What is a defining characteristic of security standards?

The defining characteristic of security standards is that they set detailed technical requirements for security practices. This means that security standards provide specific guidelines and criteria that organizations must follow to achieve a certain level of security. These requirements are typically based on best practices, industry norms, and regulatory requirements, ensuring consistency and accountability in how security measures are implemented across different organizations and sectors.

By defining these technical requirements, security standards help organizations establish their security baseline, assess their security posture, and demonstrate compliance with regulations or contractual obligations. This precision enables organizations to have clear expectations regarding their security practices, facilitates auditing and assessments, and promotes a common understanding among stakeholders about what effective security looks like.

While other options may have some relevance in certain contexts, they do not encapsulate the essence of what security standards are meant to represent. For instance, security standards need to be specific rather than subjective or vague, and they do not allow for unrestricted flexibility, as they require adherence to defined measures to ensure effectiveness and consistency in security implementations.