Policies, procedures, and technical measures used to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, theft, or physical damage to information systems refers to:

The term that encompasses policies, procedures, and technical measures designed to safeguard information systems from unauthorized access, modification, theft, or physical harm is security. Security in this context refers to the overall framework and strategies implemented to protect data and information systems from various threats. This includes not only technical solutions like firewalls and encryption but also organizational measures such as risk assessments and incident response plans.

The other terms relate to specific aspects of information technology. Controls refer to the mechanisms put in place to implement security policies, while benchmarks are standards used to measure performance and compare with best practices. Algorithms are sets of rules or calculations performed for processing data, which do not inherently address the broader concept of security measures. By focusing on the comprehensive aspect of protecting information systems, security stands out as the most appropriate term in this scenario.