Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Mastering Your Certification!

Compensating controls are specifically designed to address and mitigate risks when primary controls are either ineffective or absent. The purpose of these controls is not to eliminate all risks entirely, as that is often not feasible in practice; instead, they aim to reduce the potential impact or likelihood of a security threat in situations where existing security measures have weaknesses.

By providing an alternative method of protection, compensating controls help organizations maintain an acceptable level of risk. For example, if a primary control such as encryption is not possible due to technical limitations, a compensating control might involve implementing stringent monitoring and logging to detect any unauthorized access attempts.

In contrast, options related to user experience or system performance do not typically align with the primary function of compensating controls, which is to mitigate risk rather than directly enhance user satisfaction or operational efficiency. Understanding the role of compensating controls is crucial for developing a robust risk management strategy, particularly in environments where vulnerabilities exist.