CRISC Risk Response and Reporting Practice Question
An organization is implementing a new control to prevent unauthorized access to its critical database. Which type of control is most appropriate for this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse 'preventive' with 'detective' controls, mistakenly choosing detective controls (like logging) because they are more visible in audit reports, but the question explicitly asks for a control that 'prevents' access, which requires a proactive blocking mechanism.
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 the most appropriate because it directly stops unauthorized access before it can occur. For a critical database, this could involve implementing database-level access control lists (ACLs), network firewall rules restricting traffic to specific IP ranges, or mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA) on the database service. These mechanisms enforce the security policy at the point of entry, blocking the threat actor before any interaction with the data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Compensating control
Why it's wrong here
Compensating controls substitute for a primary control that cannot be implemented, addressing residual risk indirectly. They suit legacy systems or constrained environments where the ideal control is infeasible, not a fresh implementation where a direct preventive control is available.
- ✓
Preventive control
Why this is correct
A preventive control stops unauthorised access attempts before they succeed, directly satisfying the requirement to prevent access to the critical database. Detective controls would only identify breaches after the fact, and corrective controls remediate afterwards, neither meeting the stated prevention objective.
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Corrective control
Why it's wrong here
A corrective control acts after an access violation has occurred, restoring systems or data rather than blocking the unauthorised attempt itself. Prevention demands a preventive control, such as access restrictions or authentication, operating before the event. Corrective controls suit scenarios requiring remediation or recovery, for example restoring a database following a successful breach.
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Detective control
Why it's wrong here
Detective controls identify and log unauthorised access after it occurs, so the database breach still happens. They suit monitoring, alerting and audit scenarios where visibility of incidents is the objective, not the preventive requirement stated here.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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