Your company has recently deployed a new web application. As the network administrator, you are tasked with ensuring the security of the network infrastructure supporting the application. In preparation for a security risk assessment, which action would be the most effective FIRST step to provide insight into potential vulnerabilities and areas needing improvement?
Conducting a vulnerability assessment to discover existing weaknesses in the network infrastructure.
Conducting penetration testing to exploit weaknesses in the network infrastructure and web application.
Performing a posture assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of current security policies and controls.
Performing a threat assessment to identify all possible sources of external risks to the network.