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CISSP Practice Question: Fred's organization allows downgrading of systems for reuse after projects have been…

Published November 7, 2026 · Free daily CISSP practice question
Fred's organization allows downgrading of systems for reuse after projects have been completed and systems have been purged. What is the primary security concern when reusing systems from a Top Secret classified project for a future project classified as Secret?
  1. A.Residual Top Secret data might not be fully eradicated, resulting in a security breach.
  2. B.The organization might incur high costs in clearing data from the Top Secret project.
  3. C.Reused systems may lead to a classification mismatch, affecting data integrity.
  4. D.Sanitization procedures might expose data to unauthorized personnel.
Correct answer: A. Residual Top Secret data might not be fully eradicated, resulting in a security breach.

The primary security concern when downgrading systems from Top Secret to Secret is the risk of data remanence. Data remanence refers to the residual data that remains on storage media after data has been deleted or erased. If a system is downgraded without ensuring complete eradication of Top Secret data, there is a risk of unauthorized disclosure during future use. While professional sanitization methods aim to clear or purge sensitive data, the risk of residual data still exists without thorough execution and verification, thereby necessitating stringent controls to prevent data leakage when repurposing high-security assets .

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