A national research agency was recently subjected to a comprehensive cybersecurity compliance audit.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (ECIH-aligned):

This scenario highlights violations of forensic readiness and safe malware handling, which are explicitly covered in the ECIH First Response and Malware Analysis modules. ECIH stresses that malware samples must never be handled on production or enterprise-connected systems, as this creates a high risk of accidental execution, lateral infection, and organizational impact.

Option A is correct because ECIH mandates that malicious code samples be stored in isolated, non-networked environments and renamed with non-executable extensions (for example, .malware, .bin, or .txt) to prevent accidental execution. This practice ensures operational safety and preserves forensic integrity.

Option B improves confidentiality but does not prevent accidental execution. Option C supports documentation but does not mitigate execution risk. Option D aids classification but does not address safe handling.

The described behavior—handling live malware on enterprise systems without isolation or renaming—directly contradicts ECIH best practices. Proper sample isolation, renaming, and access restriction are mandatory controls to prevent secondary incidents during investigations, making Option A the correct answer.