Quick Answer
The answer is reviewing audit logs for suspicious activity, as this is a classic example of a detective control in security operations. Detective controls are designed to identify and alert on security incidents after they have occurred, making audit log review a perfect fit because it involves examining historical records to detect unauthorized access or anomalies. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this concept tests your ability to distinguish detective controls from preventive controls like patching, MFA, or firewall rules, which aim to stop incidents before they happen. A common trap is confusing monitoring with prevention—remember that if it looks backward at what already happened, it is detective. To lock it in, use the mnemonic “DAD” for Detective controls: Detect, Analyze, Document—and audit logs are the prime tool for the first step.
This CC practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which of the following is an example of a detective control in a security operations context?
Installing a security patch to fix a vulnerability.
Why wrong: Patching is a corrective control.
Reviewing audit logs for suspicious activity.
Audit log review detects incidents that have already happened.
Requiring multi-factor authentication for remote access.
Why wrong: MFA is a preventive control.
Firewall rules blocking unauthorized traffic.
Why wrong: Firewall rules are preventive controls.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Reviewing audit logs for suspicious activity.
Detective controls are designed to identify and alert on security incidents after they have occurred. Reviewing audit logs for suspicious activity is a classic detective control because it involves examining historical records to detect unauthorized access or anomalies. In contrast, preventive controls like patching, MFA, and firewall rules aim to stop incidents before they happen.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Installing a security patch to fix a vulnerability.
Why it's wrong here
Patching is a corrective control.
Reviewing audit logs for suspicious activity.
Why this is correct
Audit log review detects incidents that have already happened.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Requiring multi-factor authentication for remote access.
Why it's wrong here
MFA is a preventive control.
Firewall rules blocking unauthorized traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Firewall rules are preventive controls.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between preventive and detective controls, and the trap here is that candidates confuse 'blocking' or 'preventing' actions (like patching or firewalls) with detective controls that only monitor and alert after the fact.
Detailed technical explanation
Audit logs typically capture events such as login attempts, privilege escalations, and file access via syslog or Windows Event Log. A detective control like log review often involves SIEM correlation rules (e.g., detecting multiple failed logins within 5 minutes) or manual analysis of timestamped entries. In a real-world scenario, a SOC analyst might review Windows Security Event ID 4625 (failed logon) to identify a brute-force attack, which is a detective action distinct from blocking the attack with a preventive control.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security team runs a vulnerability scan on a web application and discovers an unpatched SQL injection flaw. The team prioritises remediation by CVSS score — critical flaws are patched within 24 hours, high within 7 days. Questions like this test whether you understand vulnerability management processes, scanning tools, and remediation prioritisation.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Reviewing audit logs for suspicious activity. — Detective controls are designed to identify and alert on security incidents after they have occurred. Reviewing audit logs for suspicious activity is a classic detective control because it involves examining historical records to detect unauthorized access or anomalies. In contrast, preventive controls like patching, MFA, and firewall rules aim to stop incidents before they happen.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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
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. Which of the following is an example of a detective control?
easyWhy D: Option A is correct because an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) detects and alerts on suspicious activity. Option B is a preventive control. Option C is a preventive control. Option D is a directive control.
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.
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