Worth Investigating or Normal?

About this interactive

The lesson's example: the network is slow, and a router is sitting at 90% CPU. Is that the problem? You cannot tell from the number alone. Benchmarking sets the standard for how each system normally runs, usually captured by the monitoring and logging systems over time. With it, a reading means something. If the router has always run at about 90%, it is probably not your problem today, so look elsewhere. If it normally runs at 20%, the 90% is out of line and worth digging into, because it may be the core of the issue. So compare every reading with that system's own normal, not with what sounds high or low. A busy backup server moving terabytes every night is normal; a quiet print server suddenly at 95% memory is not.

What you'll learn

Compare a system's reading with its baseline and decide whether it is out of line and worth investigating, or normal for that system
Explain why the same reading, such as a router at 90% CPU, can be the cause of a problem on one system and ordinary on another

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+

4.4 Explain security alerting and monitoring concepts and tools.

NIST 800-53

SI-4 System Monitoring

CompTIA CySA+

1.1 Explain the importance of system and network architecture concepts in security operations.

NIST CSF

DE.CM-01 Networks and network services are monitored to find potentially adverse events.

Key terms

Benchmarking: The process of establishing standard performance metrics for a system to serve as a reference point for identifying abnormal behavior during troubleshooting.
Baseline: A documented set of minimum security standards or performance metrics used as a reference point.
Anomaly: An observable deviation from expected behavior in a system or network that may indicate a performance issue or security threat.

Topics

Benchmarking Baseline Troubleshooting Interactive Streak Sort

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