Control Objective
A statement describing what a specific security control is intended to achieve. Control objectives define the desired outcome — such as preventing unauthorized access or ensuring data integrity — while allowing organizations flexibility in how they implement the control to meet that objective.
A control objective articulates the purpose behind a security control without prescribing a specific technical implementation. For example, a control objective might state that only authorized personnel should have access to production systems. How an organization achieves this — through SSH key management, a bastion host, a VPN with MFA, or a combination — is an implementation decision that depends on the organization's architecture and risk profile.
In ISO 27001, each Annex A control has an associated objective. The Statement of Applicability documents how the organization addresses each control objective. In SOC 2, organizations define their own control objectives that map to the Trust Services Criteria, and the auditor evaluates whether the controls meet those objectives. This flexibility is one reason SOC 2 works well for diverse technology environments — two companies can have completely different implementations that both satisfy the same control objective.
Understanding control objectives is important for avoiding a compliance trap: implementing controls that technically satisfy a requirement but don't actually reduce risk. When organizations focus on the objective (preventing unauthorized access) rather than a specific implementation (requiring 12-character passwords), they make better security decisions. The best compliance programs start with risk-based control objectives and work backward to implementation, rather than copying controls from a template without understanding their purpose.
Related terms
Annex A
The appendix to ISO 27001 that contains a reference set of 93 information security controls organized into four themes: Organizational, People, Physical, and Technological. Organizations use Annex A as a checklist to ensure their ISMS addresses all relevant control areas.
Compliance Gap Analysis
A structured assessment that compares an organization's current security posture and practices against the requirements of a specific compliance framework. Gap analysis identifies areas where the organization falls short and helps prioritize remediation efforts.
Risk Assessment
A structured process for identifying, analyzing, and evaluating information security risks. Risk assessments determine the likelihood and potential impact of threats to an organization's information assets, guiding decisions about which controls to implement.
Trust Services Criteria
The five principles defined by the AICPA that form the basis for SOC 2 audits: Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy. Organizations select which criteria to include in their SOC 2 scope based on their services and customer requirements.
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