- A
Directive control
Why wrong: Directive controls tell people what they should do, such as policies, procedures, standards, or mandatory guidance.
- B
Detective control
Why wrong: Detective controls would report the firewall drift, but they would not actively restore the approved configuration.
- C
Corrective control
The automation runs after drift is detected and restores the approved baseline, which means it is correcting the affected system back to a known-good state. It does more than report the problem; it remediates the configuration. That is why the best answer is corrective control rather than detective or preventive control.
- D
Deterrent control
Why wrong: Deterrent controls are meant to discourage bad behavior through visible consequences, such as warning banners or cameras.
Quick Answer
The answer is corrective control because the automation job actively remediates a detected security issue by reapplying the approved baseline configuration after drift has occurred. This is the defining characteristic of a corrective control: it reverses or mitigates the impact of an unwanted change or security event after detection, rather than preventing it beforehand. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between detective, preventive, and corrective controls—a common trap is to focus on the nightly comparison (which is detective) and miss that the automatic reapplication is the corrective action itself. A useful memory tip is to think of corrective controls as “fix-it” controls: they correct what went wrong, just like this automation fixes the drifted firewalls without waiting for a human ticket.
SY0-701 General Security Concepts Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of general security concepts. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
During routine checks, configuration management finds several branch firewalls drifted from the approved baseline because a contractor changed settings locally. An automation job now compares each device nightly and automatically reapplies the approved configuration without waiting for a human ticket. Which control type is the automation?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Corrective control
The automation job corrects a detected drift by automatically reapplying the approved configuration, which is a classic corrective control. Corrective controls are designed to remediate or reverse an unwanted change or security event after it has been detected. In this scenario, the nightly comparison is detective, but the automatic reapplication is the corrective action.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Directive control
Why it's wrong here
Directive controls tell people what they should do, such as policies, procedures, standards, or mandatory guidance.
- ✗
Detective control
Why it's wrong here
Detective controls would report the firewall drift, but they would not actively restore the approved configuration.
- ✓
Corrective control
Why this is correct
The automation runs after drift is detected and restores the approved baseline, which means it is correcting the affected system back to a known-good state. It does more than report the problem; it remediates the configuration. That is why the best answer is corrective control rather than detective or preventive control.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Deterrent control
Why it's wrong here
Deterrent controls are meant to discourage bad behavior through visible consequences, such as warning banners or cameras.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates see 'compares each device nightly' and mistakenly classify the entire process as detective, ignoring that the automatic reapplication is the corrective action that distinguishes the control type.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, this automation likely uses a configuration management tool (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, or a vendor-specific API) that stores the approved baseline as a golden image or a set of CLI commands. The nightly job performs a hash comparison (e.g., MD5 or SHA-256) of the running config against the baseline; if the hashes differ, the tool pushes the approved config via SSH or HTTPS, often using a service account with privileged access. In a real-world scenario, this can cause service disruption if the drifted config was a legitimate emergency change (e.g., a temporary ACL for a critical patch), so organizations often pair such automation with a change management exception process.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
General Security Concepts — This question tests General Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Corrective control — The automation job corrects a detected drift by automatically reapplying the approved configuration, which is a classic corrective control. Corrective controls are designed to remediate or reverse an unwanted change or security event after it has been detected. In this scenario, the nightly comparison is detective, but the automatic reapplication is the corrective action.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Match each control type to the most fitting example in a branch office.
easyWhy : Preventive controls block incidents; detective controls identify them; corrective controls restore operations; deterrent controls discourage attacks; compensating controls provide alternative protection; physical controls secure physical access.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SY0-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SY0-701 exam.
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