What network indicators should an analyst prioritize when investigating web application service interruptions?

When investigating web application service interruptions, prioritizing packet captures is crucial because they provide detailed insights into the actual data packets being transmitted over the network. Packet captures allow the analyst to analyze the contents of network traffic, which can reveal specific issues such as malformed requests, unexpected traffic patterns, or potential attacks targeting the web application. This level of detail is essential for understanding what might be causing the service interruption.

In addition, packet captures can help identify issues such as latency, retries, or failed connections, which are important for diagnosing performance issues. By examining the flows of data, an analyst can also correlate the network behavior with the timestamps of the interruptions, pinpointing the exact moments when problems occurred.

While the other options also have value in the investigation process, they serve different purposes. NetFlow data summarizes network traffic rather than providing packet-level detail, which might not be sufficient to fully diagnose complex application issues. Firewall logs give insights into access control events, but they may miss the nuances related to the application’s performance. Application logs can be vital for understanding errors and application-level events, but they may not fully represent network-related issues that could impact service delivery. Thus, packet captures represent the most direct and granular level of evidence for troubleshooting web application service interruptions.