Which statement correctly contrasts defensive security measures with proactive security measures?

Which statement correctly contrasts defensive security measures with proactive security measures?

• A. It helps balance defensive and proactive approaches
• B. Defensive measures protect assets (locks, guards); proactive measures anticipate threats (threat assessments, patrol scheduling, red-team testing).
• C. Defensive measures eliminate all risks without planning.
• D. Proactive measures replace the need for physical controls.

Answer: (B)

Defensive and proactive security measures serve different purposes and operate at different times. Defensive measures protect assets by putting in place physical and procedural controls—like locks, guards, access control, and barriers—to deter, delay, detect, and respond to incidents. Proactive measures, meanwhile, anticipate threats before they happen, using activities such as threat assessments, patrol scheduling, and red-team testing to uncover vulnerabilities and prevent incidents from occurring. This contrast is why the statement is the best fit: it pairs concrete defensive tools with proactive, anticipatory actions, illustrating how each approach contributes to a security strategy. The other options either avoid explicitly contrasting the two, claim you can eliminate all risk without planning, or suggest proactive measures can replace physical controls, which isn’t accurate.

Defensive and proactive security measures serve different purposes and operate at different times. Defensive measures protect assets by putting in place physical and procedural controls—like locks, guards, access control, and barriers—to deter, delay, detect, and respond to incidents. Proactive measures, meanwhile, anticipate threats before they happen, using activities such as threat assessments, patrol scheduling, and red-team testing to uncover vulnerabilities and prevent incidents from occurring.

This contrast is why the statement is the best fit: it pairs concrete defensive tools with proactive, anticipatory actions, illustrating how each approach contributes to a security strategy. The other options either avoid explicitly contrasting the two, claim you can eliminate all risk without planning, or suggest proactive measures can replace physical controls, which isn’t accurate.