Quick Answer
The answer is background checks for employees and security awareness training, as both are classic examples of administrative controls in information security. Administrative controls are the policies, procedures, and guidelines that manage human behavior and organizational processes to reduce risk, rather than relying on hardware or physical barriers. Background checks enforce personnel security policies by vetting employees before access is granted, while security awareness training educates staff on secure practices—both are documented in the security policy framework and fall under the management domain. On the CISSP exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish administrative controls from technical controls (like firewalls) and physical controls (like locks); a common trap is confusing training with a technical control, but remember that anything involving people, policy, or procedure is administrative. Memory tip: think “People and Paper”—if it involves human vetting, training, or written rules, it’s administrative.
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security and risk management. 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.
Which TWO of the following are examples of administrative controls? (Select exactly 2)
Firewall rules
Why wrong: Technical control.
Security awareness training
Correct - Administrative control addressing people.
Security guards at entrances
Why wrong: Physical control.
Encryption of data at rest
Why wrong: Technical control.
Background checks for employees
Correct - Administrative control for personnel security.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Security awareness training
Security awareness training (B) is an administrative control because it involves policies, procedures, and human behavior management to reduce risk. Background checks (E) are also administrative controls, as they are part of personnel security policies that vet employees before granting access. Both are documented in the organization's security policy framework and are not technical or physical mechanisms.
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.
Firewall rules
Why it's wrong here
Technical control.
Security awareness training
Why this is correct
Correct - Administrative control addressing people.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Security guards at entrances
Why it's wrong here
Physical control.
Encryption of data at rest
Why it's wrong here
Technical control.
Background checks for employees
Why this is correct
Correct - Administrative control for personnel security.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between administrative, technical, and physical controls, and the trap here is that candidates confuse security guards (physical) or firewall rules (technical) with administrative controls because they involve 'security' or 'rules,' but they are not policy-based or procedural in nature.
Detailed technical explanation
Administrative controls, also known as directive controls, form the foundation of a security program by defining policies, standards, and procedures. In the CIA triad, they support governance and compliance (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST SP 800-53) by mandating user behavior, while technical controls like encryption enforce confidentiality at the data layer. A real-world scenario: an organization may have a policy requiring annual security awareness training (administrative) but also deploy a SIEM (technical) to monitor for violations of that policy.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Security and Risk Management — This question tests Security and Risk Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Security awareness training — Security awareness training (B) is an administrative control because it involves policies, procedures, and human behavior management to reduce risk. Background checks (E) are also administrative controls, as they are part of personnel security policies that vet employees before granting access. Both are documented in the organization's security policy framework and are not technical or physical mechanisms.
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 TWO are examples of administrative controls in an information security program?
mediumWhy A: Administrative controls involve policies, procedures, and people. Security awareness training and background checks are administrative. Firewalls, ACLs, and encryption are technical/physical.
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This CISSP 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 CISSP exam.
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