What action can an incident responder take to monitor the integrity of critical files?

Creating checksums is a widely recognized method for monitoring the integrity of critical files. Checksums are unique values generated from the contents of a file; any change in the file will result in a different checksum. By generating cryptographic checksums for critical files, incident responders can establish a baseline of file integrity.

The use of monitoring tools in conjunction with these checksums enhances the incident responder's ability to detect any unauthorized changes or corruption. Monitoring tools can continuously check the integrity of files against the established checksums, alerting responders to any discrepancies.

This method is effective because it combines the robustness of cryptographic techniques with real-time monitoring, ensuring that any alterations—whether they be malicious or accidental—are identified quickly. While using isolated test networks may provide a safeguard for testing environments and creating cryptographic checksums alone is beneficial, the combination of checksums with monitoring tools directly addresses the need for ongoing integrity oversight in operational environments.