Quick Answer
The answer is detective and preventative, as these two are the most common types of security controls recognized in foundational cybersecurity frameworks. Detective controls are designed to identify and alert on ongoing or past security incidents—like intrusion detection systems or log monitoring—while preventative controls aim to stop threats before they occur, such as firewalls or access controls. On the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam, this concept tests your understanding of control categories by function, often appearing in multiple-choice questions that ask you to distinguish between standard types like corrective, deterrent, or compensating controls. A common trap is confusing detective with corrective controls, but remember: detective finds the problem, preventative blocks it, and corrective fixes it afterward. To lock this in, use the mnemonic “DPC” for Detective, Preventative, Corrective—the three core categories you’ll see most often.
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 two of the following are common types of security controls?
Corrective
Why wrong: Corrective is a valid category but not among the two most common for this question.
Preventative
Preventative controls block attacks before they occur.
Detective
Detective controls monitor and alert on security events.
Predictive
Why wrong: Predictive is not a standard control category.
Reactive
Why wrong: Reactive is not a standard control category.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Preventative
Detective and Preventative controls are foundational security control categories. Corrective is also a category but not listed as one of the two most common; Reactive and Predictive are not standard categories.
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.
Corrective
Why it's wrong here
Corrective is a valid category but not among the two most common for this question.
Preventative
Why this is correct
Preventative controls block attacks before they occur.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Detective
Why this is correct
Detective controls monitor and alert on security events.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Predictive
Why it's wrong here
Predictive is not a standard control category.
Reactive
Why it's wrong here
Reactive is not a standard control category.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which CC exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Security Operations — study guide chapter
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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: Preventative — Detective and Preventative controls are foundational security control categories. Corrective is also a category but not listed as one of the two most common; Reactive and Predictive are not standard categories.
Identify which CC exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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