- A
Corrective control
Why wrong: Corrective controls remediate issues after they occur.
- B
Detective control
Why wrong: Detective controls identify events after they have occurred, not in real time.
- C
Preventive control
Preventive controls block unauthorized access in real time.
- D
Compensating control
Why wrong: Compensating controls provide alternative control when primary control is not feasible.
Question 486 of 1,000
CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
This CRISC practice question tests your understanding of risk response and reporting. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
An organization is implementing a control to prevent unauthorized access to its critical database. The control must be designed to block access attempts in real time. Which type of control should be selected?
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
✓
Preventive control
A preventive control is designed to block unauthorized access attempts in real time before they reach the critical database. Technologies such as a database firewall or network access control list (ACL) evaluate each request against a policy and drop the packet or terminate the session immediately, preventing the access from occurring. This aligns with the requirement for real-time blocking, which is the defining characteristic of a preventive control.
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.
- ✗
Corrective control
Why it's wrong here
Corrective controls remediate issues after they occur.
- ✗
Detective control
Why it's wrong here
Detective controls identify events after they have occurred, not in real time.
- ✓
Preventive control
Why this is correct
Preventive controls block unauthorized access in real time.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Compensating control
Why it's wrong here
Compensating controls provide alternative control when primary control is not feasible.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse detective controls (like monitoring or logging) with preventive controls, mistakenly thinking that detecting an attempt in real time is the same as blocking it, but detection does not stop the action from occurring.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a database firewall operates at the network or application layer, inspecting SQL statements against a whitelist or blacklist of commands (e.g., blocking DROP TABLE or SELECT * FROM sensitive columns) and can terminate the TCP connection or return an error before the query executes. In a real-world scenario, a preventive control like a web application firewall (WAF) can block SQL injection attempts in real time by matching payload patterns against known attack signatures (e.g., ' OR 1=1 --), preventing the malicious query from reaching the database server.
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 administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
Visual reference
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CRISC question test?
Risk Response and Reporting — This question tests Risk Response and Reporting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Preventive control — A preventive control is designed to block unauthorized access attempts in real time before they reach the critical database. Technologies such as a database firewall or network access control list (ACL) evaluate each request against a policy and drop the packet or terminate the session immediately, preventing the access from occurring. This aligns with the requirement for real-time blocking, which is the defining characteristic of a preventive control.
What should I do if I get this CRISC 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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This CRISC 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 CRISC exam.
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