Identify the practice that will not aid incident responders in mitigating attacks stemming from vulnerable and outdated components.

Retaining unnecessary components, functions, dependencies, and files can significantly contribute to the risk profile of an organization. Outdated and vulnerable components are often targets for attackers, and keeping them increases the attack surface. Incident responders benefit from a streamlined and secure environment, which involves identifying and eliminating anything that is no longer needed.

Regular updates, vulnerability assessments, and the removal of unused services and functions all contribute to a proactive security posture. These practices ensure that known vulnerabilities are addressed, risks are assessed frequently, and only necessary services are running, reducing the potential points of exploitation. In contrast, the practice of retaining outdated components explicitly contradicts the principles of vulnerability management and incident response, thereby not aiding in mitigating attacks effectively.