Anne, an administrator, notices unusual activity on a database server. After reviewing the logs, she notices a number of successful anonymous FTP logins and transferring of data to an external…

While changing default account settings is good practice, anonymous FTP typically relies on the FTP server's configuration allowing anonymous access rather than standard user accounts.

Keeping operating system software up-to-date with patches addresses known vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access or enable services like anonymous FTP, thereby preventing the attack.

A Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) detects attacks and generates alerts but does not prevent them from succeeding.

Disabling unused ports and services, such as an anonymous FTP service if it's not required on a database server, removes the potential attack vector entirely, preventing any exploitation attempts.

Up-to-date patching for application system software is important, but the observed attack involved an FTP service, which is more commonly related to the operating system's services than specific database application vulnerabilities.

Antivirus software primarily detects and removes malware, but it would not prevent legitimate-looking anonymous FTP connections or exploitation of misconfigured services for data transfer.