Network Defense Essentials (NDE) Practice Exam

In a scenario where a security professional examines attack causes using fault finding and post-mortem analysis techniques, what is the approach being followed?

1. Proactive approach

2. Incremental approach

3. Retrospective approach

4. Situational approach

The correct answer is: Retrospective approach

The approach being followed is a retrospective approach, which involves examining past events to understand the causes and factors that contributed to an attack. This method typically includes detailed fault-finding procedures and post-mortem analysis techniques, which analyze the sequence of events leading up to a security incident. By looking back at the attack, security professionals can identify vulnerabilities, assess the effectiveness of responses, and derive valuable lessons that can inform future security practices. The retrospective approach is essential for learning from past mistakes and successes, ultimately enhancing an organization's resilience against similar threats in the future. It emphasizes understanding what went wrong and why, rather than focusing on preventing issues before they occur, which is characteristic of proactive approaches. In contrast, the other choices focus on different methodologies that do not specifically emphasize analyzing previous incidents for insights.