Which cyber defense principle emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring and alertness?

The principle that emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring and alertness is indeed vigilance. This concept underscores the necessity for proactive measures to detect and respond to potential threats before they escalate into significant incidents. Continuous monitoring involves keeping an eye on network activity, user behavior, and system performance to identify anomalies that may indicate a cybersecurity threat.

Vigilance encourages organizations to remain aware of their security posture at all times, fostering an environment where personnel are trained to recognize potential threats and take appropriate action. This proactive stance is essential in the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, where threats can emerge at any time and from various sources.

While other principles like least privilege, defense in depth, and incident response are integral to a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, they focus on different aspects. Least privilege pertains to limiting user access rights, defense in depth emphasizes multiple layers of security measures, and incident response is about effectively managing and recovering from security breaches. Vigilance ties these concepts together by stressing the importance of ongoing awareness and responsiveness to potential cyber threats.