Which of the following is essential for effective incident response in Splunk ES?

Integration with external threat feeds is essential for effective incident response in Splunk Enterprise Security (ES) because it provides real-time, contextual threat intelligence that enhances the security operations team's ability to detect and respond to incidents. These feeds supply valuable data about emerging threats, such as indicators of compromise (IOCs), vulnerabilities, and tactics used by attackers. This allows security teams to contextualize alerts and prioritize response efforts based on the severity and relevance of threats to their specific environment.

Having access to up-to-date threat intelligence enables more accurate and proactive incident management, as the team can rapidly correlate internal data with external threat information. This integration helps in identifying potential incidents before they escalate, thereby reducing response times and improving overall security posture.

Factors such as a single point of contact for alerts, daily log reviews by all users, and frequent software updates, while beneficial, do not have the same direct impact on the effectiveness of incident response. A centralized approach to alerts can streamline communication but may overlook the necessity for enriched data originating from external sources. Regular log reviews are important for compliance and understanding trends but do not facilitate rapid response to dynamic threats as effectively as integrating threat intelligence. Meanwhile, frequent software updates play a crucial role in maintaining system integrity and security but are more about system