Routine security audits are designed to accomplish which of the following?

• A. Identify gaps
• B. All of the above
• C. Verify compliance
• D. Test controls

Answer: (B)

Routine security audits aim to look at the security program in a broad, systematic way to strengthen it. They check for gaps where controls are missing or ineffective, ensuring weaknesses don’t go unnoticed until exploited. They also verify compliance by comparing current practices against established policies, standards, and regulatory requirements, confirming that rules are actually followed. Finally, they test controls to see how they perform in practice, not just on paper—examining whether access controls, logging, encryption, incident response, and monitoring operate as intended and can withstand real-world conditions. Because a thorough audit covers all these angles, it is most accurate to say audits accomplish all of the above. When one area is ignored, risks in others can persist, so routine audits are designed to be comprehensive rather than focusing on a single objective.