CCSP - Cloud Data Security (20% of the exam) - Section 2.2
Design and implement cloud data storage architectures.
Storage types by service model (volume and object for IaaS, structured and unstructured for PaaS/SaaS), and the threats specific to each storage type.
volume storageobject storagestructured and unstructured dataephemeral and long-term storagestorage-specific threats
Practice question for this objective
lock_openFree sampleCloud Data Securitymedium
A cloud architect is documenting the storage types used across an IaaS deployment. One tier presents raw block devices that are attached to a single virtual machine, formatted with a file system by the guest operating system, and used to run a relational database. Which storage type does this description identify?
AObject storage, where each item is stored as a discrete object with metadata and retrieved over an HTTP-based API by its key
BVolume storage, where a block device is attached to an instance and the guest operating system applies its own file systemcheck_circle Correct
CEphemeral storage, where the capacity is destroyed automatically the moment the instance is stopped or terminated
DLong-term archival storage, which is optimised for infrequent access and low cost at the expense of retrieval latency
Distinguish volume (block) storage from object, ephemeral, and archival storage by how the resource is presented to the instance. Volume storage delivers a raw block device that the guest operating system formats with its own file system and mounts, which is why it underpins boot disks and databases, unlike object storage that is reached through an API by key.
Why A is wrong: Object storage is tempting because it is the other headline cloud storage class, but it exposes items through an API by key rather than a raw block device that the guest OS formats and mounts, so it cannot host a file system for a database in this way.
Why B is correct: Correct: volume (block) storage presents a raw device to one instance, which the guest OS partitions and formats, making it the standard choice for databases and boot volumes in IaaS.
Why C is wrong: Ephemeral storage is also block-based and locally attached, which makes it tempting, but its defining trait is that data is lost when the instance stops, whereas the description implies persistent database storage.
Why D is wrong: Archival storage is a plausible distractor because it is a named cloud tier, but it targets cold, rarely read data and imposes retrieval delays, which is unsuitable for an actively running relational database.
Answers that look right on this material and are not. Each one is a distractor from a different question in the CCSP bank for this domain.
Guest virtual machines contending for the same physical block device, causing input and output performance to degrade under load
errorWhy it is wrong: Resource contention is a genuine storage concern, which makes it tempting, but it affects performance rather than causing unauthorised disclosure, and it relates to block volumes more than to an object bucket.
Issue a bulk delete against the tenant's records through the application so the SaaS provider marks the rows for removal on its next housekeeping cycle.
errorWhy it is wrong: Application-level deletion is tempting because it removes visible data, but rows may persist in backups, snapshots and replicas, so the records are not demonstrably unrecoverable.
Object storage organises files in a hierarchical directory tree that clients mount over the network and traverse using standard file-system path semantics
errorWhy it is wrong: This is tempting because folder-like prefixes appear in object keys, but object storage uses a flat namespace addressed by key rather than a genuine mountable directory hierarchy, so the statement misdescribes the architecture.