Identifying Active Programs on a Linux System

D.

The identifier that tracks an active program in a Linux system is the Process Identification Number (PID).

A PID is a unique numerical identifier assigned to each process running on a Linux system. When a process starts, the operating system assigns a PID to that process. The PID can be used to track the process, to check its status, to kill it, or to do other operations related to that process.

In the context of the incident investigation mentioned in the question, the SOC analyst is likely looking for the PID of the program that is causing the issue on the Linux system. By identifying the PID, the analyst can then investigate further and determine if the program is malicious, if it is consuming too many resources, or if it is performing unauthorized actions.

In contrast, the other answer options listed in the question do not accurately describe the identifier that tracks an active program in a Linux system:

• Application identification number is not a standard term used in Linux systems.
• Runtime identification number is not a term commonly used in Linux systems either.
• Active process identification number is not a standard term, but it could be referring to the PID, which is the correct answer.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is D. Process Identification Number.