About this interactive
A control can be described by its type, the job it does. Security+ (SY0-701) uses six types:
Preventive: stops the event from happening at all. A firewall rule that denies a connection, a door that opens only for an authorized badge, multi-factor authentication.
Deterrent: does not stop the event but discourages it, so an attacker decides it is not worth it. A login banner warning that misuse will be prosecuted, a sign warning that intruders will be reported.
Detective: notices that something happened or is happening. An intrusion detection system, reviewing logs, file integrity monitoring.
Corrective: acts once something is happening or has happened, to stop it or fix what it broke. Quarantining an infected laptop, patching the flaw an attacker used, resetting a stolen password.
Compensating: an alternative put in place when the main control cannot be used, giving similar protection a different way. Isolating a server that cannot be patched.
Directive: tells people what they are required to do, in a policy or procedure, and relies on them doing it. A policy telling staff to lock their screens is directive; a setting that locks the screen for them is preventive.
The lesson also describes recovery controls, such as restoring from backup. Security+ groups recovery with corrective, so no card here asks you to split the two. Many controls do more than one job; each card describes the job this one is doing.
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