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CISA Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are examples of…
Which TWO of the following are examples of detective controls? (Choose two.)
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
✓
Regular review of security incident logs.
Regular review of security incident logs (B) and intrusion detection system (IDS) alerts (C) are detective controls that identify events after they occur.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Firewall rules that block unauthorized traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Firewall rules are preventive controls, not detective.
- ✓
Regular review of security incident logs.
Why this is correct
Log review is a detective control that identifies past events.
- ✓
Intrusion detection system (IDS) alerts.
Why this is correct
IDS detects potential intrusions in real time but is considered detective as it identifies incidents.
- ✗
Encryption of sensitive data at rest.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is a preventive/corrective control protecting data confidentiality.
- ✗
Access control lists (ACLs) on network devices.
Why it's wrong here
ACLs are preventive controls that permit or deny traffic.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on CISA
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 security control to its category.
medium- ✓ A.Firewall: Prevents unauthorized network access by filtering traffic.
- ✓ B.Intrusion Detection System (IDS): Monitors network traffic for suspicious activity and alerts.
- ✓ C.Data Backup: Restores lost or corrupted data from copies.
- D.Firewall: Monitors network traffic for suspicious activity and alerts.
- E.Intrusion Detection System (IDS): Restores lost or corrupted data from copies.
- F.Data Backup: Prevents unauthorized network access by filtering traffic.
Why A: Firewalls are preventive controls that block unauthorized access, IDS are detective controls that monitor and alert, and data backups are corrective controls that restore data after loss. The distractors swap these definitions.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA 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 CISA exam.