During an investigation, a cybersecurity analyst needs to verify if a suspicious executable is a piece of known malware. The file does not trigger any antivirus alerts, and initial scans return no conclusive results. Which of the following methods should the analyst use to determine if the file is malicious?
Check the file creation date to see if it corresponds with the date of any known malware release dates.
Compare the file's hash against known malicious hashes in threat intelligence databases.
Apply the latest security patches to the host system and then re-scan the file to see if it is detected as malicious.
Ensure the file is code signed to confirm its legitimacy.