What type of controls should be applied to mitigate risk when an encryption standard cannot be upgraded in a web application?

In situations where an encryption standard cannot be upgraded, compensating controls are essential to mitigate risk. Compensating controls are alternative measures that are put in place to fulfill the intent of a security requirement when the primary control is not feasible. In the case of the web application with an outdated encryption standard, implementing compensating controls could include measures such as network segmentation, increased monitoring for suspicious activity, or employing additional authentication mechanisms. These actions can help protect sensitive data and offset the risks associated with weaker encryption.

The other controls, such as physical, detective, and preventive, play different roles. Physical controls involve measures to protect the physical infrastructure, detective controls identify and alert on breaches or security incidents, and preventive controls are intended to stop security incidents before they occur. While all these types of controls are valuable in broader security strategies, they do not specifically address the situation of an outdated encryption standard as effectively as compensating controls do.