Which type of control is designed to manage and mitigate potential risks before they occur?

Preventive controls are specifically designed to manage and mitigate potential risks before they can manifest into actual incidents. These types of controls aim to stop threats and vulnerabilities from being exploited by implementing measures that reduce the likelihood of an adverse event happening. Examples of preventive controls include firewalls, access controls, anti-virus software, and security awareness training. By employing these controls, organizations actively work to safeguard their systems and data, thereby minimizing the chance of a security breach or failure related to security measures.

In contrast, corrective controls respond to incidents after they have occurred, aiming to restore systems or processes to normal operation. Detective controls are focused on identifying and detecting security incidents or breaches as they happen or after the fact, providing alerting mechanisms to flag unauthorized activity. Recovery controls come into play after an incident has happened, facilitating the restoration of systems and operations to a secure state. Thus, preventive controls play a proactive role in risk management by seeking to halt problems before they arise.