On a Windows system, an alert about a file named MyFile.txt.exe being found could indicate which security component?

On a Windows system, an alert about a file named MyFile.txt.exe being found could indicate which security component?

• A. Firewall
• B. VPN
• C. Host-based IDS
• D. Network IDS

Answer: (C)

Endpoints protect themselves by watching locally for suspicious activity, and that’s exactly what a host-based IDS does. It runs on the Windows machine and monitors the file system, processes, and other local events for signs of malware or unusual behavior. The alert about a file named MyFile.txt.exe being found points to this kind of behavior because the system is detecting a potentially dangerous executable on the host, something the IDS on the endpoint would trigger. The filename hints at a common trick: disguising an executable as a harmless text file by using a double extension, which is precisely the kind of pattern a host-based detector looks for and flags. A firewall, on the other hand, governs network traffic rules and wouldn’t typically alert on a file appearing on the local disk. A network IDS watches traffic across the network for threats, not specifically for files stored on the host. A VPN is about secure remote access, not detecting local file events. So the alert type described best fits a host-based IDS, which specializes in detecting and warning about suspicious files and other endpoint activity.

Endpoints protect themselves by watching locally for suspicious activity, and that’s exactly what a host-based IDS does. It runs on the Windows machine and monitors the file system, processes, and other local events for signs of malware or unusual behavior. The alert about a file named MyFile.txt.exe being found points to this kind of behavior because the system is detecting a potentially dangerous executable on the host, something the IDS on the endpoint would trigger. The filename hints at a common trick: disguising an executable as a harmless text file by using a double extension, which is precisely the kind of pattern a host-based detector looks for and flags.

A firewall, on the other hand, governs network traffic rules and wouldn’t typically alert on a file appearing on the local disk. A network IDS watches traffic across the network for threats, not specifically for files stored on the host. A VPN is about secure remote access, not detecting local file events. So the alert type described best fits a host-based IDS, which specializes in detecting and warning about suspicious files and other endpoint activity.