The correct answer isformulating a hypothesis to search for credential misuse without alerts. This activity is the defining characteristic ofthreat hunting.

Threat hunting isproactive and hypothesis-driven, meaning analysts intentionally search for attacker behavior that has not yet triggered alerts. Detection engineering, on the other hand, focuses on building and tuning automated rules that respond to known patterns.

Options A, B, and D all representreactive or preventative security operations. They rely on known indicators or alerts and are foundational but insufficient against stealthy adversaries who abuse valid credentials and native tools.

Cisco’sCBRTHD blueprintexplicitly emphasizes hypothesis-based hunting as a core competency. Hunters ask questions like:

“If credentials were stolen, how would that look in our telemetry?”

“What behavior would indicate lateral movement without malware?”

This approach aligns with detectingIndicators of Attack (IOAs)and operating higher on thePyramid of Pain, forcing adversaries to change tactics instead of infrastructure.

Therefore,Option Cis the correct and Cisco-aligned answer.