Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) Practice Exam 2026 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Mastery!

Compensating control is a type of security control utilized when a recommended security control cannot be implemented for various reasons, such as technical limitations or resource constraints. This alternative measure aims to provide a similar level of protection and mitigate risks to the information system or environment.

For instance, if an organization cannot implement a particular access control measure due to legacy system issues, it might deploy additional monitoring or logging mechanisms as a compensating control to ensure that risks are still managed effectively. The goal is to address vulnerabilities while adhering to security requirements as closely as possible, thereby ensuring a strong security posture without the direct application of the initially recommended measures.

Other types of controls have different purposes. Common controls refer to security measures that apply across multiple systems or environments, baseline controls set minimum security standards for systems, and administrative controls pertain to policies and procedures governing organizational security practices. Each type has its specific use cases, but compensating controls stand out for their role in providing alternative security solutions in lieu of direct recommendations.