What are the 3 general categories of security controls?

Okay, so someone wants to know about the three main types of security controls? It’s a good question, and honestly, it’s something I think about a lot. I always picture security like, you know, a layered cake. You don’t just want one layer of protection, right?

First off, there’s preventive stuff. This is like locking your doors, having a strong password – all the things you do before anything bad even happens. Like, I always double-check my car doors, even in my own driveway. You just never know!

Then, because sometimes things do happen (ugh, it’s so frustrating!), you need detective controls. These are things that help you figure out if something bad did happen. Think security cameras, intrusion detection systems… stuff like that. My neighbor had a package stolen off his porch once, and if he’d had a camera, he might have been able to, like, see who did it and maybe even get it back. So frustrating for him!

And finally, there’s the stuff nobody wants to think about but you really need: corrective controls. This is about damage control. It’s like having good insurance (hopefully you never need it, but boy are you glad you have it when you do!), restoring data from backups, you know, getting things back to normal. Remember that time that huge ransomware attack took down, like, half the internet? Companies with good corrective controls were back up and running way faster. It’s painful to think about all the stuff that goes into this layer, but seriously, better to be safe than sorry, right? It’s like… a safety net, in case you fall. Which, hopefully, you won’t. But just in case… you know?