Test your basic knowledge |

CISSP Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery

Subjects : certifications, it-skills, cissp

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. What should the BCP team do in the recovery strategy stage?
Committing fully to the BCP - Setting policy and goals - Making available the necessary funds and resources - Taking responsibility for the outcome of the development of the BCP - Appointing a team for the process
Data are dynamically created and maintained as images on two or more identical disks. this method is used to ensure the availability of data and to provide a fault-tolerant solution by duplicating hardware and maintaining more than one copy of the in
They should make sure there are at least two copies of the company's operating system and critical applications
It has to figure out what the company needs to do to actually recover the items it has identified as being so important to the organization overall... the BIA provides the footprint

2. Skeleton Crew
An estimate of how long it will take to fix a piece of equipment and get it back into production
Business process recovery - Facility recovery - Supply and technology recovery - User environment recovery - Data recovery
The employees who carry out the most critical functions of the company who must be put back to work first
Required roles - Required resources - Input and output mechanisms - Workflow steps - Required time for completion - How they interface with other processes

3. Why does Insurance exist?

4. Where should the business continuity and disaster recovery plans be stored when they're completed?

5. What are some of the things you have to consider when it comes to supply and tech recovery?
Responsible for starting the recovery of the original site. Needs to know how to install OSes - configure workstations and servers - string wiring and cabling - set up the network and configure networking services - and install equipment and applicat
Make business continuity a part of every business decision - Insert the maintenance responsibilities into job description - Include maintenance in personnel evaluations - Perform internal audits that include disaster recovery and continuity documenta
A set of interrelated steps linked through specific decision activities to accomplish a specific task... business processes have starting and ending points and are repeatable
Network and computer equipment - Voice and data communications resources - Human Resources - Transportation of equipment and personnel - Environment issues (HVAC) - Data and personnel security issues - Supplies (paper - forms - cabling - and so on) -

6. Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD)
The outage time that can be endured by a company
A method of transmitting data offsite - but it usually only includes moving the journal or transaction logs to the offsite facility - not the actual files. these logs contain the changes that have taken place to the individual files. Journaling is ef
Identifying regulatory and legal requirements that must be met - Identifying all possible vulnerabilities and threats - Estimating the possibilities of these threats and the loss potential - Performing a BIA - Outlining which departments - systems -
The employees who carry out the most critical functions of the company who must be put back to work first

7. What is the difference between preventive mechanisms and recovery strategies?
Preventive mechanisms are put into place to try to reduce the possibility of the company experiencing a disaster and - if a disaster does hit - to lessen the amount of damage that will take place - Recovery strategies are processes on how to rescue t
No - but the team may recognize that the company is at risk because it does not have these procedures in place
Determines the cause of the disaster - Determines the potential for further damage - Identifies the affected business functions and areas - Identifies the level of functionality for the critical resources - Identifies the resources that must be repla
Focuses on how to re-create the necessary business processes that need to be reestablished instead of focusing on IT components

8. Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Responsibility: each individual involved should have their responsibilities spelled out in writing and the tasks should be assigned to the individual most situated to handle it - Authority: you need to know what leaders are going to step up to the pl
It's used when threats are identified that cannot be prevented. Taking on the full risk of these threats is often dangerous
The primary and secondary data volumes are only a few milliseconds out of sync - so the replication is nearly real-time
A promise that a service will be fulfilled within a certain timeframe

9. Role of the Business Continuity Coordinator
It's used when threats are identified that cannot be prevented. Taking on the full risk of these threats is often dangerous
Done to ensure that the specific systems can actually perform adequately at the alternate offsite facility. some systems are moved to the alternate site and processing takes place. the results are compared with the regular processing that is done at
Lead the BCP team and oversee the development - implementation - and testing of the continuity and disaster recovery plans... this person needs to have direct access to management and have the credibility and authority to carry out leadership tasks
Copies of the BCP are distributed to the different departments and functional areas for review

10. Parallel Test
Responsible for getting the alternate site into a working and functioning environment. Needs to know how to install OSes - configure workstations and servers - string wiring and cabling - set up the network and configure networking services - and ins
Required roles - Required resources - Input and output mechanisms - Workflow steps - Required time for completion - How they interface with other processes
Done to ensure that the specific systems can actually perform adequately at the alternate offsite facility. some systems are moved to the alternate site and processing takes place. the results are compared with the regular processing that is done at
Backup all the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup. this process sets the archive bit to 0

11. What does the BCP team need to understand about critical business processes?
1. Select individuals to interview for data gathering 2. Create data-gathering techniques (surveys - questionnaires - qualitative and quantitative approaches) 3. Identify the company's critical business functions 4. Identify the resources these funct
Business Resumption Plan - Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) - IT Contingency Plan - Crisis Communications Plan - Cyber Incident Response Plan - Disaster Recovery Plan
Includes getting critical systems to another environment while repair of the original facilities is under way - getting the right people to the right places - and performing business in a different mode until regular conditions are back in place
Required roles - Required resources - Input and output mechanisms - Workflow steps - Required time for completion - How they interface with other processes

12. What is the main goal of business continuity?
Maximum tolerable downtime - Operational disruption and productivity - Financial considerations - Regulatory responsibilities - Reputation
At the intersection of the cost of disruption and the cost to recover
To resume business as quickly as possible - spending the least amount of money
No - but the team may recognize that the company is at risk because it does not have these procedures in place

13. Mean Time To Repair (MTTR)
A leased or rented facility that supplies the basic environment - electrical wiring - air conditioning - plumbing and flooring - but none of the equipment or additional services. It may take weeks to get the site activated and ready for work. This is
The primary and secondary data volumes are only a few milliseconds out of sync - so the replication is nearly real-time
Focuses on malware - hackers - intrusions - attacks - and other security issues. outlines procedures for incident response
An estimate of how long it will take to fix a piece of equipment and get it back into production

14. Asynchronous Replication
When the power goes on the computers - it's also going to go out for the phones
Preventive mechanisms are put into place to try to reduce the possibility of the company experiencing a disaster and - if a disaster does hit - to lessen the amount of damage that will take place - Recovery strategies are processes on how to rescue t
The primary and secondary data volumes are only a few milliseconds out of sync - so the replication is nearly real-time
All employees who participate in operational and support functions - or their representatives - come together to practice executing the disaster recovery plan based on a specific scenario. the scenario is used to test the reaction of each operational

15. Tape Vaulting
The plans that determine the steps needed to protect the company in the event that a senior executive retires - leaves the company - or is killed. also details the people who would step in and assume responsibility
Preventive mechanisms are put into place to try to reduce the possibility of the company experiencing a disaster and - if a disaster does hit - to lessen the amount of damage that will take place - Recovery strategies are processes on how to rescue t
Since the software vendor provides its customers with only the compiled version of its applications - it's difficult for the customer to continue to use it if the vendor goes out of business. So the customer should set up a Software Escrow agreement
Backing up business data to tapes that are then manually transferred to an offsite facility by a courier or an employee... with automatic tape vaulting - the data are sent over a serial line to a backup tape system at the offsite facility. Electronic

16. What is the general structure of a BCP?
1. Initiation Phase: goal statements - overview of concepts - roles and teams definitions - task definitions 2. Activation Phase: notification steps - damage assessment - plan activation 3. Recovery Phase: move to alternate site - restore processes -
Objective-to-task mapping - Resource-to-task mapping - Milestones - Budget estimates - Success factors - Deadlines
A leased or rented facility that supplies the basic environment - electrical wiring - air conditioning - plumbing and flooring - but none of the equipment or additional services. It may take weeks to get the site activated and ready for work. This is
Nondisaster: a disruption in service due to a device malfunction or failure - Disaster: an event that causes the entire facility to be unusable for a day or longer - Catastrophe: a major disruption that destroys the facility altogether --> requires b

17. What issues does a company need to look at when determining when it should move into Reconstitution Phase?
The file system sets the archive bit of the file to 1 when a file is modified or created
It needs to ensure the safety of employees - It needs to ensure an adequate environment is provided (power - facility infrastructure - water - HVAC) - It needs to ensure that the necessary equipment and supplies are present and in working order - It
Preventive mechanisms are put into place to try to reduce the possibility of the company experiencing a disaster and - if a disaster does hit - to lessen the amount of damage that will take place - Recovery strategies are processes on how to rescue t
Each disk would have a corresponding mirrored disk that contains the exact same information

18. Full-Interruption Test
Data are dynamically created and maintained as images on two or more identical disks. this method is used to ensure the availability of data and to provide a fault-tolerant solution by duplicating hardware and maintaining more than one copy of the in
Backup all the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup. this process sets the archive bit to 0
1. Select individuals to interview for data gathering 2. Create data-gathering techniques (surveys - questionnaires - qualitative and quantitative approaches) 3. Identify the company's critical business functions 4. Identify the resources these funct
The most intrusive test to regular operations and business productivity. the original site is shut down - and processing takes place at the alternate site. this test takes a lot of planning and coordination but it can reveal many holes in the plan. f

19. Electronic Vaulting

20. What is one of the big issues with VoIP and disaster recovery?

21. Synchronous Replication
A leased or rented facility that supplies the basic environment - electrical wiring - air conditioning - plumbing and flooring - but none of the equipment or additional services. It may take weeks to get the site activated and ready for work. This is
The business continuity process isn't integrated into the change management process - infrastructure and environment changes occur - reorganization of the company - layoffs - or mergers occur - changes in hardware - software - and applications occur
The primary and secondary copies are always in sync - which provides true real-time duplication
Identifying regulatory and legal requirements that must be met - Identifying all possible vulnerabilities and threats - Estimating the possibilities of these threats and the loss potential - Performing a BIA - Outlining which departments - systems -

22. What are loss criteria that can be applied to individual threats that were identified in the BIA?
Reduce the risk of financial loss by improving the company's ability to recover and restore operations
The client pays a monthly fee to retain the right to use the facility in a time of need and then incurs a large activation fee when the facility actually has to be used... most recovery site contracts do not promise to house the company in need at a
Contact the local authorities
Loss in reputation and public confidence - Loss of competitive advantages - Increase in operational expenses - Violations of contract agreements - Violations of legal and regulatory requirements - Delayed income costs - Loss in revenue - Loss in pr

23. IT Contingency Plan
The client pays a monthly fee to retain the right to use the facility in a time of need and then incurs a large activation fee when the facility actually has to be used... most recovery site contracts do not promise to house the company in need at a
It needs to ensure the safety of employees - It needs to ensure an adequate environment is provided (power - facility infrastructure - water - HVAC) - It needs to ensure that the necessary equipment and supplies are present and in working order - It
The primary and secondary copies are always in sync - which provides true real-time duplication
Plan for systems - networks - and major applications recovery procedures after disruptions. a contingency plan should be developed for each major system and application

24. How should a team break down recovery strategies?
Focuses on how to recover various IT mechanisms after a disaster. whereas a contingency plan is usually for nondisasters - a disaster recover plan is for disasters that require IT processing to take place at another facility
Business process recovery - Facility recovery - Supply and technology recovery - User environment recovery - Data recovery
It has to figure out what the company needs to do to actually recover the items it has identified as being so important to the organization overall... the BIA provides the footprint
Company A agrees to allow company B to use its facilities if company B is hit by a disaster - and vice versa. This is a cheaper way to go than the other offsite choices - but is not always the best choice because most environments are maxed out perta

25. Remote Journaling
A method of transmitting data offsite - but it usually only includes moving the journal or transaction logs to the offsite facility - not the actual files. these logs contain the changes that have taken place to the individual files. Journaling is ef
They should make sure there are at least two copies of the company's operating system and critical applications
Each disk would have a corresponding mirrored disk that contains the exact same information
The primary and secondary data volumes are only a few milliseconds out of sync - so the replication is nearly real-time

26. How frequently should a company's insurance be reviewed?
Hot Site - Warm Site - Colde Site
Lead the BCP team and oversee the development - implementation - and testing of the continuity and disaster recovery plans... this person needs to have direct access to management and have the credibility and authority to carry out leadership tasks
Annually
They should make sure there are at least two copies of the company's operating system and critical applications

27. Disk Mirroring
Each disk would have a corresponding mirrored disk that contains the exact same information
Reduce the risk of financial loss by improving the company's ability to recover and restore operations
Responsibility: each individual involved should have their responsibilities spelled out in writing and the tasks should be assigned to the individual most situated to handle it - Authority: you need to know what leaders are going to step up to the pl
Company A agrees to allow company B to use its facilities if company B is hit by a disaster - and vice versa. This is a cheaper way to go than the other offsite choices - but is not always the best choice because most environments are maxed out perta

28. When should a company be prepared to interface with the press - customers - shareholders - and civic officials after a crisis?
Focuses on how to re-create the necessary business processes that need to be reestablished instead of focusing on IT components
Before too many people come to their own conclusions about the company and begin to start false rumors
A new type of coverage that insures losses caused by denial-of-service attacks - malware damages - hackers - electronic theft - privacy-related lawsuits and more
When it is time for the company to move back into its original site or a new site

29. How are offsite backup facility contracts usually established?
The client pays a monthly fee to retain the right to use the facility in a time of need and then incurs a large activation fee when the facility actually has to be used... most recovery site contracts do not promise to house the company in need at a
Annually
The employees who carry out the most critical functions of the company who must be put back to work first
Focuses on how to recover various IT mechanisms after a disaster. whereas a contingency plan is usually for nondisasters - a disaster recover plan is for disasters that require IT processing to take place at another facility

30. Continuity Planning
When it detects danger to human life - When it detects danger to state or national security - When it detects damage to the facility - When it detects damage to critical systems
Provides methods and procedures for dealing with longer-term outages and disaster.
Representatives from each department or functional area come together to over the plan to ensure its accuracy
Company A agrees to allow company B to use its facilities if company B is hit by a disaster - and vice versa. This is a cheaper way to go than the other offsite choices - but is not always the best choice because most environments are maxed out perta

31. What is the most critical part of establishing and maintaining a current continuity plan?
Management support
If the company does not practice due care - the insurance company may not be legally obligated to pay if a disaster hits... this is why it's important to read and understand the fine print
At the intersection of the cost of disruption and the cost to recover
It should be far enough away from the original site so one disaster does not take out both locations... alternate facilities should be at a bare minimum at least five miles away from the primary site - while 15 miles is recommended for most low-to-me

32. Continuity Planning Policy Statement
Done to ensure that the specific systems can actually perform adequately at the alternate offsite facility. some systems are moved to the alternate site and processing takes place. the results are compared with the regular processing that is done at
A document that lays out the scope of the BCP project - the team member roles - and the goals of the project. it outlines what needs to be accomplished after the team communicates with management and comes to agreement on the terms of the project
To resume business as quickly as possible - spending the least amount of money
The primary and secondary data volumes are only a few milliseconds out of sync - so the replication is nearly real-time

33. What functions should be moved back first during the Reconstitution Phase?
The least critical functions... it ensures that the critical operations of the company are not negatively affected
Contact the local authorities
Define essential business functions and supporting departments - Identify interdependencies between these functions and departments - Discover all possible disruptions that could affect the mechanisms necessary to allow these departments to function
If the company does not practice due care - the insurance company may not be legally obligated to pay if a disaster hits... this is why it's important to read and understand the fine print

34. Incremental Backup
Backup all the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup. this process sets the archive bit to 0
One person should be responsible... the authorities are the police department - security guards - fire department - emergency rescue - and management
The primary and secondary data volumes are only a few milliseconds out of sync - so the replication is nearly real-time
Company A agrees to allow company B to use its facilities if company B is hit by a disaster - and vice versa. This is a cheaper way to go than the other offsite choices - but is not always the best choice because most environments are maxed out perta

35. Disk Shadowing
A type of facility-backup option where the back of a large truck or a trailer is turned into a data processing or working area (typically used by military organizations and large insurance companies)
Responsibility: each individual involved should have their responsibilities spelled out in writing and the tasks should be assigned to the individual most situated to handle it - Authority: you need to know what leaders are going to step up to the pl
When the power goes on the computers - it's also going to go out for the phones
Data are dynamically created and maintained as images on two or more identical disks. this method is used to ensure the availability of data and to provide a fault-tolerant solution by duplicating hardware and maintaining more than one copy of the in

36. Reciprocal Agreement (Mutual Aid)
Company A agrees to allow company B to use its facilities if company B is hit by a disaster - and vice versa. This is a cheaper way to go than the other offsite choices - but is not always the best choice because most environments are maxed out perta
At the intersection of the cost of disruption and the cost to recover
Establishes senior management and a headquarters after a disaster. outlines roles and authorities - orders of succession - and individual role tasks
Define essential business functions and supporting departments - Identify interdependencies between these functions and departments - Discover all possible disruptions that could affect the mechanisms necessary to allow these departments to function

37. Differential Backup
Back up the files that have been modified since the LAST FULL BACKUP. this process does not change the archive bit value
When it is time for the company to move back into its original site or a new site
Manmade: arsonist - terrorist - a simple mistake - Natural: tornadoes - floods - hurricanes - or earthquakes - Technical: data corruption - loss of power - device failure - or loss of a data communications line
The client pays a monthly fee to retain the right to use the facility in a time of need and then incurs a large activation fee when the facility actually has to be used... most recovery site contracts do not promise to house the company in need at a

38. What are the BCP team's responsibilities with regards to BCP planning?
Backup all the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup. this process sets the archive bit to 0
A leased or rented facility that usually partially configured with some equipment (peripheral devices) - but not the actual computers... it's usually a hot site without the expensive equipment. This is the most widely-used model... it is less expensi
Identifying regulatory and legal requirements that must be met - Identifying all possible vulnerabilities and threats - Estimating the possibilities of these threats and the loss potential - Performing a BIA - Outlining which departments - systems -
Consultants are experts in the field and know the necessary steps - questions to ask - and issues to look for - and they can also offer general reasonable advice. In-house employees know their company intimately and have a full understanding of how c

39. Simulation Test
All employees who participate in operational and support functions - or their representatives - come together to practice executing the disaster recovery plan based on a specific scenario. the scenario is used to test the reaction of each operational
Present it to management for written approval
Done to ensure that the specific systems can actually perform adequately at the alternate offsite facility. some systems are moved to the alternate site and processing takes place. the results are compared with the regular processing that is done at
Management support

40. Why do you need a combination of consultants and employees on the BCP team?
Before too many people come to their own conclusions about the company and begin to start false rumors
After it has been tested
Consultants are experts in the field and know the necessary steps - questions to ask - and issues to look for - and they can also offer general reasonable advice. In-house employees know their company intimately and have a full understanding of how c
A promise that a service will be fulfilled within a certain timeframe

41. Executive Succession Planning
The plans that determine the steps needed to protect the company in the event that a senior executive retires - leaves the company - or is killed. also details the people who would step in and assume responsibility
Make business continuity a part of every business decision - Insert the maintenance responsibilities into job description - Include maintenance in personnel evaluations - Perform internal audits that include disaster recovery and continuity documenta
Backup all the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup. this process sets the archive bit to 0
A set of interrelated steps linked through specific decision activities to accomplish a specific task... business processes have starting and ending points and are repeatable

42. What are the steps of a BIA?

43. Redundant Site
One site is equipped and configured exactly like the primary site - which serves as a redundant environment. these sites are owned by the company and are mirrors of the original production environment... this is one of the most expensive backup facil
They want information stated in monetary - quantitative terms - not in subjective - qualitative terms.
Loss in reputation and public confidence - Loss of competitive advantages - Increase in operational expenses - Violations of contract agreements - Violations of legal and regulatory requirements - Delayed income costs - Loss in revenue - Loss in pr
Fortification of the facility in its construction materials - redundant servers and communications links - power lines coming in through different transformers - redundant vendor support - purchasing of insurance - purchasing of UPS and generators -

44. Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
The least critical functions... it ensures that the critical operations of the company are not negatively affected
A functional analysis in which a team collects data through interviews - workshops - and documentary sources; documents business functions - activities - and transactions (maybe in a set of flow charts); develops a hierarchy of business functions; an
Network and computer equipment - Voice and data communications resources - Human Resources - Transportation of equipment and personnel - Environment issues (HVAC) - Data and personnel security issues - Supplies (paper - forms - cabling - and so on) -
Responsible for getting the alternate site into a working and functioning environment. Needs to know how to install OSes - configure workstations and servers - string wiring and cabling - set up the network and configure networking services - and ins

45. Full Backup
The least critical functions... it ensures that the critical operations of the company are not negatively affected
No - but the team may recognize that the company is at risk because it does not have these procedures in place
All data are backed up and saved to some type of storage media. backup and restoration processes are very simplistic and straightforward with this method
The business continuity process isn't integrated into the change management process - infrastructure and environment changes occur - reorganization of the company - layoffs - or mergers occur - changes in hardware - software - and applications occur

46. What are the different types of recovery plans?
Prepared actions that are developed to help people in a crisis situation better cope with the disruption. Protection of life is of the utmost importance and should be dealt with first before looking to save material objects!
Reduce the risk of financial loss by improving the company's ability to recover and restore operations
A method of transmitting data offsite - but it usually only includes moving the journal or transaction logs to the offsite facility - not the actual files. these logs contain the changes that have taken place to the individual files. Journaling is ef
Business Resumption Plan - Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) - IT Contingency Plan - Crisis Communications Plan - Cyber Incident Response Plan - Disaster Recovery Plan

47. Checklist Test (Deckcheck Test)
One site is equipped and configured exactly like the primary site - which serves as a redundant environment. these sites are owned by the company and are mirrors of the original production environment... this is one of the most expensive backup facil
The primary and secondary copies are always in sync - which provides true real-time duplication
Copies of the BCP are distributed to the different departments and functional areas for review
The business continuity process isn't integrated into the change management process - infrastructure and environment changes occur - reorganization of the company - layoffs - or mergers occur - changes in hardware - software - and applications occur

48. What should an organization do to assure that they will always be able to get some kind of support for their specialized and critical applications (even in the event that the software vendor goes out of business)?

49. As a general rule of thumb - how far away should a backup facility be from the main facility?
Prepared actions that are developed to help people in a crisis situation better cope with the disruption. Protection of life is of the utmost importance and should be dealt with first before looking to save material objects!
Use scenario-based exercises as a group to see what issues might crop up
One site is equipped and configured exactly like the primary site - which serves as a redundant environment. these sites are owned by the company and are mirrors of the original production environment... this is one of the most expensive backup facil
It should be far enough away from the original site so one disaster does not take out both locations... alternate facilities should be at a bare minimum at least five miles away from the primary site - while 15 miles is recommended for most low-to-me

50. Crisis Communications Plan
Includes internal and external communications structure and roles. identifies specific individuals who will communicate with external entities. contains predeveloped statements that are to be released
Focuses on how to recover various IT mechanisms after a disaster. whereas a contingency plan is usually for nondisasters - a disaster recover plan is for disasters that require IT processing to take place at another facility
Consultants are experts in the field and know the necessary steps - questions to ask - and issues to look for - and they can also offer general reasonable advice. In-house employees know their company intimately and have a full understanding of how c
Base it off of the probability of the threat becoming real and the loss potential. the goal is to make sure the insurance coverage fills in the gap of what the current preventative countermeasures cannot protect against