What is meant by security control inheritance?

Security control inheritance refers specifically to the scenario in which an information system benefits from security controls that are implemented at a higher organizational level or from associated systems. This means that the security measures established by an overarching system, or even through organizational policies, are extended to cover additional systems that do not have their own specific controls.

This concept is vital in large organizations or complex networks, where systems often do not need to reinvent security controls if they can establish their security posture through the guidelines and protections already set by other systems or policies.

By relying on inherited controls, systems can achieve a baseline level of security without duplicating efforts, which fosters efficiency in managing security measures across the organization. This also emphasizes the importance of risk management and the understanding that different layers of security work together to provide comprehensive protection.

The other options touch on different aspects of security control assessments and system vulnerabilities but do not accurately define the concept of security control inheritance, which is specifically about receiving protection through existing controls rather than creating new ones or performing assessments.