In information security, controls are commonly categorized as preventive, detective, and corrective. However, these categories are not strictly exclusive; a single control can indeed serve multiple functions.
Overlap of Control Functions
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Firewalls: Primarily act as preventive controls by blocking unauthorized access. However, they can also have detective capabilities by logging traffic and generating alerts for suspicious activities.
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Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS): These systems detect malicious activities (detective) and can take action to block them (preventive).
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Antivirus Software: Detects known malware (detective), prevents its execution (preventive), and removes or quarantines infected files (corrective).
Implications of Overlapping Controls
While overlapping functions can enhance security by providing multiple layers of defense, they may also lead to redundancy. It's essential to assess the necessity and efficiency of overlapping controls to avoid unnecessary complexity and resource expenditure
Security control categories serve as a framework to understand their primary functions, but in practice, many controls span multiple categories. Recognizing this overlap is crucial for designing a comprehensive and efficient security strategy that leverages the multifaceted nature of security controls.
