File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) is the best tool for detecting unauthorized file deletions, modifications, or improper permission changes within network shares. FIM works by creating cryptographic hashes and baselines for protected files or directories and then continuously monitoring for deviations. Any unauthorized deletion, modification, or permission change triggers alerts.
Security+ SY0-701 identifies FIM as a foundational integrity control used in compliance frameworks (PCI- DSS, HIPAA) and operational security monitoring. Because the organization is experiencing unpredictable changes to shared files and permissions, FIM provides visibility and accountability for who changed what and when.
DLP (A) prevents data leakage but does not detect permission changes. EDR (B) focuses on endpoint threat behavior, not file integrity on network shares. ACLs (D) define permissions but do not track changes or detect unauthorized modifications.
Therefore, C: FIM is the correct choice.

Salting involves adding a unique value (salt) to each password before hashing it. This means that even if two users have the same password, the added salts ensure their hash values are different. This protects against attacks that exploit identical hash values, such as rainbow table attacks.
Reference:
CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Official Study Guide, Domain 1.3, "Salting passwords ensures that identical passwords do not have identical hashes, even if the same hash algorithm is used." Exam Objectives 1.3: "Explain the importance of cryptographic concepts."

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) systems help organizations automate repetitive security tasks, reduce manual intervention, and improve the efficiency of security operations. By integrating with various security tools, SOAR can automatically respond to incidents, helping to enhance threat detection while reducing the manual workload on security analysts.
References = CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 study materials, particularly in the domain of security operations and automation technologies.

A rogue access point is the most likely attack method because the administrator accessed company systems from an airport, which is a common location for malicious or fake wireless networks. An attacker can set up an evil twin or rogue access point that appears legitimate, tricking users into connecting. Once connected, the attacker may intercept traffic, capture credentials, or perform man-in-the-middle activity. The later unauthorized configuration changes indicate the attacker likely obtained or abused the administrator's session or credentials. Shoulder surfing would require visually observing the credentials, which is possible but less directly supported. Skimming usually targets payment card data. A keylogger requires malware installed on the administrator's device, which is not indicated. The airport network clue strongly supports rogue access point.

An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is designed to automatically block or mitigate malicious network traffic in real time. Unlike an IDS, which only detects threats, an IPS performs inline traffic inspection and takes active action-such as dropping malicious packets, blocking connections, or updating firewall rules. This matches the requirement for an automated system that responds immediately to inbound threats.
Security+ SY0-701 highlights IPS as a preventive control that detects signature-based, anomaly-based, and behavioral threats, including exploits, malware, and command-and-control activity. IPS systems are essential in defending against fast-moving attacks where human response time is too slow.
UEM (A) manages endpoints but does not block inbound network threats.
WAF (C) protects web applications, not the entire network.
VPN (D) provides secure tunnels but does not prevent malicious inbound traffic.
Thus, B: IPS is the best solution for automatic threat blocking.