answer)
- Warm site standby
- Reciprocal agreement
Correct answer: Active-active configuration
An active-active configuration has both sites processing transactions simultaneously, so if one fails, the other continues without any service interruption.
Question 6: When conducting a BCP audit, which finding would be considered the most critical gap?
- The BCP document has not been reformatted in two years
- Key personnel have never tested the plan and do not know their recovery roles (Correct answer)
- The BCP uses slightly outdated network diagrams
- The BCP binder is stored in a locked cabinet
Correct answer: Key personnel have never tested the plan and do not know their recovery roles
An untested plan with personnel unaware of their roles is effectively non-functional; the most dangerous gap is people not knowing what to do when a real disaster occurs.
Question 7: Which framework specifically provides internationally recognized guidance for Business Continuity Management Systems?
- ISO/IEC 27001
- ISO 22301 (Correct answer)
- NIST SP 800-34
- COBIT 2019
Correct answer: ISO 22301
ISO 22301 is the international standard for Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS), providing requirements for planning, implementing, and improving business continuity.
CCISO Business Continuity 4
An organization stores encrypted backup tapes off-site.
Which BC control does this practice primarily support?