Passive assessments are generally considered which of the following?

Passive assessments are considered the least invasive approach to evaluating systems and processes because they do not require any active participation from users or personnel. Instead of intervening directly in the environment being assessed, passive assessments rely on monitoring and analysis of existing data and system states. This could involve reviewing logs, network traffic, or system configurations, which can be done without impacting the normal operations of the system or introducing significant overhead.

The nature of passive assessments allows for a more unobtrusive collection of data, which can be particularly useful in situations where minimal disruption is desired. In contrast to certain active assessment methods that might require users to engage in specific tasks or configurations, passive assessments are typically conducted in the background, making them less intrusive and enabling a clearer view of the system’s ongoing performance and vulnerabilities without influencing those metrics through testing.

Overall, their design and purpose contribute to the classification of passive assessments as the least invasive option in the context of risk assessment methodologies.