CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The abbreviation NTP stands for Network Time Protocol. This protocol is critical for synchronizing the clocks of computers over a network, ensuring that all devices maintain a consistent and accurate time. Accurate timekeeping is vital for various applications, including file synchronization, logging events, and security protocols, as even minor discrepancies can lead to significant issues in time-sensitive operations.

NTP operates by having devices, like servers and computers, communicate with reference clocks to adjust their own system clocks, which is essential in networked environments where multiple devices need to have a unified time standard. This protocol can handle varying latencies and network conditions, making it robust and reliable for maintaining time accuracy across diverse infrastructures.

In contrast to the other options, which refer to different, non-standardized protocols or processes, Network Time Protocol is the established method used globally for time synchronization in networked systems.