Which Control Type Counts Daily Building Access?
Short answer
A Counting daily employee building access is a detective control because it monitors and records activity to identify events, not preventive or corrective.
Question
Key Takeaways
The exam tests the difference between detective and preventive controls, and the trap is choosing preventive because the count will later be used to configure access controls.
This SY0-701 question tests how security control types are classified by asking which control determines how many employees enter a building daily. The page confirms the answer is detective (A), because counting and monitoring access is detection rather than prevention.
Common mistake: The most common wrong answer is preventive (B) because learners focus on the stated goal of configuring access controls and overlook that determining the daily count is monitoring and detection, not stopping access.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
The requirement is to determine how many employees access the building each day. Detective controls are designed to identify and detect events or behaviors, usually through logs, badge readers, cameras, or monitoring systems. Counting daily entries is a monitoring and recording activity, so it fits the detective control category. The fact that the resulting data may later be used to configure access controls does not change the nature of the control that performs the counting. Therefore A is correct.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Preventive controls stop an incident before it occurs, such as a badge reader denying unauthorized entry, but they do not answer the counting question. Corrective controls restore systems or processes after an incident, so they are irrelevant to daily access counting. Directive controls provide guidance, policy, or procedures—for example, a policy requiring access counts—but they do not themselves perform the count. The learner who chose B focused on the ultimate security goal rather than the immediate requirement.
Community Comment Notes
Several learners, including chasingsummer, explain that "Detective controls are designed to identify and detect unwanted events or behaviors," and that access logs, badge scanners, and cameras can record daily access. b82faaf agrees that the question "It simply wants to monitor and track access. That is detective." jacobtriestech chose preventive because the count could inform proactive access restrictions, but this conflates the purpose of the data with the control type that collects it.
Official Reference
- https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/detective_control
- https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/r5/upd1/final
These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
When a question asks about counting, logging, monitoring, or reviewing activity, select detective. Do not choose preventive just because the collected data will later inform access control decisions; answer based on the immediate requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is daily building access counting a detective control rather than preventive?
Does configuring access controls later make preventive the right answer?
Community Votes
83% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 3 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 3
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chasingsummer 👍 3 Answered ADetective controls are designed to identify and detect unwanted events or behaviors. In this case, the organization needs to determine how many employees are accessing the building each day, which can be done using detective controls like access logs, badge scanners, or security cameras that monitor and record employee access.
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b82faaf 👍 2 Answered AQuestion says the intent is to "determine how many employees are accessing the building". It simply wants to monitor and track access. That is detective.
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jacobtriestech 👍 1 Answered BA preventive control is designed to stop a security incident from occurring in the first place. In this case, by determining the number of employees accessing the building, the organization can implement appropriate access controls, such as limiting access to authorized personnel and using access cards or biometric authentication. This proactive measure prevents unauthorized access and potential security breaches.
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