Which process involves actively monitoring and analyzing security events to identify potential threats?

The process that involves actively monitoring and analyzing security events to identify potential threats is indeed security monitoring. This process is critical in cybersecurity as it allows organizations to detect abnormal activities in real time, which is essential for timely response to possible security incidents.

Security monitoring encompasses a variety of activities, including log analysis, network traffic monitoring, and the use of automated tools to spot patterns or anomalies that may indicate a security threat. Through continuous observation of security-related data, organizations can identify potential threats before they escalate into serious incidents, thereby enhancing their overall security posture.

In contrast, incident response focuses on the actions taken after a security event has occurred, aiming to contain, mitigate, and recover from the incident rather than on proactive monitoring. Security auditing is a systematic evaluation of security policies and procedures, examining how well they comply with standards and requirements, which does not inherently involve real-time analysis of security events. Vulnerability management, while important for identifying and addressing weaknesses in systems, does not primarily involve monitoring security events for threats. Each of these processes plays a different role in an organization's security strategy, but security monitoring is specifically geared towards the ongoing surveillance required to recognize and respond to potential threats swiftly.