Access controls that include biometric systems are categorized as what type of controls?

Biometric systems, which use unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans to verify an individual's identity, are designed primarily to prevent unauthorized access to resources and information. This makes them a type of preventative control.

Preventative controls are implemented to stop potential security breaches before they occur. By ensuring that only authenticated and authorized individuals can access certain systems or data, biometric controls reduce the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches. In contrast, detective controls focus on identifying and alerting when a breach occurs, while corrective controls are employed after a security incident to help remedy the situation. Determinative controls, on the other hand, are not a recognized category in security controls, making this classification less relevant.

In summary, biometric access controls fall into the preventative category because their primary function is to prevent unauthorized access by verifying the identity of individuals attempting to gain entry.