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Security Operations · Intermediate

Precursor

A sign that an incident may occur in the future.

Definition

NIST distinguishes precursors (warnings of a possible future incident) from indicators (signs that an incident may have occurred or is occurring). Examples include vulnerability scans against your systems, threats announced by hacktivists or a new exploit for software you run.

Example

Web server logs showing a vulnerability scanner probing for a recently disclosed flaw.

Exam tip

Precursor = future; indicator = past or present.

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