Which term describes the method of analyzing network traffic for potential harmful activity?

The appropriate term for analyzing network traffic for potential harmful activity is network monitoring. This practice involves continuously observing and analyzing network traffic patterns to identify any anomalies or suspicious activities that could indicate a security threat or breach. Network monitoring tools typically provide real-time analysis, alerting administrators to potential issues like unauthorized access attempts, unusual data transfers, or other indicators of compromise.

Network monitoring is essential for maintaining the security and integrity of an organization's IT infrastructure. Regular monitoring enables security teams to proactively respond to threats, thereby reducing the risk of data breaches and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

While terms like data mining, penetration testing, and traffic inspection may have their own contexts in IT security, they do not focus specifically on the ongoing analysis of network traffic for harmful activities. Data mining generally refers to extracting useful information from large datasets but not in the context of real-time network threat analysis. Penetration testing involves simulating attacks to find vulnerabilities in systems, whereas traffic inspection is more about examining data packets without the broader scope of threat detection. This makes network monitoring the most fitting choice for the given question.