What is Security Control Assessment?

• A. The testing and/or evaluation of the management, operational and technical security controls in an information system to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly, operating as intended, and producing the desired outcome with respect to meeting the security requirements for the system.
• B. A review of system logs for anomalies.
• C. The process of patch management.
• D. The plan for incident response.

Answer: (A)

Security Control Assessment is the formal process of testing and evaluating the security controls across management, operational, and technical domains to determine whether they are implemented correctly, operating as intended, and producing the desired security outcomes for the system. This assessment collects evidence, examines how well controls meet the system’s security requirements, and helps inform risk decisions and authorization under frameworks like NIST RMF and FISMA. It looks at how controls work together to protect confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and it identifies gaps that need remediation.

The other activities described—reviewing system logs for anomalies, patch management, and incident response planning—are important security tasks, but they are specific actions or plans rather than a formal, comprehensive assessment of whether all applicable controls are effectively implemented and functioning as required.