Terminology Index

Glossary

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Baseline Behavior

The normal pattern of activity for a host or process, such as which programs usually run, their typical parent processes, and expected network connections. Knowing it lets defenders recognize when something on a system is abnormal.

On an endpoint, attacks often reveal themselves as deviations: an unexpected child process, a binary running from an odd path, or a service account behaving unusually. Establishing baseline behavior gives defenders the reference they need to spot these anomalies during investigation and hunting.

Introduced in: Operating Systems for Defenders

Examples

  • Knowing a web server normally never spawns a command shell, so one is suspicious.
  • Recognizing an executable running from a temp folder as off-baseline.
  • Spotting a service account suddenly performing interactive logons.