200-201 Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (200-201 CBROPS) Questions and Answers

The file in question, which contains logs of unsuccessful login attempts from an unknown IP address, is considered indirect evidence. It suggests that there may have been an attempt to gain unauthorized access, but it does not directly prove who was responsible for the attempts. Indirect evidence can be used to support other evidence that may lead to a direct identification of the threat actor. References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) and other Cisco cybersecurity resources provide information on how to analyze and categorize different types of evidence in the context of security incidents.

An SSL certificate enables the establishment of a secure connection between the client and the server using the TLS protocol. The client and the server exchange keys and agree on a cipher suite to encrypt and decrypt the data transmitted over the network. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

 Cyber attribution identifies the threat actors of an attack in an investigation. Threat actors are the individuals, groups, organizations, or states that are responsible for conducting or sponsoring a cyberattack. Threat actors can have different motives, such as financial gain, espionage, sabotage, activism, or warfare. Cyber attribution can help investigators to determine the identity, location, affiliation, and motivation of the threat actors, as well as to hold them accountable and impose sanctions or legal actions. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures, Lesson 5.2: Incident Response, Topic 5.2.3: Cyber Attribution, page 5-14.

The screenshot shows multiple POP requests with the command PASS, which is typically used for password entry. The rapid succession and variation of these requests suggest an attempt to guess the password, characteristic of a brute-force attack. Remember, always verify with additional data or context when possible, as packet captures can contain vast amounts of information and may require thorough analysis for accurate interpretation.

The regular expression ^ (?:[0-9]{1,3}.){3}[0-9]{1,3} is needed to capture the IP address 192.168.20.232. This regex matches any string that starts with three groups of one to three digits followed by a dot, and ends with one group of one to three digits. The IP address 192.168.20.232 matches this pattern exactly. The other options are either invalid or do not match the IP address format. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures, Lesson 5.3: Data and Event Analysis, Topic 5.3.2: Regular Expressions

The exhibit shows a high rate of SYN packets being sent from multiple sources towards a single destination IP. This is indicative of a SYN flood attack, where the attacker sends a succession of SYN requests to a target’s system in an attempt to consume enough server resources to make the system unresponsive to legitimate traffic. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 4: Network Intrusion Analysis

Digital certificates are electronic documents that use public key cryptography to verify the identity and authenticity of the sender and the receiver of encrypted communications. Digital certificates are issued and signed by trusted entities called certificate authorities (CAs), and they contain information such as the public key, the name, and the expiration date of the certificate. Digital certificates enable network security devices to decrypt perimeter traffic and inspect it for command and control communications or other malicious activity. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 51.

A threat agent is the entity that is responsible for initiating a threat action that exploits a vulnerability. A threat agent can be a person, a group, an organization, or a system. In this scenario, the threat agent is the foreign government that hacked the defense contractor and stole the intellectual property. The threat agent’s motivation, capability, and resources determine the level of threat they pose to the target. References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 1-3; 200-201 CBROPS - Cisco, exam topic 1.1.b

The executable file is identified in the “name” section of the exhibit, which lists the file name “VAC-Bypass-Loader.exe”. This indicates that the file is an executable, as denoted by the “.exe” extension commonly associated with executable files in Windows operating systems.

References: The information provided is based on standard practices for identifying executable files within cybersecurity analysis reports and is consistent with Cisco’s cybersecurity documentation.

False positives and false negatives are terms used to describe the accuracy of security alerts. A false positive occurs when a security system incorrectly identifies benign activity as malicious, leading to unnecessary investigation and potential disruption of legitimate activities. Conversely, a false negative happens when a security system fails to detect actual malicious activity, allowing the attackers to proceed undetected. The impact of false positives is generally wasted time and resources investigating non-issues, while the impact of false negatives can be much more severe, potentially leading to undetected breaches and significant damage.

References: The CBROPS curriculum covers the concepts of false positives and false negatives in the context of security monitoring and alerting systems

 Availability is one of the three pillars of the CIA triad, a model that defines the principles of information security. Availability describes the concept of data consistently and readily being accessible for legitimate users. Availability ensures that the network and systems are operational and resilient to disruptions, such as denial-of-service attacks, hardware failures, or natural disasters. Availability also involves maintaining backup and recovery procedures, load balancing, and redundancy mechanisms. References:

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.1: Security Principles
• 200-201 CBROPS - Cisco, Exam Topics, 1.0 Security Concepts, 1.1 Explain the CIA triad
• Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview - Cisco Learning Network, Videos, 1.1 Explain the CIA triad

Symmetric encryption is a type of encryption that uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data. Asymmetric encryption is a type of encryption that uses a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. The public key can be used to encrypt data, but only the private key can decrypt it, and vice versa. An advantage of symmetric encryption over asymmetric encryption is that it is faster and more efficient for encrypting large amounts of data, such as in sessions or bulk transfers. Asymmetric encryption is slower and more computationally intensive, but it is more secure and suitable for key exchange or digital signatures. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 2: Security Monitoring, Lesson 2.3: Cryptography and PKI, Topic 2.3.1: Cryptography

The presence of a default user agent in the headers of requests and data being transmitted suggests a cache bypassing attack. In this scenario, the attacker is likely requesting noncacheable content to avoid detection by caching mechanisms that could otherwise identify and block malicious traffic.

The attack described is a DNS amplification attack. It involves infected endpoints sending DNS requests with spoofed IP addresses to external DNS servers. The DNS servers then send large responses to the spoofed addresses, which are actually the targets of the attack. This can result in a significant amount of traffic being directed at the target, overwhelming their network resources. DNS amplification is a type of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that leverages the DNS protocol to amplify the attack traffic.

 Rule-based detection is a type of intrusion detection system (IDS) that uses predefined rules or signatures to identify malicious or suspicious activity. Rule-based detection can provide proof of a user’s action, such as an attempt to exploit a known vulnerability or execute a malicious command. Rule-based detection can also provide a high level of accuracy and specificity, but it requires constant updates and maintenance of the rules or signatures. References: https://learningnetworkstore.cisco.com/on-demand-e-learning/understanding-cisco-cybersecurity-operations-fundamentals-cbrops-v1.0/CSCU-LP-CBROPS-V1-028093.html (Module 4: Attack Methods, Lesson 4.2: Attack Techniques)

The scenario described involves an attacker conducting an aggressive ARP scan followed by multiple SSH Server Banner and Key Exchange Initiations. The lack of visibility into the encrypted data transmitted over the SSH channel suggests that the attacker may have gained access by brute-forcing the SSH service. This method involves attempting numerous combinations of usernames and passwords until the correct credentials are found, allowing unauthorized access to the server.

References:

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course1.
• Cisco Cybersecurity documents and resources

Application whitelisting/blacklisting is a technology used to control which applications are allowed to execute on a company’s corporate PCs. Whitelisting allows only approved applications to run, while blacklisting prevents specific applications from running. This approach is effective for managing application usage across an enterprise.

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems are solutions that provide real-time analysis of security alerts generated by applications and network hardware. They collect, store, analyze, and report on log data for incident response, forensics, and regulatory compliance. On the other hand, SOAR (Security Orchestration Automation and Response) platforms allow organizations to collect data about security threats from multiple sources and respond to low-level security events without human assistance. References: Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals

 In RBAC, access is based on the roles that users have within an organization, and permissions to perform certain operations are assigned to specific roles. DAC, on the other hand, is a type of access control where the access rights are determined by the owner of the resource or the resource itself.

The attack vector score in the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) reflects how a vulnerability can be exploited. A higher score is given when the attack can be conducted remotely, making it easier for an attacker to exploit the vulnerability without physical access to the vulnerable component3. References: The CVSS specification document provides a detailed explanation of how the attack vector score is determined, emphasizing the impact of the ease of exploitation on the score

 A host-based firewall is a utility that can block unauthorized access to a computer system, including port scans. It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and permits or blocks data packets based on a set of security rules.

A false negative occurs when an intrusion detection system (IDS) fails to detect and report actual malicious activity. This means that a legitimate security alert has been dismissed or overlooked, allowing potentially harmful traffic to pass through the network undetected. The impact of false negatives can be significant as they represent missed opportunities to stop or mitigate security threats1.

References := Cisco documentation on security systems, such as IPS (Intrusion Prevention System), discusses the importance of accurately detecting malicious activity and the risks associated with false negatives, which include the failure to trigger alerts for actual attacks1.

 Application-level whitelisting is a security technology that allows only a set of pre-approved applications to run on a system, and blocks any other unauthorized or malicious programs. This can prevent malware, ransomware, zero-day exploits, and other threats from compromising the system. Application-level whitelisting is also known as application control or application allowlisting. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 3: Host-Based Analysis, Lesson 3.2: Endpoint Security Technologies, Topic 3.2.3: Application Whitelisting, page 3-20.

The -sP option in Nmap is used for host discovery without port scanning, which helps in identifying live hosts without triggering portscan alerts on IDS devices. It sends an ICMP echo request, a TCP SYN packet to port 443, a TCP ACK packet to port 80, and an ICMP timestamp request to each target IP address and waits for a response. Any responses are considered as indications of a live host. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 5: Endpoint Threat Analysis and Computer Forensics

X.509 certificates are used in conjunction with secure data transfer protocols to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of communication. They are part of a public key infrastructure (PKI) that authenticates the identity of entities and encrypts data in transit. References: Implementing X.509 certificates along with secure data transfer protocols like SFTP, HTTPS, FTPS, and IPSec can help secure data sharing with third-party companies

The regular expression that matches both “color” and “colour” is colo?ur. In this expression, the ? denotes that the preceding character u is optional, meaning it may appear zero or one time. This allows the expression to match both the American spelling “color” and the British spelling “colour”.

References := Understanding regular expressions is fundamental in various computing tasks, including cybersecurity operations. The Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) material covers the use of regular expressions for searching through logs and data, which is a critical skill for a cybersecurity analyst.

Application-level allow list refers to the practice of specifying an index of approved applications that are permitted to be executed in a system environment or network, which means only specific files are allowed while everything else is denied by default, enhancing security.

The improper use or disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) falls under the category of compliance because organizations are required to adhere to laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of PII. This includes following guidelines set forth by privacy laws such as GDPR, HIPAA, and others that mandate the proper handling of personal data to prevent misuse and unauthorized access123.

References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS), Personally identifiable information (PII): What it is, how it’s used, and how to protect it, What is PII? Examples, laws, and standards, Overview of the Privacy Act: 2020 Edition

The command “$ cuckoo submit --machine cuckoo1 /path/to/binary” indicates that a binary located at “/path/to/binary” is being submitted to be run on a virtual machine named “cuckoo1”. This is a common practice in cybersecurity to analyze the behavior of suspicious files in an isolated environment. References: Cisco Cybersecurity documents or resources are needed for more detailed information.

The engineer engaged with the service component by enabling “Audiosrv,” which is the Windows Audio Service responsible for managing audio for Windows-based programs. By setting it to auto-start, the engineer ensured that the service would run automatically upon system startup. Additionally, the engineer interacted with process and thread management by using the Task Manager to modify the behavior of the “Audiosrv” service.

References: The information is based on standard operating procedures for troubleshooting audio issues in Windows OS, which involves services and processes management.

A load balancer is the correct technology to implement a solution that makes routing decisions based on HTTP header, uniform resource identifier (URI), and SSL session ID attributes. Load balancers can inspect incoming traffic and make routing decisions to distribute the traffic across multiple servers based on various attributes, including the ones mentioned, to ensure optimal resource use and efficient traffic management12.

References :=

• Cisco Unified Border Element Configuration Guide1.
• URI based outbound Dial-peer configuration on CUBE - Cisco Community

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/windo ws-registry-advanced-users

 The category of the Cyber Kill Chain model that this event belongs to is weaponization. This stage occurs after reconnaissance has taken place and the attacker has discovered all necessary information about potential targets, such as vulnerabilities. In the weaponization stage, the attacker’s preparatory work culminates in the creation of malware to be used against an identified target, which in this case is a specific worm tailored to exploit a software flaw and extract saved passwords. References: The Cyber Kill Chain framework, developed by Lockheed Martin, explains the weaponization stage as the process where attackers create or modify cyber weapons based on the intelligence gathered during reconnaissance

Stealthwatch is the technology that an engineer should use to fetch logs from a proxy server and generate actual events based on the data received. Cisco Secure Network Analytics, formerly known as Stealthwatch, provides the capability to configure proxy server logs so that the Flow Collector can receive the information. The Stealthwatch Management Console then displays this information on the Flow Proxy Records page, which includes URLs and application names of the traffic inside a network going through the proxy server1.

References :=

• Cisco Secure Network Analytics Proxy Log Configuration Guide

Indirect evidence is evidence that does not directly prove a fact, but rather implies or infers it from other facts or circumstances. Indirect evidence is also known as circumstantial evidence or corroborating evidence. A video of a suspect entering a data center that was captured on the same day that files in the same data center were transferred to a competitor is an example of indirect evidence, because it does not directly show that the suspect was involved in the file transfer, but rather suggests a possible connection or correlation between the two events. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures, Lesson 5.3: Digital Forensics, Topic 5.3.1: Evidence, page 5-24.

The CDFS (Compact Disc File System) format is associated with the ISO 9660 standard, which is a file system for optical disc media. It is commonly used in Windows systems for CDs. When a security expert works on an ISO file saved in CDFS format, it typically indicates that the data was prepared or copied using a Windows-based system. This is because CDFS is the file system that Windows uses to read and write CDs, and the ISO file is an image of that CD data1.

References :=

• Understanding CDFS (Compact Disc File System): A Comprehensive Guide2.
• What type of evidence is this file? - VCEguide.com

Social engineering is a type of testing method that involves manipulating or deceiving people into performing actions or divulging information that can compromise the security of the organization. Social engineering can take various forms, such as phishing, vishing, baiting, quid pro quo, or impersonation. The scenario in the question is an example of a phishing attack, where the intruder sent an email to the user that appeared to be legitimate and contained a malicious link that infected the user’s machine and allowed the intruder to access the corporate network. References: [Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Module 6: Security Incident Investigations]

The main difference between inline traffic interrogation (TAPS) and traffic mirroring (SPAN) lies in how they handle network traffic for analysis purposes. TAPS, or Test Access Points, are hardware devices that create a copy of the traffic between two network points without altering the data. This means TAPS can transmit both send and receive data streams simultaneously on separate dedicated channels, ensuring all data, including physical layer errors, is received by the monitoring or security device in real-time. On the other hand, SPAN, or Switch Port Analyzer, is a feature that duplicates network packets seen on one port to another port for analysis. However, SPAN ports can filter out physical layer errors, which may limit the types of analyses that can be performed as some errors will not be represented in the mirrored traffic.

References: The distinction between TAPS and SPAN is covered in the Cisco CyberOps Associate CBROPS 200-201 course, which provides foundational knowledge for network monitoring and security analysis1. Additionally, industry resources such as Garland Technology’s comparison of TAPS and SPAN highlight the differences in performance and integrity of the traffic being analyzed

 Inline mode is used for monitoring the traffic path and can examine any traffic at wire speed. This means that it can analyze data packets as they pass through in real-time. On the other hand, tap mode is used for monitoring traffic as it traverses across the network but does not have the capability to examine data at wire speed like inline mode. References: The information can be referenced from Cisco’s official documentation on cybersecurity operations and fundamentals.

The situation where endpoint logs show a machine receiving an unusual gateway address and DNS servers via DHCP is indicative of a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack, specifically a DHCP spoofing attack. In this type of attack, an adversary can set up a rogue DHCP server or manipulate the DHCP communication to provide false gateway and DNS information to clients. This allows the attacker to intercept, monitor, or manipulate traffic between the client and the intended gateway or DNS servers2.

References: Cisco’s best practices for network protections and attack identification3, and additional insights on securing networks from DHCP attacks

 Volatile data is information that is stored in memory or other temporary storage that is lost when the power is turned off or lost. According to NIST SP 800-86, login sessions and swap files are considered volatile because they exist in the system’s memory and can be lost or changed rapidly

 The communication channel established from a compromised machine back to the attacker is known as a command and control (C2) channel. This channel allows attackers to maintain communication with the compromised system, issue commands, and potentially exfiltrate data. The C2 channel can be established using various protocols and methods to evade detection and maintain persistence.

Port scanning is a technique that an attacker uses to discover which network ports are open, closed, or filtered on a target device. By sending packets to different ports and observing the responses, an attacker can identify the services and applications running on the device, as well as potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Port scanning is a common reconnaissance activity that precedes an attack. References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 2-6; 200-201 CBROPS - Cisco, exam topic 1.1.a

Social engineering is the practice of manipulating or deceiving people into performing actions or divulging information that can compromise the security of the organization. Asking questions about the company’s user account format and password complexity at a party is an example of social engineering, as the guest may be trying to gather information that can be used to launch a cyberattack. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 6: Security Incident Investigations

When a company workstation is compromised, the stakeholders that must be involved are the ones who are responsible for the security incident response process. According to the table, these are Employee 4 (Security Operation Center Analyst), Employee 6 (Head of Network and Security Infrastructure Services), and Employee 7 (Technical Director). The other employees have different roles that are not directly related to the incident response process, such as accounting, financial management, or system administration. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.4: Security Monitoring, Topic 1.4.1: Security Operations Center

Ping of Death involves sending oversized or malformed pings to crash the target system, while UDP flooding overwhelms the target with UDP packets to consume its resources and disrupt services. These are both examples of denial of service attacks, which aim to prevent legitimate users from accessing a system or service. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 4: Network Intrusion Analysis

When analyzing a pcap file, data encryption can pose a significant challenge in terms of visibility. Encrypted data cannot be easily inspected, which means that the analyst may not be able to view the contents of the network packets to detect suspicious activity.

References: The answers are based on the general knowledge of host-based firewalls and the challenges faced during the analysis of pcap files in cybersecurity, as outlined in Cisco’s cybersecurity documentation and resources.

The correct display filter for analyzing FTP traffic in a PCAP file is “tcp.port==21”. This filter will show all TCP packets where the port number is 21, which is the standard port for FTP control messages.

After a breach has been discovered and the immediate threat has been addressed by identifying and removing the threat’s access, the next step according to the NIST SP 800-61 Incident Handling Guide is to recover from the threat. This involves restoring systems to normal operation, confirming that the systems are functioning normally, and applying patches or other remediation measures to prevent similar breaches in the future1.

References :=

• Understanding NIST SP 800-61: The Computer Security Incident Handling Guide

Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC) provides features like metrics collection and exporting (D) for visibility on TCP bandwidth usage, response time, and latency. Application recognition (E) combined with deep packet inspection helps in identifying unknown software by its network traffic flow. References := Cisco CyberOps Associate - Module 2: Security Concepts

In the context of cybersecurity, an asset is anything that has value to the organization, its business operations and their continuity, including data and physical devices. In the role of attribution in an investigation, which is the process of associating an action or event with a particular individual or entity, certain assets are particularly relevant. A laptop © can be an asset because it may contain data or clues that can help trace the origin of a cyber attack. Similarly, identifying the threat actor (E) is crucial for attribution, as it involves understanding who is behind the attack and their motives, which can be essential for preventing future attacks and for legal proceedings.

References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)1.

 In the context of incident response, the detection step involves identifying potential security incidents. The Security Operation Center (SOC) Analyst, which in this case is Employee 4, is typically responsible for monitoring and analyzing security alerts to detect suspicious activities such as brute-force attempts. Therefore, Employee 4 would be the stakeholder responsible for the incident response detection step. References: The role of a SOC Analyst in incident response is outlined in cybersecurity frameworks and best practices, which describe the responsibilities of various stakeholders in detecting and responding to security incidents.

The log in the exhibit is generated by a firewall. It shows a deny action taken on TCP traffic, specifying the source and destination addresses and ports, which is characteristic of firewall logs. Firewalls are designed to control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules, and this log entry reflects the enforcement of such a rule.

References :=

• Cisco’s official documentation on firewall technologies and their log formats.

• The ping of death is a type of attack that involves sending oversized or malformed packets using the ICMP protocol to crash, freeze, or reboot the target system1.
• UDP flooding is an attack method that sends a large number of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets to random ports on a remote host, causing the host to repeatedly check for the application listening at that port, and (when no application is found) reply with an ICMP Destination Unreachable packet. This process can saturate the network and the resources of the host, leading to denial of service2.

References:

• Cloudflare’s explanation of common DoS attacks1.
• Wikipedia’s description of denial-of-service attack methods

In the NetFlow flow-record format, a dataflow set is a collection of data records that follow the template FlowSet in an export packet. Each data record corresponds to a flow and contains values for the fields defined in the template FlowSet. This allows for efficient organization and retrieval of flow information by NetFlow collectors.

References:

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)
• NetFlow Version 9 Flow-Record Format Documentation

The delivery phase of the Cyber Kill Chain model involves the transmission of the weapon to the targeted environment. In the case of a spear-phishing email, the delivery is the act of sending the email to the user. The email itself is the weapon, designed to exploit the recipient’s trust to cause a breach

An incident response plan is a document that defines the roles and responsibilities, procedures, and processes for detecting, analyzing, containing, eradicating, recovering, and learning from security incidents. The purpose of an incident response plan is to minimize the impact of incidents on the organization’s assets, operations, and reputation, and to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. An incident response plan is not the same as a security management plan, a disaster recovery plan, or a backup and archiving plan, although they may be related or complementary. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 92; NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide, page 2-3

Decision making is a principle that guides an analyst to gather information relevant to a security incident to determine the appropriate course of action. Decision making involves identifying the problem, defining the criteria, analyzing the alternatives, and choosing the best solution. Decision making helps an analyst to respond to an incident effectively and efficiently, while minimizing the impact and risk to the organization. References: https://learningnetworkstore.cisco.com/on-demand-e-learning/understanding-cisco-cybersecurity-operations-fundamentals-cbrops-v1.0/CSCU-LP-CBROPS-V1-028093.html (Module 3: Security Monitoring, Lesson 3.1: Security Operations Center)

Agent-based monitoring: With agent-based monitoring, software agents are installed on the monitored systems or devices. These agents collect data locally, perform filtering or preprocessing of the data, and then transmit the relevant or valuable information to the monitoring system. Agent-based monitoring allows for local processing and filtering, which can reduce network utilization by only transmitting essential data. Agentless monitoring: Agentless monitoring, on the other hand, does not require software agents to be installed on the monitored systems or devices. Instead, it relies on leveraging existing protocols and interfaces, such as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) or SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), to remotely access and retrieve monitoring data from the target systems. Agentless monitoring generally involves higher network utilization as the monitoring system needs to gather data from remote systems over the network.

This event category is exploitation because the HTTP requests contain PHP code that attempts to execute commands on the web server and create a backdoor. Exploitation is the phase of the attack where the threat actor gains access to the target system and executes malicious code. References: https://learningnetworkstore.cisco.com/on-demand-e-learning/understanding-cisco-cybersecurity-operations-fundamentals-cbrops-v1-0/CSCU-LP-CBROPS-V1-028093.html (Module 2, Lesson 2.1.3)

Transaction data consists of connection level, application-specific records generated from network traffic. It provides information about the source, destination, protocol, and application of each network connection. Transaction data can be used to identify anomalies, malicious activities, and user behaviors on the network. References := Cisco CyberOps Engineer

Encryption allows the user to make the data incomprehensible without a specific key, certificate, or password. Encryption is a method of transforming data into a format that only authorized parties can access. Encryption can be used to protect data in transit or at rest from unauthorized access or modification. References: https://learningnetworkstore.cisco.com/on-demand-e-learning/understanding-cisco-cybersecurity-operations-fundamentals-cbrops-v1-0/CSCU-LP-CBROPS-V1-028093.html (Module 4, Lesson 4.1.1)

Deep packet inspection (DPI) is a sophisticated method of examining the content of data packets as they pass through a network checkpoint, including both the header and the data payload. DPI is typically performed at the application layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. This allows the inspection process to evaluate the actual content of the packets, not just the header information, enabling the identification of various types of threats and the enforcement of network policies1.

References := The explanation aligns with the information provided by Digital Guardian, which details how DPI works and at which layer it is applied1.

 Tap and SPAN are two methods of capturing network traffic for analysis. Tap (Test Access Point) is a hardware device that is inserted between two network devices and sends a copy of all traffic to a monitoring device. SPAN (Switched Port Analyzer) is a software feature that allows a network switch to replicate traffic from one or more source ports to a destination port, where a monitoring device is connected. Both methods provide visibility into network traffic, but Tap is more reliable and less intrusive than SPAN, as it does not affect the network performance or introduce errors. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 68.

The exhibit shows a Stealthwatch dashboard displaying information on alarming hosts, alarms by type, and today’s alarms. On the left side under “Top Alarming Hosts,” there are five host IP addresses listed with their respective categories indicating different types of alerts including ‘Data Hoarding’ and ‘Exfiltration.’ In “Alarms by Type” section at center top part of image shows bar graphs representing various alarm types including ‘Crypto Violation’ with their respective counts. On right side under “Today’s Alarms,” there’s a table showing the details of each alarm such as the host IP, the alarm type, the severity, and the time. The potential threat identified in this dashboard is that host 10.201.3.149 is receiving almost 19 times more data than is being sent to host 152.46.6.91, which is a sign of data exfiltration. Data exfiltration is the unauthorized transfer of data from a compromised system to an external destination, such as a command and control server or a malicious actor. This can result in data loss, breach of confidentiality, and damage to the organization’s reputation and assets. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 7: Network and Host Forensics

Rule-based detection involves identifying malicious activities based on predefined rules or patterns of known attacks; it does not adapt or change with new data. In contrast, behavioral detection adapts over time by learning from new data; it identifies malicious activities based on deviations from established norms or behaviors. References: Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview, Section 1.0: Security Concepts, Subsection 1.1: Compare and contrast the characteristics of data obtained from taps, NetFlow, and packet capture)

 The event described falls under the ‘action on objectives’ category of the Cyber Kill Chain. This stage occurs after the attacker has established a foothold within the network and begins to execute their intended actions, such as data exfiltration. References: The Cyber Kill Chain framework outlines the stages of a cyberattack, with ‘action on objectives’ being the final step where attackers achieve their primary goal, such as data theft

Untampered images are crucial for security investigations as they provide original evidence that has not been altered or corrupted; their integrity and authenticity can be verified by comparing the stored hash and the computed hash of the image. If they match, the image is untampered and can be used for analysis. Tampered images, on the other hand, are useless for security investigations as they may contain false or misleading information; their integrity and authenticity are compromised by the modification of the image data. Tampered images may be used for incident recovery purposes, such as restoring a system to a previous state, but not for forensic purposes. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 6: Security Incident Investigations

 SYN flood and teardrop are two types of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, which aim to disrupt the availability of a service or a system by overwhelming it with malicious traffic or requests. A SYN flood attack exploits the TCP three-way handshake process by sending a large number of SYN packets to the target’s port, without completing the connection. This causes the target to allocate resources for half-open connections, eventually exhausting its memory or bandwidth. A teardrop attack exploits the IP fragmentation process by sending malformed or overlapping IP fragments to the target, causing it to crash or reboot when trying to reassemble them. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.3: Common Network Application Operations and Attacks, Topic 1.3.4: Denial-of-Service Attacks

 When communicating via TLS, part of the handshake process involves presenting a certificate containing the server name, the name of the trusted CA that issued the certificate, and the public key of the server. The client can verify the validity of the certificate and use the public key to encrypt the data sent to the server. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

 The discrepancy described suggests that the system had a Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) installed. HIDS are designed to monitor and analyze the internals of a computing system for signs of intrusion and policy violations. While they can detect unauthorized activities, they do not take direct action to stop an attack; this is typically the role of an intrusion prevention system. Therefore, the alert was generated, but no mitigation action was taken because the HIDS does not have the capability to intervene.

References := The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course material covers the functions and limitations of various security systems, including HIDS, and their role within a Security Operations Center (SOC)1.

 A sandbox interprocess communication service refers to the mechanisms that allow different processes within a sandboxed environment to communicate with each other. These interfaces are crucial for coordinating activities among processes, especially in a restricted environment like a sandbox where direct interaction with the operating system or other processes might be limited for security reasons. This communication is essential for complex applications that require different processes to work together to perform tasks.

References := The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) material covers various security technologies and how they can be used to protect systems, which includes the use of sandboxing to isolate and monitor potentially malicious code

The Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is used to identify specific resources on the internet, including files. In the context of HTTP GET requests, the URI specifies the path to the file being requested.

References: This explanation is based on standard web protocols and practices, as the current page does not provide specific Cisco documentation.

The PCAP file shows a network packet capture of an HTTP GET request from a client to a server. The User-Agent header field identifies the type and version of the client software that generated the request. In this case, the User-Agent is Mozilla/5.0, which indicates that the client is using a Mozilla-based browser or application. The User-Agent can help the server to customize the response based on the client’s capabilities and preferences. References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 3: Network Protocols and Services, Lesson 3.2: HTTP and HTTPS, Topic 3.2.1: HTTP Headers.

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Delivery is the fourth phase of the cyber kill chain, which is a model to describe the stages of a cyberattack. Delivery refers to the transmission of the weaponized payload to the target system, such as via email attachments, web links, USB drives, or network connections. Delivery does not necessarily imply successful installation or execution of the payload, which are subsequent phases of the kill chain. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 31.

The difference between tampered and untampered disk images is:

• Tampered Images: These are disk images that have been altered or modified in some way after their initial creation. The stored hash and the computed hash will not match if the image has been tampered with.
• Untampered Images: These are disk images that have not been altered since their creation. They are considered authentic and reliable for forensic investigations. The stored hash and the computed hash will match, confirming that the image has remained unchanged.

Therefore, the correct answer is: D. Untampered images are used for forensic investigations.

Deep packet inspection (DPI) is a form of computer network packet filtering that examines the data part (and possibly also the header) of a packet as it passes an inspection point, searching for protocol non-compliance, viruses, spam, intrusions, or defined criteria to decide whether the packet may pass or if it needs to be routed to a different destination, or, for the purpose of collecting statistical information. It is a form of filtering employed at the security layer level of the OSI model. Stateful inspection, on the other hand, is a firewall technology that monitors the state of active connections and determines which network packets to allow through the firewall. Stateful inspection has largely replaced older technologies that were static and examined packets in isolation. Therefore, DPI is considered more secure because it examines the contents of the packets at Layer 7 (the application layer), while stateful inspection typically works up to Layer 4 (the transport layer).

References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)

Enabling the “Allow subdissector to reassemble TCP streams” feature in Wireshark allows the tool to reassemble TCP segments into a contiguous sequence, which can be used by higher-level protocols to reconstruct a full message, such as an HTTP request or response. This is particularly useful for extracting files or data transmitted over TCP that are spread across multiple packets1.

References := The explanation is based on the Wireshark documentation, which details how the reassembly feature works and its use in analyzing TCP streams

 During the collection phase of the forensic process, data related to a specific event is labeled and recorded to preserve its integrity. This step ensures that the data remains unaltered and authentic from the time of collection until it is presented as evidence, maintaining the chain of custody. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 6: Security Incident Investigations

The exhibit shows a network diagram with a switch, a router, and two hosts. The switch has a MAC address table that maps the MAC addresses of the connected devices to the corresponding ports. A MAC flooding attack is a type of attack that aims to overload the switch’s MAC address table by sending a large number of frames with spoofed source MAC addresses. This causes the switch to enter a fail-open mode, where it broadcasts all incoming frames to all ports, effectively turning it into a hub. This allows the attacker to sniff the traffic between the hosts and the router, or launch other attacks such as ARP spoofing or man-in-the-middle

Packet number 2318 is the one that contains a file that is extractable within Wireshark. This can be determined by the information provided in the packet details, which typically includes an HTTP GET request indicating the retrieval of a file, such as an image or document1.

In a PCAP file, which is used to capture network packets, each packet contains various pieces of information that can be analyzed. The source and destination addresses refer to the IP addresses of the sender and receiver of the packets. The source and destination ports refer to the port numbers used for the communication, with common ports like 443 indicating HTTPS traffic. The network protocol here is TCP, which is responsible for establishing a connection and ensuring the delivery of packets. The transport protocol is IPv4, which is the underlying protocol for routing packets across the network. Lastly, the application protocol is TLS v1.2, which is used for secure communication over the internet.

References := The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course material covers the analysis of network traffic and the interpretation of PCAP files, which includes identifying the different elements within a packet capture1.

Protocol 41 is used to encapsulate IPv6 packets in IPv4 headers for transmission over an IPv4 network. This is one of the methods to implement IPv6 transition mechanisms for hosts and routers that are located on IPv4 networks. An increase in IPv4 traffic carrying protocol 41 may indicate that some hosts or routers are trying to tunnel IPv6 traffic through an IPv4 network, which could be a legitimate or malicious activity depending on the network policy. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 177; [IPv6 Transition Mechanisms for IPv4 Domains]

Encryption is an evasion technique that is a function of ransomware, which is a type of malware that encrypts the victim’s files or system and demands a ransom for the decryption key. Encryption is used by ransomware to prevent the victim from accessing their data and to avoid detection by antivirus or other security tools. Encryption can also be used by other types of malware to hide their communication, configuration, or payload from analysis. References:

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 3: Network Intrusion Analysis, Lesson 3.4: Malware
• Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview, Exam Topics, 3.4 Compare and contrast types of malware

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems are designed to collect, correlate, and analyze security event data from various sources to provide insights into potential security issues. They raise alerts when detecting suspicious activities. SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) systems, on the other hand, focus on automating and orchestrating incident response processes. They automate investigation path workflows and reduce the time spent on alerts by executing predefined actions and workflows in response to security events or incidents. References: The differences between SIEM and SOAR are highlighted in various cybersecurity resources, including those provided by Palo Alto Networks and Exabeam, which explain that while SIEM primarily focuses on collecting and analyzing security event data, SOAR extends these capabilities through automation, orchestration, and predefined incident response playbooks