What is the main goal of containment strategies in incident response?

Containment strategies in incident response are primarily aimed at isolating affected systems to prevent the further spread of threats within a network. When an incident occurs, such as a security breach or malware infection, the rapid implementation of containment measures is crucial. By isolating the compromised systems, incident responders can stop the lateral movement of the threat, thereby minimizing damage and protecting unaffected parts of the network.

The focus on containment allows the incident response team to limit the incident's scope and impact, effectively maintaining operational integrity while they work on eradication and recovery processes. This proactive approach is vital to ensuring that the threat does not escalate and cause more significant disruptions.

Other options do pertain to aspects of incident response but do not align with the primary goal of containment. For instance, while gathering evidence may be important for legal proceedings, it is not the immediate focus during the containment phase. Similarly, evaluating network performance and enhancing user authentication are broader IT concerns that do not directly address the urgent need to manage and control an active incident.