Cisco 350-701 Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR 350-701) Exam Practice Test

 To add switches into the fabric, administrators can use PowerOn Auto Provisioning (POAP) or Seed IP methods. POAP is a feature that automates the process of upgrading software images and installing configuration files on Cisco switches that are being deployed in the network for the first time. Seed IP is a method that allows administrators to specify the IP address of a switch that is already part of the fabric, and then use it to discover and add other switches that are connected to it. Both methods enable administrators to control how switches are added into DCNM for private cloud management. References:

POAP, section “PowerOn Auto Provisioning (POAP)”.

Seed IP, section “Add Switches”.

 To prevent rogue NTP servers from inserting themselves as the authoritative time source, the administrator needs to configure NTP authentication and specify the interface for syncing to the NTP server. NTP authentication allows the ASA to verify the identity and integrity of the NTP packets received from the server, using a shared secret key. Specifying the interface for syncing to the NTP server ensures that the ASA uses the correct source address for sending and receiving NTP packets, and avoids potential routing issues. The other options are not required or relevant for this task. Specifying the NTP version is optional and does not affect security. Configuring the NTP stratum is only applicable for NTP servers, not clients. The ASA can only act as an NTP client, not a server. Setting the NTP DNS hostname is not recommended, as it introduces a dependency on DNS resolution and may cause synchronization problems if the DNS server changes the IP address of the NTP server. References :=

Some possible references are:

Configure NTP Authentication on Secure Network Analytics

CLI Book 1: Cisco ASA Series General Operations CLI Configuration Guide, 9.6 - Basic Settings

Cisco ASA NTP and Clock Configuration with Examples

Explanation

Application layer protocols can represent the same data in a variety of ways. The Firepower System provides

application layer protocol decoders that normalize specific types of packet data into formats that the intrusion

rules engine can analyze. Normalizing application-layer protocol encodings allows the rules engine to effectively

apply the same content-related rules to packets whose data is represented differently and obtain meaningful

results.

The Cloudlock Apps Firewall is a feature of Cisco Cloudlock, which is a cloud-native cloud access security broker (CASB) that helps organizations move to the cloud safely. The Cloudlock Apps Firewall mitigates security concerns from an application perspective by discovering and controlling cloud apps that are connected to a company’s corporate environment, such as Google G Suite or Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AD). These cloud apps are authorized through OAuth to access corporate data and resources via APIs, and may pose risks such as data exfiltration, account compromise, or malicious behavior. The Cloudlock Apps Firewall provides visibility into the app ecosystem, including the app name, category, risk level, access scopes, and number of users. It also allows administrators to ban or allowlist apps based on their risk profile and compliance requirements. Additionally, the Cloudlock Apps Firewall leverages a crowd-sourced Community Trust Rating for each app, which reflects the feedback from other Cloudlock customers on the app’s security and functionality. References :=

Cisco Content Security Products

Cisco Cloudlock - Cisco

Shadow IT Control with Apps Firewall - Cisco

Test scor q151 - q200

Explanation

The Cisco Umbrella Multi-Org console has the ability to upload, store, and archive traffic activity logs from your organizations’ Umbrella dashboards to the cloud through Amazon S3. CSV formatted Umbrella logs are compressed (gzip) and uploaded every ten minutes so that there’s a minimum of delay between traffic from the organization’s Umbrella dashboard being logged and then being available to download from an S3 bucket.

By having your organizations’ logs uploaded to an S3 bucket, you can then download logs automatically to keep in perpetuity in backup storage.

SHA-2 is a family of hash functions that includes SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512. SHA-2 is part of the Next Generation Encryption (NGE) suite of cryptographic algorithms that Cisco recommends for strong security and good performance. SHA-2 is believed to be quantum-computer resistant, meaning that it would not be easily broken by a hypothetical quantum-computer. SHA-2 is also more secure than older hash functions such as MD5 and SHA-1, which have been shown to have weaknesses and collisions. SHA-2 is widely used in various protocols and functions, such as digital signatures, integrity verification, and key derivation. References: 1

To connect Cisco Secure Workload to external orchestrators at a client site where incoming connections are not allowed, a reverse tunnel must be used. A reverse tunnel initiates the connection from the inside of the client's network out to the external orchestrator, thereby bypassing restrictions on incoming connections and enabling secure communication.

DNS tunneling is a technique that exploits the DNS protocol to tunnel malware and other data through a client-server model. DNS tunneling can be used for data exfiltration, command and control, or IP-over-DNS tunneling. DNS tunneling works by encoding the information of other protocols or programs in DNS queries and responses. An attacker registers a domain, such as badsite.com, and sets up a malicious DNS server that can interpret the encoded data. The attacker then infects a client with malware that can send and receive DNS queries to the attacker’s domain. The malware can use DNS queries to request commands from the attacker, or to send sensitive data to the attacker. The DNS queries and responses look like normal DNS traffic, but they contain hidden data that can bypass network defenses123. References := 1: What Is DNS Tunneling? - Palo Alto Networks 2: What is DNS Tunneling? - Check Point Software 3: What Is DNS Tunneling and How to Detect and Prevent Attacks

The amount of URI text that is stored in Cisco WSA log files is controlled by the log-entry size parameter, which can be configured using the advancedproxyconfig command. The log-entry size parameter specifies the maximum number of bytes of the URI that will be logged for each request. The default value is 1024 bytes, but it can be changed to any value between 1 and 4096 bytes. If the URI is longer than the log-entry size, it will be truncated and a plus sign (+) will be appended to indicate that the URI was cut off. Configuring a small log-entry size can reduce the disk space and bandwidth consumption of the log files, but it can also limit the visibility and analysis of the requests.

References :=

User Guide for AsyncOS 11.0 for Cisco Web Security Appliances, Customizing Access Logs

Cisco WSA CLI Reference Guide for AsyncOS 11.0, advancedproxyconfig Command

WSA FAQ: How can I view the logs on the Cisco WSA? - Cisco

 The Decrypt for Application Detection feature within the WSA Decryption options enhances the ability of AsyncOS to detect HTTPS applications. The HTTPS Proxy can decrypt HTTPS connections to web applications. This allows the Application Visibility and Control (AVC) engine to more accurately detect and block web applications that use HTTPS. This feature can help improve the security and performance of the network by identifying and controlling the usage of web applications that may consume bandwidth, pose security risks, or violate compliance policies.

Explanation

A buffer overflow (or buffer overrun) occurs when the volume of data exceeds the storage capacity of the memory buffer. As a result, the program attempting to write the data to the buffer overwrites adjacent memory locations.

Buffer overflow is a vulnerability in low level codes of C and C++. An attacker can cause the program to crash, make data corrupt, steal some private information or run his/her own code. It basically means to access any buffer outside of it’s alloted memory space. This happens quite frequently in the case of arrays.

Explanation

The HMAC-SHA-1-96 (also known as HMAC-SHA-1) encryption technique is used by IPSec to ensure that a message has not been altered. (-> Therefore answer “integrity” is the best choice). HMAC-SHA-1 uses the SHA-1 specified in FIPS-190-1, combined with HMAC (as per RFC 2104), and is described in RFC 2404.

Explanation

Explanation

The Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC) solution leverages multiple technologies to recognize,

analyze, and control over 1000 applications, including voice and video, email, file sharing, gaming, peer-to-peer

(P2P), and cloud-based applications. AVC combines several Cisco IOS/IOS XE components, as well as

communicating with external tools, to integrate the following functions into a powerful solution…

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-delivered security service that protects users from malicious domains and IPs, regardless of their location or network. When users are off the corporate network, they can use the Cisco Umbrella roaming client, which is embedded in the Cisco AnyConnect client, to enforce Umbrella DNS servers for all DNS queries. This way, Umbrella can block requests to malicious or unwanted domains before a connection is ever made, and provide visibility and protection for users anywhere they go. The Umbrella roaming client does not require any additional agents or end user action, and it can work with or without a VPN connection. References := Cisco Umbrella Roaming, Umbrella Roaming Client – How it Works on Your Company Network

To force a session to be adjusted after a policy change is made, two configurations are required on Cisco ISE and on Cisco TrustSec devices: Dynamic Authorization and Change of Authorization (CoA). Dynamic Authorization allows Cisco ISE to send commands to network devices to change the authorization status of a user session. CoA is a feature that enables Cisco ISE to send a RADIUS message to a network device to reauthenticate or disconnect a user session. These two configurations enable Cisco ISE to apply the updated policy to the user session without requiring the user to log out and log in again.

According to the source book, the steps to configure Dynamic Authorization and CoA are as follows1:

On Cisco ISE, navigate to Administration > Network Resources > Network Devices and select the network device that supports TrustSec.

On the Edit Network Device page, select the Advanced TrustSec Settings tab and check the Support for CoA check box.

On the same tab, select the appropriate CoA type from the drop-down list. The options are RADIUS Disconnect, Port Bounce, and Reauth.

Click Submit to save the changes.

On the network device, enter the global configuration mode and issue the command aaa server radius dynamic-author to enable Dynamic Authorization.

Optionally, you can specify the source interface, authentication key, and port number for the Dynamic Authorization messages.

Exit the global configuration mode and save the configuration.

 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 4: Secure Connectivity, Lesson 4.2: Implementing TrustSec, Topic 4.2.3: Configuring TrustSec on Cisco ISE and Network Devices, pp. 4-83 to 4-85.

vulnerability is a flaw or gap in the security of a system or network that can be exploited by an attacker to compromise its functionality, integrity, confidentiality, or availability. A vulnerability can exist in the design, implementation, configuration, or operation of a system or network, and can be caused by human errors, software bugs, hardware defects, or environmental factors. A vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker using various methods, such as malware, phishing, brute force, denial-of-service, or injection attacks. A vulnerability can also be exploited by an insider who has legitimate access to the system or network, but abuses their privileges for malicious purposes. A vulnerability can be discovered by security researchers, ethical hackers, or malicious hackers, and can be reported to the vendor or the public for remediation or exploitation. A vulnerability can be mitigated by applying patches, updates, or configuration changes, or by using security tools such as firewalls, antivirus, or encryption.

An exploit is a piece of code, data, or technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability to perform unauthorized or malicious actions on a system or network. An exploit can be used to gain access, escalate privileges, execute commands, steal data, disrupt services, or damage resources. An exploit can be delivered by various means, such as email attachments, web links, removable media, or network packets. An exploit can be developed by security researchers, ethical hackers, or malicious hackers, and can be shared or sold on the dark web or other platforms for testing or attacking purposes. An exploit can be detected by security tools such as intrusion detection systems, antivirus, or anti-exploit software.

The difference between a vulnerability and an exploit is that a vulnerability is a potential weakness that can be exploited, while an exploit is an actual attack that uses a vulnerability. A vulnerability can exist without being exploited, but an exploit cannot exist without a vulnerability. A vulnerability can be fixed or prevented, but an exploit can only be blocked or stopped. References :=

Exploit vs Vulnerability: What’s the Difference? - InfoSec Insights

Difference Between Vulnerability and Exploit - GeeksforGeeks

Exploit vs. Vulnerability: What Is the Difference? - Coralogix

Exploit vs Vulnerability: What’s the Difference? - Cybers Guards

 Split tunneling is a feature that allows VPN users to access both the corporate network and the internet at the same time. By using split tunneling, only the traffic destined for the 10.0.0.0/24 network will be encrypted and sent through the VPN tunnel, while the rest of the traffic will be sent directly to the internet. This reduces the VPN bandwidth load on the headend Cisco ASA and ensures that bandwidth is available for VPN users needing access to corporate resources. Split tunneling can be configured on the ASA by using the split-tunnel-network-list value command under the group-policy attributes. The network list should include the 10.0.0.0/24 network as the only entry. References: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 5: Secure Connectivity, Lesson 5.1: Implementing Site-to-Site VPNs on Cisco Routers and ASA Firewalls, Topic 5.1.3: Configuring Site-to-Site VPNs on Cisco ASA Firewalls, Subtopic 5.1.3.2: Configuring Split Tunneling.

 GET VPN (Group Encrypted Transport VPN) is a tunnel-less VPN technology that uses a single security association (SA) for all routers in a group. This allows GET VPN to natively support MPLS and private IP networks, without requiring any additional encapsulation or tunneling protocols. GET VPN also supports multicast traffic without GRE, which reduces overhead and improves performance. FlexVPN is a newer VPN solution that covers all VPN types, such as site-to-site, hub and spoke, and remote access. FlexVPN uses IKEv2 for all VPN types, which offers some advantages over IKEv1, such as resiliency and fewer messages. However, FlexVPN requires newer hardware and software versions to support its features. FlexVPN also relies on GRE or static and dynamic point-to-point interfaces to support MPLS and private IP networks, which adds complexity and overhead. Therefore, a benefit of using GET VPN over FlexVPN within a VPN deployment is that GET VPN natively supports MPLS and private IP networks, without requiring any additional encapsulation or tunneling protocols. References:

Group Encrypted Transport VPN (GETVPN)

Introduction to FlexVPN

what is the difference between dmvpn and flexvpn

 Firepower NGIPS inline deployment mode is a mode where the NGIPS device is placed in the traffic path and can take actions such as blocking, modifying, or redirecting traffic based on the policies and rules. In this mode, the NGIPS device must have inline interface pairs configured, which are pairs of physical or logical interfaces that act as a single logical interface. The inline interface pairs are connected to the network devices on both sides of the NGIPS device, and the traffic flows through the NGIPS device from one interface to the other. The NGIPS device can inspect and modify the traffic as it passes through the inline interface pairs12. References := 1: Firepower Management Center Configuration Guide, Version 6.6 - Device Management Basics 2: Configure FTD Interfaces in Inline-Pair Mode

The crypto isakmp key command is used to configure a preshared key for ISAKMP authentication between two peers. The address 0.0.0.0 indicates that the key is valid for any peer address. Therefore, the same command must be entered on hostB with the same password in order to establish the tunnel with hostA. Changing the protocol to ikev2, using a different password, or changing the password to the default will not solve the problem, as they will create a mismatch in the authentication parameters. References:

Dynamic Multipoint VPN Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS Release 15M&T, section “Prerequisites for Dynamic Multipoint VPN (DMVPN)”

DMVPN - Concepts & Configuration, section “DMVPN - What is it?”

DMVPN Hub as the CA Server for the DMVPN Network Configuration Example, section “Prerequisites”

Explanation

Explanation

You can also bring up the port by using these commands:

+ The “shutdown” interface configuration command followed by the “no shutdown” interface configuration

command restarts the disabled port.

+ The “errdisable recovery cause …” global configuration command enables the timer to automatically recover error-disabled state, and the “errdisable recovery interval interval” global configuration command specifies the time to recover error-disabled state.

The Cisco WSA supports two main authentication protocols: LDAP and NTLM. LDAP is a protocol for accessing and managing directory information over a network. NTLM is a Windows proprietary protocol that uses a challenge-response mechanism for authentication. The Cisco WSA can use both LDAP and NTLM to authenticate users and apply policies based on their identity. The Cisco WSA does not support WCCP, TLS, or SSL as authentication protocols, although it can use them for other purposes, such as traffic redirection or encryption. References:

User Guide for AsyncOS 11.0 for Cisco Web Security Appliances, Chapter: Acquire End-User Credentials

Cisco Web Security Appliance Best Practices Guidelines, Section: Active authentication

Cisco WSA Authentication, Blog post by Kareem CCIE

Authentication and Authorization, PDF document by Cisco

MDM stands for Mobile Device Management, which is a system that performs compliance checks and remote wiping on mobile devices. MDM allows administrators to enforce security policies, monitor device status, and remotely manage devices in case of loss, theft, or compromise. MDM can also integrate with other Cisco security solutions, such as ISE, AMP, and Umbrella, to provide enhanced protection and visibility for mobile devices. References:

Mobile Device Management (MDM) - Cisco

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) - Module 5: Secure Network Access

To collect full metadata information about the traffic going through their AWS cloud services, the organization needs to send VPC Flow Logs to Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud and configure Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud to ingest AWS information. VPC Flow Logs is a feature that enables the organization to capture information about the IP traffic going to and from network interfaces in their VPC. Flow log data can be published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs, Amazon S3, or Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose1. Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud is a SaaS-based network and cloud security solution that provides behavioral analytics across the network to help the organization improve threat detection and achieve a stronger security posture2. By sending VPC Flow Logs to Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud, the organization can leverage the rich network flow metadata to perform various types of flow analysis, such as troubleshooting connectivity issues, monitoring the traffic patterns, detecting anomalous or malicious activity, and verifying compliance3. To send VPC Flow Logs to Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud, the organization needs to create a flow log for their VPC, subnet, or network interface, and specify Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud as the destination4. To configure Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud to ingest AWS information, the organization needs to add their AWS account as a data source in the Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud portal, and grant the necessary permissions for Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud to access their VPC Flow Logs5. By doing so, the organization can view and analyze the flow log data in the Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud dashboard, and receive valuable security alerts and insights based on the network behavior6.

References := 1: Logging IP traffic using VPC Flow Logs - Amazon Virtual Private Cloud 2: Cisco Secure Cloud Analytics (Stealthwatch Cloud) - Cisco 3: Cisco Secure Cloud Analytics - AWS VPC Flow Logs: A New Tool for Your … 4: Publish flow logs to Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud - Amazon Virtual Private Cloud 5: AWS Data Source Setup - Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud 6: AWS Workload Protection - Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud

The zero-trust model is a modern security strategy that assumes breach and verifies each request as though it originates from an open network. The main concept behind the zero-trust model is “never trust, always verify”, which means that users and devices should not be trusted by default, even if they are connected to a permissioned network such as a corporate LAN and even if they were previously verified12

One of the principles of the zero-trust model is to verify explicitly, which means to always authenticate and authorize based on all available data points, including user identity, location, device health, service or workload, data classification, and anomalies13 To achieve this, the zero-trust model recommends using multifactor authentication (MFA), which is a method of verifying a user’s identity by requiring two or more pieces of evidence, such as something the user knows (e.g., password, PIN), something the user has (e.g., token, smart card), or something the user is (e.g., fingerprint, face scan). MFA provides a higher level of security than using only a single factor, such as a password, which can be easily compromised or guessed. MFA also reduces the risk of unauthorized access to corporate applications and resources, which may contain sensitive or confidential information.

Therefore, the recommendation in a zero-trust model before granting access to corporate applications and resources is to use multifactor authentication, as it ensures that only verified and authorized users and devices can access the data they need, and nothing more13

References := 1: Zero Trust Model - Modern Security Architecture | Microsoft Security 2: Zero trust security model - Wikipedia 3: What is Zero Trust? | Microsoft Learn : Multifactor Authentication (MFA) | Cisco

Cisco ASA NetFlow v9 Secure Event Logging (NSEL) is a security logging mechanism that is built on NetFlow Version 9 technology and provides stateful, IP flow tracking for significant events in a flow. NSEL requires a collector to receive and process the exported data records. To configure NSEL, you need to define a flow-export event type under a policy using the Modular Policy Framework (MPF). The event type specifies which events to export, such as flow-create, flow-denied, flow-teardown, flow-update, or all. You also need to configure the NSEL collectors, the template timeout intervals, and the flow-update interval. Optionally, you can disable the redundant syslog messages and reset the runtime counters.

The other statements are false because:

To view bandwidth usage for NetFlow records, the QoS feature is not required. You can use a NetFlow collector or analyzer to view the bandwidth usage and other statistics from the exported data records.

A sysopt command cannot be used to enable NSEL on a specific interface. NSEL is enabled globally on all interfaces by default when you configure a flow-export event type under a policy.

NSEL cannot be used without a collector configured. NSEL exports data records to the configured collectors using NetFlow over UDP. If no collector is configured, the data records are discarded.

 Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints is a cloud-based solution that provides endpoint protection against malware and advanced threats. It can be deployed in different architectures depending on the customer’s needs and preferences. One of the deployment options is the private cloud, which is designed to keep data within a network perimeter. In this option, the customer hosts the AMP for Endpoints console and the AMP cloud on their own infrastructure, and the endpoints connect to the private cloud for analysis and policy enforcement. This option provides more control and privacy over the data, but also requires more resources and maintenance from the customer. The other deployment options are the public cloud, which uses the Cisco-hosted AMP cloud and console, and the hybrid cloud, which uses a combination of the public and private clouds123 References: 1: Protecting Against Malware Threats with Cisco AMP for Endpoints (SSFAMP) course overview 2: Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco 3: Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Endpoints - Zones

 Cisco Duo is a multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution that verifies the identity of all users with Duo’s easy, one-tap-approval MFA app. It also provides device visibility and adaptive policies to ensure that only trusted devices can access corporate applications and networks. Some of the benefits of using Cisco Duo as an MFA solution are:

It provides a simple and streamlined login experience for multiple applications and users. Users can access all their applications from a single dashboard, and authenticate with a simple push notification or other convenient methods. Duo also supports single sign-on (SSO) for integrated applications, reducing the need for multiple passwords and logins12.

It offers native integration that helps secure applications across multiple cloud platforms or on-premises environments. Duo can be easily integrated with most major apps and custom applications, enabling a secure access solution that can be implemented with minimal IT involvement. Duo also supports various protocols and standards, such as SAML, RADIUS, LDAP, and WebAuthn, to enable seamless integration with different environments13.

 1: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | Duo Security 2: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | Duo Security - Cisco 3: What Is Duo? Two-Factor Authentication From Cisco - Cisco

The aaa server radius dynamic-author command enables authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) globally on the device so that Change of Authorization (CoA) is supported. CoA is a feature that allows an external AAA server to dynamically change the attributes of a user session after it is authenticated. For example, the AAA server can send a CoA request to reauthenticate a user, terminate a session, or apply a new policy. The aaa server radius dynamic-author command specifies the IP address and port number of the device that listens for CoA requests from the AAA server. The command also configures the shared secret key that is used to encrypt the communication between the device and the AAA server12. References := 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower Next Generation Firewall, Lesson 3.2: Deploying Cisco Firepower Next-Generation Firewall, Topic 3.2.2: Cisco Firepower NGFW Device Management 2: Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS Release 15SY - RADIUS Change of Authorization [Support] - Cisco3

 The error 403: Forbidden indicates that the web server denied access to the requested resource, which in this case is the PCAP file. One possible reason for this error is that the HTTPS server is not enabled for the device platform policy, which is a configuration that applies to the FTD devices managed by the FMC. The device platform policy defines the settings for the management interface, the SSH access, the SNMP, the NTP, the DNS, and the HTTPS server. The HTTPS server allows the FMC to access the FTD devices via HTTPS and perform tasks such as packet capture, packet tracer, and file transfer. If the HTTPS server is not enabled for the device platform policy, the FMC cannot access the PCAP file from the FTD device via HTTPS. Therefore, the engineer must enable the HTTPS server for the device platform policy in order to resolve this issue. To enable the HTTPS server for the device platform policy, the engineer must follow these steps:

Log in to the FMC web interface and navigate to Devices > Platform Settings.

Select the device platform policy that applies to the FTD device and click Edit.

In the General tab, check the Enable HTTPS Server checkbox and click Save.

Deploy the policy changes to the FTD device and wait for the deployment to complete.

Try to access the PCAP file again from the FMC web browser using the same address.

Alternatively, the engineer can also enable the HTTPS server for the FTD device from the FTD CLI using the command configure network https-server enable. However, this method is not recommended because it may cause a configuration conflict with the FMC123

References := 1: Use Firepower Threat Defense Captures and Packet Tracer - Cisco 2: Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Configuration Guide for Firepower Device Manager, Version 6.6 - Device Management Basics [Cisco Firepower NGFW] - Cisco 3: Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Command Reference - C through D Commands [Cisco Firepower NGFW] - Cisco

Group Encrypted Transport VPN (GET VPN) is used to implement secure VPN connectivity among company branches over a private IP cloud with any-to-any scalable connectivity. GET VPN provides a way to encrypt traffic between sites without the need for point-to-point tunnels, supporting efficient, scalable, and secure communication across a broad network infrastructure.

A PAC file is a Proxy Auto-Configuration file that contains a JavaScript function that determines whether web browser requests go directly to the destination or are forwarded to a web proxy server. A PAC file allows the client desktop browsers to be configured to select when to connect direct or when to use the proxy based on the URL and the host name. A PAC file can be downloaded from a web server or a local file. A PAC file is more suitable for complex proxy configurations or multiple proxy servers12

A transparent mode is a proxy configuration where the client browsers do not need to be configured to use the proxy. The proxy intercepts the traffic and forwards it to the destination. A transparent mode does not allow the client browsers to select when to connect direct or when to use the proxy34

A forward file is not a valid proxy configuration method.

A bridge mode is a network configuration where a device connects two or more network segments and forwards traffic between them. A bridge mode is not a proxy configuration method5 References := 1: Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) file - HTTP | MDN 2: Proxy auto-config - Wikipedia 3: Explicit and Transparent Proxy - techdocs.broadcom.com 4: Configure Explicit Proxy - Palo Alto Networks | TechDocs 5: config web-proxy explicit | FortiGate / FortiOS 7.4.0

Explanation

The Firepower System uses network discovery and identity policies to collect host, application, and user data

for traffic on your network. You can use certain types of discovery and identity data to build a comprehensive

map of your network assets, perform forensic analysis, behavioral profiling, access control, and mitigate and

respond to the vulnerabilities and exploits to which your organization is susceptible.

You can configure your network discovery policy to perform host and application detection.

Explanation

Spero analysis is a feature of Cisco AMP for Networks that examines structural characteristics such as metadata and header information in executable files. After generating a Spero signature based on this information, if the file is an eligible executable file, the device submits it to the Spero heuristic engine in the AMP cloud for analysis1. Spero analysis can detect malware based on the file’s structure and behavior, without requiring a full file upload2. Spero analysis is different from dynamic analysis, sandbox analysis, and malware analysis, which are other features of Cisco AMP for Networks that perform different types of file inspection and analysis3. References: 1: How to configure Firepower AMP to not upload files to … - Cisco Community 2: File Policies - Network Direction 3: Cisco AMP for Networks - Cisco

a Cisco FirePower sensor to Firepower Management Center is configure manager add . This command establishes a secure connection between the sensor and the FMC using a registration key. The  parameter can be either the IP address or the hostname of the FMC. The  parameter can be any alphanumeric string that matches the one configured on the FMC. This command is executed on the sensor’s CLI in the privileged EXEC mode12. References: 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) course, Module 2: Network Security, Lesson 2: Deploying Cisco Firepower Next-Generation Firewall, Topic: Registering the Cisco Firepower NGFW to the FMC2: Firepower Management Center Configuration Guide, Version 6.6 - Device Management Basics [Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center] - Cisco.

Cisco Stealthwatch is a security solution that uses NetFlow to provide visibility across the network, data center, branch offices, and cloud. NetFlow is a protocol that collects and exports statistics on network traffic flows from routers, switches, firewalls, and other devices. NetFlow data can be used to monitor network performance, troubleshoot issues, detect anomalies, and identify security threats. Cisco Stealthwatch analyzes NetFlow data from various sources and correlates it with other contextual information, such as identity, device, location, and threat intelligence. Cisco Stealthwatch then applies advanced behavioral analytics and machine learning to detect and respond to malicious activities, such as data exfiltration, malware infection, insider threats, and denial-of-service attacks. Cisco Stealthwatch also provides comprehensive network visibility and security across hybrid environments, including public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises networks. Cisco Stealthwatch can integrate with other Cisco security solutions, such as Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Cisco Firepower, Cisco Umbrella, and Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP), to enhance network security and incident response capabilities. References:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 8: Cloud and Virtual Network Security, Lesson 8.2: Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud

Cisco Stealthwatch

NetFlow for Cybersecurity and Incident Response

B

 MAB is a fallback authentication method for devices that do not support 802.1X. When MAB is enabled on a switchport, the switch will first try 802.1X and if it fails, it will use the MAC address of the device as the username and password to authenticate it with a RADIUS server. The RADIUS server must have a database of MAC addresses that are allowed on the network. MAB can also support dynamic VLAN assignment and ACLs from the RADIUS server. MAB is not a very secure method because MAC addresses can be easily spoofed or changed. Therefore, MAB should be used with caution and only for devices that cannot use 802.1X. References :=

Some possible references are:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower Next Generation Firewall, Lesson 3.2: Deploying Cisco Firepower Next-Generation Firewall, Topic 3.2.2: 802.1X and MAB

MAC Authentication Bypass Deployment Guide, Cisco, MAB Overview, What is MAB?

MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB), NetworkLessons.com, How MAB Works

MAC-based authentication (MAB), RADIUSaaS Docs, How it works

MAC authentication and username/password, Cisco Community, Answer by hslai

 The dot1x system-auth-control command enables 802.1X globally on a Cisco switch. This command allows the switch to act as an authenticator for 802.1X clients connected to the switch ports. The switch will then communicate with a RADIUS server to authenticate the clients and grant or deny access to the network. The other commands are not related to enabling 802.1X globally. The dot1x pae authenticator command enables 802.1X authentication on a specific interface. The authentication port-control aut command enables automatic port-based authentication on an interface. The aaa new-model command enables the AAA framework for authentication, authorization, and accounting. References :=

DevSecOps is a development practice that integrates security into all phases of the software development lifecycle, from initial design through integration, testing, deployment, and software delivery. DevSecOps focuses on application development, as it aims to deliver secure and robust applications that meet the customers’ needs and expectations. DevSecOps also makes security a shared responsibility of development, security, and operations teams, rather than a separate silo. DevSecOps enables faster and safer software delivery by automating security processes and tools, and addressing security issues as they emerge, rather than at the end of the cycle.

References :=

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 6: Securing the Data Center, Lesson 6.2: DevSecOps

What Is DevSecOps? Definition and Best Practices | Microsoft Security

What is DevSecOps? | IBM

What is DevSecOps? | DevSecOps vs. DevOps | VMware

 On Cisco Firepower Management Center, a health policy is used to collect health modules alerts from managed devices. A health policy is a collection of tests, or health modules, that monitor the health status of the hardware and software in the system. You can apply a health policy to one or more appliances and configure the frequency and conditions for running the health modules and generating alerts. The health monitor on the Firepower Management Center tracks the health events based on the health policy settings and displays them on the Health Monitor page and the event views. You can also use external alerting mechanisms, such as SNMP traps or syslog messages, to notify you of health events. References :=

To prevent rogue NTP servers from inserting themselves as the authoritative time source, the administrator needs to configure NTP authentication and specify the interface for syncing to the NTP server. NTP authentication allows the ASA to verify the identity and integrity of the NTP packets received from the server, using a shared secret key. Specifying the interface for syncing to the NTP server ensures that the ASA uses the correct source address for sending and receiving NTP packets, and avoids potential routing issues. The other options are not required or relevant for this task. Specifying the NTP version is optional and does not affect security. Configuring the NTP stratum is only applicable for NTP servers, not clients. The ASA can only act as an NTP client, not a server. Setting the NTP DNS hostname is not recommended, as it introduces a dependency on DNS resolution and may cause synchronization problems if the DNS server changes the IP address of the NTP server. References :=

Some possible references are:

Configure NTP Authentication on Secure Network Analytics

CLI Book 1: Cisco ASA Series General Operations CLI Configuration Guide, 9.6 - Basic Settings

Cisco ASA NTP and Clock Configuration with Examples

Explanation

What Cisco DNA Center enables you to do

Automate: Save time by using a single dashboard to manage and automate your network. Quickly scale your business with intuitive workflows and reusable templates. Configure and provision thousands of network devices across your enterprise in minutes, not hours.

Secure policy: Deploy group-based secure access and network segmentation based on business needs. With Cisco DNA Center, you apply policy to users and applications instead of to your network devices. Automation reduces manual operations and the costs associated with human errors, resulting in more uptime and improved security. Assurance then assesses the network and uses context to turn data into intelligence, making sure that changes in the network device policies achieve your intent.

Assurance: Monitor, identify, and react in real time to changing network and wireless conditions. Cisco DNA Center uses your network’s wired and wireless devices to create sensors everywhere, providing real-time feedback based on actual network conditions. The Cisco DNA Assurance engine correlates network sensor insights with streaming telemetry and compares this with the current context of these data sources. With a quick check of the health scores on the Cisco DNA Center dashboard, you can see where there is a performance issue and identify the most likely cause in minutes.

Extend ecosystem: With the new Cisco DNA Center platform, IT can now integrate Cisco® solutions and thirdparty technologies into a single network operation for streamlining IT workflows and increasing business value and innovation. Cisco DNA Center allows you to run the network with open interfaces with IT and business applications, integrates across IT operations and technology domains, and can manage heterogeneous network devices.

To add a device into Cisco DNA Center with the native API, the POST method and the name attribute are required. The POST method is used to create a new resource on the server, such as a device. The name attribute is used to specify the hostname or IP address of the device to be added. The POST method requires a JSON body that contains the device information, such as the name, type, role, credentials, and other optional parameters. The Cisco DNA Center API documentation provides an example of the JSON body and the response for adding a device1. The Cisco DNA Center Platform User Guide also explains how to use the native API to add devices2. References := 1: Cisco DNA Center API Documentation - Add Device 2: Cisco DNA Center Platform User Guide, Release 2.3.5 - Manage Devices Using the Native API

 Cisco AnyConnect with Umbrella Roaming Security module protects a user from a phishing attack by enforcing security at the DNS layer and blocking malicious domains that are used for phishing campaigns. The Umbrella Roaming Security module integrates with the Cisco AnyConnect client and provides always-on security even when no VPN is active. The Umbrella Roaming Security module can replace the existing Cisco Umbrella roaming client or be part of a new AnyConnect deployment12.

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is not an endpoint solution, but a network access control and policy enforcement platform that can integrate with AnyConnect for posture assessment and compliance3. Cisco AnyConnect with ISE Posture module is used to check the compliance status of the endpoint device and apply the appropriate network access policy based on the posture result4. Cisco AnyConnect with Network Access Manager module is used to manage the network connections and profiles of the endpoint device and support various authentication methods5. Neither of these modules directly protect the user from a phishing attack.

References :=

Roaming Client: Umbrella Roaming Security (Integration with AnyConnect)

Secure Umbrella Roaming: Cisco Secure Client (Formerly AnyConnect)

Cisco Identity Services Engine

[Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Administrator Guide, Release 4.9 - Posture Module]

[Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Administrator Guide, Release 4.9 - Network Access Manager Module]

Explanation

You can configure your ASA FirePOWER module using one of the following deployment models:

You can configure your ASA FirePOWER module in either an inline or a monitor-only (inline tap or

passive) deployment.

Data is sent out to the attacker during a DNS tunneling attack as part of the domain name. DNS tunneling is a technique that encodes the data of other protocols or programs in DNS queries and responses. The attacker registers a domain, such as badsite.com, and points it to a server under their control, where a tunneling program is installed. The attacker infects a device with malware, which sends DNS queries to the attacker’s server, using subdomains of badsite.com to encode the data. For example, the malware could send a query for 1234.badsite.com, where 1234 is the encoded data. The attacker’s server decodes the data from the subdomain and sends back a DNS response, which may also contain encoded data in the answer section12. The other options are not correct, because they do not use the domain name to encode the data. The UDP/53 and TCP/53 packet payload and header are used to transport the DNS query and response, but they are not modified by the tunneling technique. The DNS response packet contains the answer to the query, but it is not the only way to send data to the attacker3. References:

1: DNS Tunneling attack - What is it, and how to protect ourselves?

2: What Is DNS Tunneling? - Palo Alto Networks

3: What Are DNS Attacks? - Palo Alto Networks

Explanation

The command “snmp-server user user-name group-name [remote ip-address [udp-port port]] {v1 | v2c | v3 [encrypted] [auth {md5 | sha} auth-password]} [access access-list]” adds a new user (in this case “andy”) to an SNMPv3 group (in this case group name “myv3”) and configures a password for the user.

In the “snmp-server host” command, we need to:

+ Specify the SNMP version with key word “version {1 | 2 | 3}”

+ Specify the username (“andy”), not group name (“myv3”).

Note: In “snmp-server host inside …” command, “inside” is the interface name of the ASA interface through which the NMS (located at 10.255.254.1) can be reached.

Explanation

Prevalence allows you to view files that have been executed in your deployment.

Note: Threat Root Cause shows how malware is getting onto your computers.

Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) is a security feature that validates ARP packets on untrusted interfaces by comparing the MAC address to IP address bindings in the DHCP snooping database or an ARP access-list. If the ARP packet contains invalid or spoofed information, it is dropped and logged. DAI also inspects ARP packets on trusted interfaces, but it does not drop them if they are invalid. Instead, it forwards them to the destination without validation. This allows the switch to support devices that use static IP addresses or have legitimate reasons to send ARP packets with different MAC address to IP address bindings. However, this also means that if a spoofed ARP packet is received on a trusted interface, it will bypass the DAI validation and be forwarded to the destination. This could allow an attacker to poison the ARP cache of other devices and perform a man-in-the-middle attack. Therefore, the correct answer is option B. The switch drops the packet after validation by using the IP & MAC Binding Table. References:

Understanding and Configuring Dynamic ARP Inspection

DAI (Dynamic ARP Inspection)

Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) Explanation & Configuration

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0

Anycast IP is a component of Cisco umbrella architecture that increases reliability of the service by allowing the same IP address to exist on multiple servers around the world. This way, the user’s request is automatically routed to the nearest and fastest data center, and failover is seamless in case of an outage. Anycast IP also reduces latency and improves performance by using BGP to select the shortest path to the destination12. References := 1: Why Cisco Umbrella uses anycast routing - Cisco Umbrella 2: Cisco Umbrella At a Glance

Explanation

Explanation

Cisco Firepower NGFW Virtual (NGFWv) is the virtualized version of Cisco’s Firepower next generation firewall.

The Cisco NGFW virtual appliance is available in the AWS and Azure marketplaces. In AWS, it can be

deployed in routed and passive modes. Passive mode design requires ERSPAN, the Encapsulated Remote Switched Port Analyzer, which is currently not available in Azure.

In passive mode, NGFWv inspects packets like an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) appliance, but no action can be taken on the packet.

In routed mode NGFWv acts as a next hop for workloads. It can inspect packets and also take action on the packet based on rule and policy definitions.

Asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key cryptography, is a type of encryption that uses a pair of keys to encrypt and decrypt data. The pair of keys includes a public key, which can be shared with anyone, and a private key, which is kept secret by the owner. In asymmetric encryption, the sender uses the recipient’s public key to encrypt the data. The recipient then uses their private key to decrypt the data. This approach allows for secure communication between two parties without the need for both parties to have the same secret key. RSA is one of the most commonly used asymmetric encryption algorithms. It is based on the mathematical problem of factoring large numbers, which is believed to be hard to solve. RSA stands for Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, the names of the three inventors of the algorithm. RSA can be used for both encryption and digital signatures. To generate an RSA key pair, the following steps are performed:

Choose two large prime numbers, p and q, and compute their product, n = pq. This is called the modulus.

Choose a small number, e, that is relatively prime to (p-1)(q-1). This is called the public exponent.

Compute a number, d, that satisfies the equation ed ≡ 1 (mod (p-1)(q-1)). This is called the private exponent.

The public key is (n, e) and the private key is (n, d).

To encrypt a message, m, with the public key (n, e), the following formula is used:

c = m^e mod n

To decrypt a ciphertext, c, with the private key (n, d), the following formula is used:

m = c^d mod n

References :=

[Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0], Module 3: VPN Technologies, Lesson 3.1: Site-to-Site VPNs, Topic 3.1.2: IPsec VPNs

What is Asymmetric Encryption? - GeeksforGeeks

What is asymmetric encryption? | Asymmetric vs. symmetric … - Cloudflare

 A SYN flood is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack that exploits the TCP three-way handshake process to exhaust the resources of a target server. The attacker sends a large number of SYN packets to the target server, each with a spoofed source IP address. The target server allocates resources for each incoming SYN packet and responds with a SYN-ACK packet to the spoofed address. However, the spoofed address never sends back the final ACK packet to complete the connection, leaving the target server with many half-open connections that eventually fill up its connection table. This prevents the target server from accepting new legitimate connections and causes service disruption123 References: 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0 course overview 2: SYN Flood Explained. How to Prevent this Attack from Taking over your … 3: What is a SYN flood attack? | Cloudflare

To route inbound email to Cisco Cloud Email Security (CES), the engineer must modify the MX record of the domain to point to the CES hostname or IP address. The MX record is a DNS record that specifies the mail server responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain name. By changing the MX record, the engineer can direct all incoming email traffic to the CES gateway, where it can be filtered and scanned for threats before being delivered to the Microsoft Office 365 mailboxes. The other options are not relevant for this task. A CNAME record is a DNS record that maps an alias name to a canonical name. An SPF record is a DNS record that identifies the authorized senders of email for a domain. A DKIM record is a DNS record that contains a public key for verifying the digital signature of email messages sent from a domain. References :=

Some possible references for this question are:

Configure Microsoft 365 with Secure Email

Configure Microsoft 365 with Secure Email - More

[Cisco Cloud Email Security - Configuration Guide]

Multifactor authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that requires the user to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource such as an application, online account, or a VPN1. MFA is a core component of a strong identity and access management (IAM) policy. MFA can help prevent an attacker from stealing usernames and passwords of users within an organization by adding an extra layer of security beyond the traditional username and password. For example, a user may need to enter a one-time code sent to their phone or email, scan their fingerprint, or use a hardware token to prove their identity. This way, even if an attacker obtains the user’s credentials, they cannot access the resource without the second factor2.

The other options are not technologies that can help prevent an attacker from stealing usernames and passwords of users within an organization. RADIUS-based REAP is a protocol that allows wireless clients to authenticate with a RADIUS server, but it does not provide MFA3. Fingerprinting is a technique that identifies the operating system or application of a device based on its network characteristics, but it does not provide MFA4. Dynamic ARP Inspection is a security feature that prevents ARP spoofing attacks by validating ARP packets, but it does not provide MFA5.

References := 1: What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)? | What is: Multifactor Authentication - Microsoft Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Securing the Network, Lesson 3.3: Secure Wireless Connectivity, Topic 3.3.1: Wireless Security Protocols, page 3-40. 4: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 2: Securing the Cloud, Lesson 2.2: Cloud Security Assessment, Topic 2.2.1: Cloud Security Concepts, page 2-13. 5: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Securing the Network, Lesson 3.2: Secure Network Access, Topic 3.2.2: Layer 2 Security Features, page 3-19.

The main difference between an on-premise solution and a cloud-based solution is the distribution of responsibilities between the customer and the provider. With an on-premise solution, the customer has full control over the installation, configuration, maintenance, and security of the product, but also bears the costs and risks associated with it. With a cloud-based solution, the provider takes care of most of these aspects, while the customer pays a subscription fee and accesses the product over the internet. Therefore, when choosing between the two options, the customer must consider factors such as cost, scalability, performance, availability, security, compliance, and customization. For example, an on-premise solution may be preferred if the customer has strict security or regulatory requirements, or needs a high level of customization. A cloud-based solution may be preferred if the customer wants to reduce capital expenditure, or needs a flexible and scalable solution that can adapt to changing demands. References :=

Some possible references are:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1: Describing Information Security Concepts, Topic: Cloud Security

350-701 SCOR - Cisco, Exam Topics, 1.0 Security Concepts, 1.6 Compare and contrast the characteristics of a data center and the cloud

Cloud vs. On-Premise Software Comparison

Microsegmentation is a technique that divides a network into smaller segments or zones, each with its own security policies and controls. This helps to isolate and protect workloads and applications from each other, and limit the lateral movement of threats within the network. Microsegmentation can be applied to different platforms and environments, such as virtual machines, containers, cloud services, and endpoints. Microsegmentation can also improve the visibility and enforcement of network traffic, as well as the performance and scalability of security solutions.

In the context of applications or containers on the same node, microsegmentation can limit the communication between them by enforcing granular policies based on attributes such as identity, context, and behavior. For example, microsegmentation can restrict which ports, protocols, or services are allowed for each application or container, and block any unauthorized or malicious traffic. Microsegmentation can also prevent the exposure of sensitive data or resources to other applications or containers on the same node, or to external attackers who may compromise one of them.

Container orchestration, microservicing, and Software-Defined Access are not directly related to limiting the communication between applications or containers on the same node. Container orchestration is a process of managing the lifecycle, deployment, and scaling of containers across a cluster of nodes. Microservicing is an architectural style of developing applications as a collection of loosely coupled, independent, and modular services. Software-Defined Access is a network architecture that abstracts the network infrastructure from the network policies, and enables consistent and secure access to any application or service across any domain. References:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 5: Securing the Cloud, Lesson 5.1: Describing Cloud Computing and Deployment Models, Topic 5.1.4: Microsegmentation

What Is Micro-Segmentation? - Cisco

Communicating With Docker Containers on the Same Machine - Baeldung on Ops

AES encryption is a symmetric block cipher algorithm that uses a single key to encrypt and decrypt data. It is more secure than 3DES, which is an older and slower algorithm that encrypts and decrypts a key three times in sequence. AES can use different key sizes, such as 128, 192, or 256 bits, depending on the security level required. The longer the key, the more rounds of encryption and decryption are performed, making it harder to break. AES encryption is based on a substitution-permutation network, which consists of a series of operations that transform the input data into the output data using the key. References :=

The Cisco ASA must support TLS proxy for encrypted Cisco Unified Communications traffic. This means that the ASA acts as a proxy between the Cisco IP Phone and the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM), decrypting, inspecting, and re-encrypting the voice signaling traffic. To do this, the ASA needs to have the certificates of the devices that the phone trusts, such as the UCM servers and the TFTP servers. These certificates are stored in a Certificate Trust List (CTL) file that the phone downloads from the UCM before registration. Therefore, the ASA must be added to the CTL file on the UCM platform, so that the phone can verify the identity of the ASA as a proxy. The other options are not relevant for this scenario. The Endpoint Trust List is a list of certificates that the UCM trusts for encrypted endpoints. The Enterprise Proxy Service is a feature that allows the UCM to route calls to and from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) through a SIP proxy server. The Secured Collaboration Proxy is a feature that allows the UCM to encrypt the media streams between endpoints using Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP). References :=

Cisco Secure Firewall ASA Unified Communications Guide - TLS Proxy for Encrypted Voice Inspection

TLS Proxy for Encrypted Voice Inspection - Cisco

Where must the ASA be added on the Cisco UC Manager platform?

Microsegmentation is a technology that limits communication between nodes on the same network segment to individual applications by creating secure zones across cloud and data center environments. Microsegmentation isolates application workloads from one another and secures them individually with granular firewall policies based on a zero-trust security approach1. Microsegmentation can reduce the attack surface, prevent the lateral movement of threats, and strengthen regulatory compliance1.

Serverless infrastructure is a technology that allows developers to run code without provisioning or managing servers2. Serverless infrastructure does not limit communication between nodes on the same network segment to individual applications, but rather abstracts away the underlying infrastructure from the application logic.

SaaS deployment is a technology that delivers software applications over the internet as a service3. SaaS deployment does not limit communication between nodes on the same network segment to individual applications, but rather provides access to software applications from any device and location.

Machine-to-machine firewalling is a technology that controls the communication between machines or devices on a network. Machine-to-machine firewalling does not limit communication between nodes on the same network segment to individual applications, but rather applies rules to the traffic between machines or devices based on their IP addresses, ports, protocols, or other criteria.

References :=

What Is Micro-Segmentation? - Cisco

What is serverless?

What is SaaS?

[Machine-to-Machine Firewalling]

Explanation

Cisco Hybrid Email Security is a unique service offering that facilitates the deployment of your email security

infrastructure both on premises and in the cloud. You can change the number of on-premises versus cloud

users at any time throughout the term of your contract, assuming the total number of users does not change.

This allows for deployment flexibility as your organization’s needs change.

Cisco Umbrella allows you to create custom destination lists that contain specific domains or IP addresses that you want to allow or block. You can then apply these destination lists to your policies to override the default behavior of Umbrella. For example, if you want to block specific addresses using Cisco Umbrella, you can create a destination list with those addresses and set the action to block. Then, you can assign this destination list to the policy that you want to modify. This way, any request to those addresses will be blocked by Umbrella, regardless of the content category or application settings12 References := 1: Manage Policies - Umbrella User Guide 2: Understanding Destination lists supported entries and error messages - Cisco Umbrella

Explanation

This command uses RADIUS which combines authentication and authorization in one function (packet).

Explanation

Cross site scripting (also known as XSS) occurs when a web application gathers malicious data from a user. The data is usually gathered in the form of a hyperlink which contains malicious content within it. The user will most likely click on this link from another website, instant message, or simply just reading a web board or email message.

Usually the attacker will encode the malicious portion of the link to the site in HEX (or other encoding methods) so the request is less suspicious looking to the user when clicked on.

For example the code below is written in hex:

is equivalent to:

Note: In the format “&#xhhhh“, hhhh is the code point in hexadecimal form.

Mobile device management (MDM) is a solution that allows organizations to manage and secure mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. MDM can provide two security benefits:

Robust security policy enforcement: MDM can enforce strong security practices and hygiene by defining unified settings that can be applied across your fleet. This centralized software ensures all devices are continuously staying in compliance. For example, MDM can configure settings like full-disk encryption, screen locks, password policies, device restrictions, VPN, firewall, antivirus, and more. MDM can also prevent unwanted or risky software from being installed, and remotely lock or wipe devices if they are lost, stolen, or compromised1.

Privacy control checks: MDM can help organizations stay compliant with privacy regulations and protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. MDM can segment personal and corporate data on devices, and selectively wipe only corporate data when needed. MDM can also monitor device usage and location, and alert administrators of any suspicious or anomalous behavior. MDM can also provide secure containers for sensitive documents and content, and encrypt data in transit and at rest23.

Explanation

Explanation

DevSecOps (development, security, and operations) is a concept used in recent years to describe how to move

security activities to the start of the development life cycle and have built-in security practices in the continuous

integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. Thus minimizing vulnerabilities and bringing security closer

to IT and business objectives.

Three key things make a real DevSecOps environment:

+ Security testing is done by the development team.

+ Issues found during that testing is managed by the development team.

+ Fixing those issues stays within the development team.

In transparent mode, the WSA can handle both explicit and transparent HTTP requests, depending on how the client browser is configured. The WSA must pretend to be the origin content server for transparent requests, since the client is unaware of the existence of a proxy1. WCCP v2 is a protocol that allows a WCCP-enabled device (such as a router or a switch) to redirect traffic to the WSA based on certain criteria, such as destination port 802. This way, the client does not need to configure a proxy or a PAC file in the browser. The other options are false because they are either required for explicit mode or not supported by the WSA. References :=

What is the difference between transparent and forward proxy mode?

Configure Transparent Redirection With WCCP in Order to Support HTTP, HTTPS, and Native FTP Traffic

 Cisco AMP for Endpoints provides next-generation protection by leveraging an endpoint protection platform (EPP) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities. EPP is a set of multifaceted prevention techniques that stop threats from compromising endpoints, such as behavioral analytics, machine learning, and signature-based methods. EDR is a set of powerful features that reduce the attack surface and remediate faster, such as advanced threat hunting, endpoint isolation, and dynamic malware analysis. Cisco AMP for Endpoints also integrates with SecureX, a built-in platform that offers extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities across multiple control points, such as network, cloud, email, and web. By combining EPP, EDR, and XDR, Cisco AMP for Endpoints delivers a comprehensive and resilient endpoint security solution that can detect, respond, and recover from sophisticated attacks. References:

Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco

Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco

Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco

The issue is that the engineer is using the wrong hashing algorithm to generate the hash for the custom detection policy. Cisco AMP for Endpoints requires the use of SHA-256 hashes for simple custom detections, as stated in the Configure a Simple Custom Detection List on the AMP for Endpoints Portal document. SHA-256 hashes are 64 hexadecimal characters long, while MD5 hashes are 32 hexadecimal characters long. Therefore, if the engineer tries to upload a hash created using MD5, the dashboard will indicate that the hash is not 64 characters and is non-zero, as shown in the image below:

To resolve the issue, the engineer should use a tool or a website that can generate SHA-256 hashes from files, such as this one, and upload the correct hash to the custom detection list. References : Configure a Simple Custom Detection List on the AMP for Endpoints Portal, Create an Advanced Custom Detection List in Cisco Secure Endpoint, Working with Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints

Phishing attacks are a type of social engineering that aim to trick users into revealing their personal or financial information, or installing malware on their devices. To control phishing attacks, users and organizations need to implement various preventive and reactive measures, such as:

Enable browser alerts for fraudulent websites. Most modern browsers have built-in features that can warn users when they visit a website that is suspected of being malicious or impersonating a legitimate entity. These alerts can help users avoid falling for phishing scams that use fake web pages to capture their credentials or other sensitive data. For example, Google Chrome has a Safe Browsing feature that displays a red warning page when users try to access a deceptive site. Users should always pay attention to these alerts and avoid proceeding to untrusted sites.

Implement email filtering techniques. Email is one of the most common channels for phishing attacks, as attackers can send spoofed messages that appear to come from trusted sources, such as banks, government agencies, or colleagues. Email filtering techniques can help block or flag suspicious emails based on various criteria, such as the sender’s address, the subject line, the content, or the attachments. For example, Microsoft Outlook has a Junk Email Filter that can move potential phishing emails to a separate folder or delete them automatically. Users should also be careful not to open or reply to any unsolicited or unexpected emails, especially those that ask for personal or financial information, or contain links or attachments.

Other mechanisms that can help control phishing attacks include:

Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication. Even if users fall victim to phishing attacks and reveal their passwords, they can still protect their accounts by using strong and unique passwords for each service, and enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible. 2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to enter a code or a token that is sent to their phone or email, or generated by an app, in addition to their password. This way, even if attackers obtain the password, they cannot access the account without the second factor.

Don’t ignore update messages. Users should always keep their operating systems, browsers, and applications updated with the latest security patches and fixes. These updates can help prevent phishing attacks that exploit known vulnerabilities or bugs in the software. Users should also use antivirus and antispyware software that can detect and remove malware that may be installed by phishing attacks.

Exercise caution when opening emails or clicking on links. Users should always be skeptical and vigilant when they receive emails or messages that ask them to take urgent or unusual actions, such as verifying their account, updating their payment information, or downloading a file. Users should also check the sender’s address, the spelling and grammar, and the URL of any links before clicking on them. Users can hover over the link to see the actual destination, or use a link scanner tool, such as VirusTotal, to check if the link is malicious or not.

References :=

1:

Explanation

m_ise_interoperability_mdm.html

Explanation

DNS Tunneling is a method of cyber attack that encodes the data of other programs or protocols in DNS

queries and responses. DNS tunneling often includes data payloads that can be added to an attacked DNS

server and used to control a remote server and applications.

The switch port MAC address security setting that must be used is sticky. This option allows the switch to dynamically learn the MAC addresses of the devices connected to the port and add them to the running configuration. If the port is shut down or the switch is restarted, the MAC addresses remain associated with the port and are not aged out. This way, the engineer can limit the number of MAC addresses per port and prevent unauthorized devices from accessing the network. The sticky option also allows the engineer to manually configure some MAC addresses and let the switch learn the rest. References:

Configuring Port Security - Cisco (Section: Allowing Traffic Based on the Host MAC Address)

How to configure port-security on Cisco Switch - NetworkLessons.com (Section: Sticky MAC addresses)

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0 (Module 5.1.1)

Full Context Awareness - policy enforcement

NGIPS - threat prevention

AMP - real-time

Collective Sec Intel - Detection, blocking an remediation

PFS stands for Perfect Forward Secrecy, which is a property of some cryptographic protocols that ensures that the compromise of a long-term key does not affect the security of past or future sessions. PFS provides the highest level of protection against brute-force attacks, because even if an attacker manages to break the long-term key, they cannot decrypt the previous or subsequent communications that use different session keys. PFS is achieved by using ephemeral or temporary keys that are derived from a Diffie-Hellman key exchange, and are not based on the long-term key. Therefore, each session has a unique and independent key that is not stored or reused. PFS is supported by some protocols such as TLS, SSH, and IPsec123. References := 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 4: Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower Next Generation IPS, Lesson 4.1: Deploying Cisco Firepower Next-Generation IPS, Topic 4.1.2: Cisco Firepower NGIPS Device Management 2: What is Perfect Forward Secrecy? | Baeldung on Computer Science4 3: Perfect Forward Secrecy - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics5

The debug crypto isakmp sa command shows the status of the Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP) security associations (SAs). The output of this command indicates that the ISAKMP negotiation failed after several retransmissions. The most likely cause of this failure is a mismatch in the authentication key between the two peers. The authentication key is specified by the crypto isakmp key command and must be the same on both routers. If the authentication key is different, the ISAKMP messages cannot be decrypted and verified by the peers, resulting in an error. To fix this problem, the network administrator should verify and correct the authentication key on both routers and clear the existing ISAKMP SAs with the clear crypto isakmp sa command. References: 1, 2, 3, 4

Sandboxing is a feature that is leveraged by advanced antimalware capabilities to be an effective endpoint protection platform. Sandboxing allows an endpoint protection platform to isolate suspect files in a safe environment and analyze their behavior and impact without affecting the rest of the system. Sandboxing can help detect and prevent unknown or zero-day malware that may evade traditional signature-based detection methods. Sandboxing can also provide valuable threat intelligence and forensic data for further investigation and response.

Big data, storm centers, and blocklisting are not features that are leveraged by advanced antimalware capabilities to be an effective endpoint protection platform. Big data refers to the large volume, variety, and velocity of data that can be used for various purposes, such as analytics, machine learning, or business intelligence. Storm centers are centralized hubs that monitor and respond to cyber incidents and threats. Blocklisting is a method of preventing access to malicious or unwanted domains, IP addresses, or files by adding them to a list of blocked entities. References:

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Definition

Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints

Cisco AMP for Endpoints: Sandboxing

An active/active FlexVPN configuration allows for multiple routers or VRFs to act as hubs for different VPN groups, providing load balancing and redundancy1. This is useful when the VPN deployment has a large number of spokes or different security policies for different groups of spokes. DMVPN, on the other hand, only supports a single hub or a pair of hubs in active/standby mode for each VPN group2. This limits the scalability and flexibility of DMVPN deployments. Therefore, an engineer would opt for an active/active FlexVPN configuration as opposed to DMVPN when multiple routers or VRFs are required. References :=

Cisco FlexVPN: Benefits and Best Practices

Cisco DMVPN Design Guide

Explanation

Symmetric encryption uses a single key that needs to be shared among the people who need to receive the message while asymmetric encryption uses a pair of public key and a private key to encrypt and decrypt messages when communicating.

Asymmetric encryption takes relatively more time than the symmetric encryption.

Diffie Hellman algorithm is an asymmetric algorithm used to establish a shared secret for a symmetric key

algorithm. Nowadays most of the people uses hybrid crypto system i.e, combination of symmetric and

asymmetric encryption. Asymmetric Encryption is used as a technique in key exchange mechanism to share secret key and after the key is shared between sender and receiver, the communication will take place using symmetric encryption. The shared secret key will be used to encrypt the communication.

Triple DES (3DES), a symmetric-key algorithm for the encryption of electronic data, is the successor of DES (Data Encryption Standard) and provides more secure encryption then DES.

Note: Although “requires secret keys” option in this question is a bit unclear but it can only be assigned to

Symmetric algorithm.

Northbound APIs are the link between the applications and the SDN controller. The applications can tell the network what they need (data, storage, bandwidth, and so on) and the network can deliver those resources, or communicate what it has. These APIs support a wide variety of applications, such as load balancers, firewalls, orchestration platforms, and automation stacks. Northbound APIs also enable the applications to use the controller’s capabilities to program flows into the network devices using the southbound interface. Northbound APIs are usually RESTful APIs that use HTTP methods to exchange data in JSON or XML formats12.

OpenFlow is not a northbound API protocol, but a southbound API protocol that defines the communication between the SDN controller and the network switches or routers. OpenFlow allows the controller to manipulate the forwarding behavior of the switches or routers by sending commands and receiving events3 .

NETCONF is not a northbound API protocol, but a network management protocol that can be used as a southbound API protocol to configure and monitor network devices. NETCONF uses XML to encode data and remote procedure calls (RPCs) to exchange messages between the controller and the network devices . References := 1: What are SDN Northbound APIs (and SDN Rest APIs)? - SDxCentral 2: SDN North-bound and South-bound APIs and Interfaces 3: OpenFlow - Wikipedia : OpenFlow - SDxCentral : NETCONF - Wikipedia : NETCONF Protocol - Cisco

1sdxcentral.com2computernetworkingnotes.com3examguides.com

Explanation

A botnet is a collection of internet-connected devices infected by malware that allow hackers to control them.

Cyber criminals use botnets to instigate botnet attacks, which include malicious activities such as credentials

leaks, unauthorized access, data theft and DDoS attacks.

Trusted Automated eXchange of Intelligence Information (TAXII) is a collection of services and message exchanges that enable the sharing of cyber threat intelligence across product, service, and organizational boundaries. It is designed to support the exchange of CTI represented in STIX, but is not limited to STIX. TAXII defines an API that aligns with common sharing models, such as hub-and-spoke, peer-to-peer, and subscribe/publish. TAXII is not a public collection of threat intelligence feeds, a threat intelligence sharing organization, or a language used to represent security information. Those are possible descriptions of STIX, which is a complementary standard to TAXII. References: STIX and TAXII Approved as OASIS Standards to Enable Automated Exchange of Cyber Threat Intelligence, STIX V2.1 and TAXII V2.1 OASIS Standards are published, What is STIX/TAXII? | Cloudflare, What is STIX / TAXII? Learn about the industry standards for Cyber …, What are STIX/TAXII Standards I Resources I Anomali

Cisco Tetration is a hybrid-cloud workload protection platform that secures compute instances in both the on-premises data center and the public cloud1. One of the benefits of using Cisco Tetration is that it collects telemetry data from servers and then uses software sensors to analyze flow information2. This allows Cisco Tetration to provide comprehensive visibility into every workload interaction and powerful AI/ML driven automation2. By analyzing the flow information, Cisco Tetration can also generate microsegmentation policies, detect workload behavior anomalies, identify software vulnerabilities, and monitor policy compliance23. References: 1: Cisco Secure Workload (formerly Tetration) FAQ 2: Cisco Secure Workload Platform Data Sheet 3: Cisco Tetration Platform - Cisco

 Cisco AMP for Endpoints provides next-generation protection by leveraging an endpoint protection platform (EPP) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities. EPP is a set of multifaceted prevention techniques that stop threats from compromising endpoints, such as behavioral analytics, machine learning, and signature-based methods. EDR is a set of powerful features that reduce the attack surface and remediate faster, such as advanced threat hunting, endpoint isolation, and dynamic malware analysis. Cisco AMP for Endpoints also integrates with SecureX, a built-in platform that offers extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities across multiple control points, such as network, cloud, email, and web. By combining EPP, EDR, and XDR, Cisco AMP for Endpoints delivers a comprehensive and resilient endpoint security solution that can detect, respond, and recover from sophisticated attacks. References:

Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco

Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco

Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco

Southbound APIs are used to communicate between the SDN Controller and the switches and routers of the network. They can be open-source or proprietary. They facilitate control over the network and enable the SDN Controller to dynamically make changes according to real-time demands and needs. OpenFlow and OpFlex are two examples of southbound APIs. OpenFlow, which was developed by the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), is the first and probably most well-known southbound interface. OpenFlow defines the way the SDN Controller should interact with the forwarding plane to make adjustments to the network, so it can better adapt to changing business requirements. With OpenFlow, entries can be added and removed to the internal flow-table of switches and routers to make the network more responsive to real-time traffic demands. OpFlex, which was proposed by Cisco, is another southbound interface that uses a declarative model to communicate policies and state between the controller and the network devices. OpFlex allows the network devices to retain some intelligence and autonomy, while still being managed by the controller. OpFlex is designed to be flexible and extensible, and can support different types of network devices and services. Services running over the network, external application APIs, and applications running over the network are not southbound APIs, as they do not directly communicate between the controller and the network devices. Therefore, the correct answer is B and E. References :=

Some possible references are:

What are SDN Southbound APIs? - Where they are used. - SDxCentral

SDN North-bound and South-bound APIs and Interfaces

Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Fundamentals

 Mobile Device Management (MDM) is a solution that allows an organization to manage, monitor, and secure mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. MDM provides two main advantages to an organization with regards to device management:

Asset inventory management: MDM helps an organization keep track of all the mobile devices that are connected to its network, including their location, status, configuration, and usage. MDM also enables an organization to remotely wipe or lock devices that are lost, stolen, or compromised, preventing data loss and unauthorized access. Asset inventory management helps an organization optimize its resources, reduce costs, and comply with regulations12.

Allowed application management: MDM allows an organization to control what applications can be installed and run on the mobile devices, as well as how they can access and share data. MDM can also push updates and patches to the devices, ensuring that they are always running the latest and most secure versions of the applications. Allowed application management helps an organization enhance security, productivity, and performance of the mobile devices34.

 1: 7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Device Management [2024] 2: 5 Benefits of Mobile Device Management - ESET 3: Top 10 Benefits of Mobile Device Management (MDM) - TechFunnel 4: Benefits of Mobile Device Management (MDM) for Businesses

Explanation

Explanation

Storm control prevents traffic on a LAN from being disrupted by a broadcast, multicast, or unicast storm on one of the physical interfaces. A LAN storm occurs when packets flood the LAN, creating excessive traffic and degrading network performance. Errors in the protocol-stack implementation, mistakes in network configurations, or users issuing a denial-of-service attack can cause a storm.

By using the “storm-control broadcast level [falling-threshold]” we can limit the broadcast traffic on the switch.

Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Web Security is a solution that provides protection against web-related threats before, during, and after an attack. One of the functions that AMP for Web Security includes is detailed analytics of the unknown file’s behavior. This means that AMP can continuously monitor and analyze the activity of files that cross the web gateway, even after they have been initially scanned and allowed. This allows AMP to detect and block any malicious behavior that may emerge later, and provide retrospective security alerts and remediation actions12. References: 1: Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Web Security 2: Cisco Adds Advanced Malware Protection to Web and Email Security Appliances and Cloud Services

The correct command to log all events to a destination collector is flow-export event-type all destination 209.165.201.10. This command configures a flow-export action that sends all NSEL events to the specified IP address. NSEL events include flow-create, flow-teardown, flow-denied, and flow-update events. The command must be entered in the policy-map class configuration mode, after defining a policy-map and a class-map that match the traffic and event type. The other commands are incorrect because they either specify the wrong event type (flow-update instead of all) or the wrong destination IP address (209.165.201 instead of 209.165.201.10). References :=

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 5: Securing the Cloud, Lesson 5.2: DNS Security

Cisco Secure Firewall ASA NetFlow Implementation Guide

Configuring Cisco ASA for NetFlow Export via CLI – Plixer

REST stands for Representational State Transfer, which is an architectural style for designing web services. RESTful web services use HTTP as the application protocol and support the standard HTTP methods, such as GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE, to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on resources. Cisco DNA Center exposes its functionality through a set of RESTful APIs that allow external applications to interact with the network controller and automate various tasks. The RESTful architecture used within Cisco DNA Center has the following characteristics12:

It is simple, extensible, and secure to use. The APIs are based on open standards and use JSON as the data format. The APIs also support HTTPS for secure communication and authentication.

It is stateless, meaning that each request contains all the information necessary to process it, and the server does not store any session or client state. This improves scalability and performance of the web services.

It is resource-oriented, meaning that each API endpoint represents a logical entity or a resource that can be manipulated by the HTTP methods. For example, the /dna/intent/api/v1/network-device endpoint represents the network devices resource, and the GET method can be used to retrieve the list of network devices from Cisco DNA Center.

It is uniform, meaning that the same interface and conventions are used across all the APIs. For example, the APIs use the same authentication mechanism, error handling, pagination, filtering, and sorting parameters. References:

1: Introduction to Cisco DNA Center REST APIs - Cisco DevNet Learning Labs

2: Cisco DNA Center Platform User Guide, Release 2.2.3

To block all subdomains of domain.com, the administrator should configure the domain.com address in the block list. This is because Umbrella automatically applies a left side and right side wildcard to every domain in a block or allow destination list. Therefore, adding domain.com to a block list will result in requests to domain.com or its subdomains, such as being blocked. Adding a wildcard character (*) is not supported and will not work. Adding the *.com address in the block list will block all domains that end with .com, which is not the desired outcome. References:

Understanding Destination lists supported entries and error messages

Wildcards and Destination Lists

Explanation

The Southbound API is used to communicate between Controllers and network devices

Explanation

TAXII (Trusted Automated Exchange of Indicator Information) is a standard that provides a transport

Explanation

Explanation

Many enterprises prefer to deploy development workloads in the public cloud, primarily for convenience and

faster deployment. This approach can cause concern for IT administrators, who must control the flow of IT

traffic and spending and help ensure the security of data and intellectual property. Without the proper controls,

data and intellectual property can escape this oversight. The Cisco Intercloud Fabric solution helps control this

shadow IT, discovering resources deployed in the public cloud outside IT control and placing these resources

under Cisco Intercloud Fabric control.

Cisco Intercloud Fabric addresses the cloud deployment requirements appropriate for two hybrid cloud

deployment models: Enterprise Managed (an enterprise manages its own cloud environments) and Service

Provider Managed (the service provider administers and controls all cloud resources).

Cisco ISE uses probes to collect endpoint attributes that are used in profiling. Probes are software modules that run on the ISE Policy Service Nodes (PSNs) and gather information about the endpoints connected to the network. Probes can use various protocols and methods to collect endpoint attributes, such as RADIUS, DHCP, SNMP, HTTP, DNS, NetFlow, NMAP, Active Directory, and Cisco pxGrid. The collected attributes are then matched to predefined or custom conditions that define the endpoint profiles. Endpoint profiling enables ISE to identify and classify the endpoints and apply the appropriate policies based on their identity, role, and context12. References: 1: Cisco ISE 2.4 Endpoint Profiling - Cisco 2: How To Create an Endpoint Profile - Cisco Community

 Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) is a security feature that protects ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) from an attack like ARP poisoning. ARP poisoning is a technique where an attacker sends forged ARP responses to trick hosts into associating IP addresses with the attacker’s MAC address. This allows the attacker to intercept, modify, or drop traffic between the victims, creating a “man-in-the-middle” scenario. DAI can prevent this attack by validating ARP packets on untrusted interfaces, using information from the DHCP snooping database and/or an ARP access-list. If the ARP packet contains invalid MAC address to IP address bindings, it will be dropped and logged. DAI can also rate-limit ARP packets to mitigate ARP flooding attacks. DAI is configured on a per-VLAN basis and requires DHCP snooping to be enabled on the same VLANs. References :=

Some possible references are:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 2: Network Security, Lesson 2.4: Implement Layer 2 Security

Understanding and Configuring Dynamic ARP Inspection

DAI (Dynamic ARP Inspection)

Explanation

Cisco Cognitive Threat Analytics helps you quickly detect and respond to sophisticated, clandestine attacks that are already under way or are attempting to establish a presence within your environment. The solution automatically identifies and investigates suspicious or malicious web-based traffic. It identifies both potential and confirmed threats, allowing you to quickly remediate the infection and reduce the scope and damage of an attack, whether it’s a known threat campaign that has spread across multiple organizations or a unique threat you’ve never seen before.

Detection and analytics features provided in Cognitive Threat Analytics are shown below:

+ Data exfiltration: Cognitive Threat Analytics uses statistical modeling of an organization’s network to identify anomalous web traffic and pinpoint the exfiltration of sensitive data. It recognizes data exfiltration even in HTTPS-encoded traffic, without any need for you to decrypt transferred content

+ Command-and-control (C2) communication: Cognitive Threat Analytics combines a wide range of data, ranging from statistics collected on an Internet-wide level to host-specific local anomaly scores. Combining these indicators inside the statistical detection algorithms allows us to distinguish C2 communication from benign traffic and from other malicious activities. Cognitive Threat Analytics recognizes C2 even in HTTPSencoded or anonymous traffic, including Tor, without any need to decrypt transferred content, detecting a broad

range of threats

…

Explanation

Explanation

ETHOS is the Cisco file grouping engine. It allows us to group families of files together so if we see variants of

a malware, we mark the ETHOS hash as malicious and whole families of malware are instantly detected.

The purpose of a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is to disrupt the normal operation of a targeted system, server, or network by overwhelming it with a flood of internet traffic. This is achieved by utilizing multiple compromised computer systems as sources of attack traffic. The overwhelming amount of traffic can cause the targeted system to slow down significantly or even crash and become unavailable to legitimate users, thereby denying service to intended users.

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a symmetric encryption algorithm that uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data. It turns plain text into a code that only the intended recipient can read. AES has different key sizes, such as 128, 192, and 256 bits. The larger the key size, the more secure and complex the encryption is. AES 256 is the most secure encryption algorithm for VPN communications, as it uses a 256-bit key that would take an enormous amount of time and computing power to crack. AES 256 is widely used by VPN providers, as it offers a high level of security and performance for VPN tunnels. AES 256 is also recommended by the U.S. government for protecting classified information. References :=

How Does a VPN Securely Encrypt Your Connection?

What Is VPN Encryption, Types, Protocols And Algorithms Explained

What is AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)?

What is VPN Encryption & How Does it Work?

P2, P3, and P6 only. Dynamic ARP inspection (DAI) is a security feature that validates ARP packets in a network and prevents ARP spoofing attacks. DAI relies on the DHCP snooping database to verify the IP-to-MAC bindings of hosts on the network. DAI operates on untrusted ports, which are ports that connect to hosts or devices that generate ARP traffic. Trusted ports are ports that connect to other switches or routers that do not generate ARP traffic.

In this scenario, the DHCP snooping database resides on router R1, which means that switch SW2 needs to trust the port P3 that connects to R1. This way, SW2 can receive the DHCP snooping information from R1 and populate its own database. The port P4 that connects to switch SW3 also needs to be trusted, because SW3 does not generate ARP traffic. The ports P2 and P6 that connect to hosts P6 and P7 need to be untrusted, because they generate ARP traffic and need to be validated by DAI. The port P1 that connects to host P5 does not need to be configured as untrusted, because DAI is not enabled on switch SW1.

To understand the concept of DAI and how to configure it, you can refer to the following sections of the source book:

Section 1.1.2: Describe the concepts of network security

Section 1.1.2.8: Describe the concepts of DAI

Section 1.1.2.9: Describe the concepts of DHCP snooping

Section 1.1.2.10: Describe the concepts of trusted and untrusted ports

Section 1.1.2.11: Describe the concepts of DAI configuration

 Phishing is a type of cyberattack that uses fraudulent emails or other communications to trick users into providing sensitive information or installing malware on their devices1. Phishing can lead to identity theft, data breaches, ransomware infections, and financial losses. To protect employees from phishing attacks, a company can use various solutions that can detect, block, and remediate phishing threats. Two of these solutions are:

Cisco Umbrella: Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-based security platform that provides the first line of defense against threats on the internet, including phishing2. Cisco Umbrella uses DNS-layer security, which can identify and block malicious domains, IPs, and URLs before they can reach the user’s device2. Cisco Umbrella also integrates with Cisco Email Security to provide additional protection against phishing emails that may bypass the email gateway3.

Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA): Cisco ESA is an email gateway that protects inbound and outbound email traffic from spam, malware, phishing, and other threats4. Cisco ESA uses multiple layers of defense, such as reputation filtering, antivirus scanning, outbreak filters, and content filtering, to prevent malicious emails from reaching the user’s inbox4. Cisco ESA also leverages Cisco Advanced Phishing Protection, which uses machine learning and threat intelligence to identify and block sophisticated phishing attacks that use identity deception techniques5.

References := 1: What Is Phishing? Examples and Phishing Quiz - Cisco 2: Cisco Umbrella - Cloud Delivered Enterprise Security 3: Cisco Umbrella and Cisco Email Security Integration 4: Cisco Secure Email - Cisco 5: Cisco Advanced Phishing Protection - Cisco Video Portal

VMware APIC is a platform that integrates with Cisco ACI to provide enhanced visibility, policy integration and deployment, and security policies with access lists. VMware APIC is a virtual appliance that runs on VMware vSphere and communicates with the Cisco APIC controller. VMware APIC allows administrators to create and manage Cisco ACI policies for VMware virtual machines and networks. VMware APIC also provides a unified view of the physical and virtual network topology, health, and statistics. VMware APIC supports the following modes of Cisco ACI and VMware integration:

VMware VDS: When integrated with Cisco ACI, the VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) enables administrators to configure VM networking in the ACI fabric.

Cisco ACI Virtual Edge: Cisco ACI Virtual Edge is a distributed service that provides Layer 4 to Layer 7 services for applications running on VMware vSphere.

Cisco Application Virtual Switch (AVS): Cisco AVS is a distributed virtual switch that provides policy-based network services for VMware vSphere environments. References:

Cisco ACI with VMware VDS Integration

Cisco ACI and VMware NSX-T Data Center Integration

Cisco ACI and VMware: The Perfect Pair

Setting the Record Straight: Confusion about ACI on VMware Technologies

Talos Intelligence is a comprehensive threat intelligence service that provides up-to-date information on URL filtering, reputations, and vulnerability information. Talos Intelligence can be integrated with Cisco FTD and Cisco WSA to enhance the security and visibility of the network. Cisco FTD and Cisco WSA can leverage the Talos Intelligence feeds to perform Security Intelligence filtering, which allows the devices to block or allow traffic based on the reputation of the source or destination IP addresses, URLs, or DNS requests. Talos Intelligence feeds are updated regularly and can be configured to download automatically or manually on the FTD and WSA devices12345. References := 1: Cisco Talos Intelligence Group - Comprehensive Threat Intelligence 2: Threat Intelligence on Cisco Stealthwatch - Cisco Community 3: Third-Party Integration of Security Feeds with FMC (Cisco Threat … - Cisco Community 4: Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Configuration Guide for Firepower Device … 5: Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Configuration Guide for Firepower Device …

Defanging is the process of modifying a URL in a message to prevent it from being clickable. This can help protect users from malicious links that have a low URL reputation score. Defanging is one of the actions that can be configured in the Incoming Content Filter on the Cisco ESA. The other actions are Quarantine, FilterAction, and ScreenAction. Quarantine sends the message to a quarantine area for further inspection. FilterAction applies a predefined action such as drop, bounce, or deliver. ScreenAction displays a warning message to the user before allowing them to access the URL. Defanging is the only action that disables the links in the message without affecting the delivery or visibility of the message12. References: 1: URL Filtering on the Cisco IronPort ESA – Mikail’s Blog 2: Configure URL Filtering for Secure Email Gateway and Cloud Gateway - Cisco

 Cisco AMP for Endpoints is the Cisco security solution that determines if an endpoint has the latest OS updates and patches installed on the system. Cisco AMP for Endpoints is a cloud-based endpoint protection platform that provides advanced malware prevention, detection, and response capabilities. One of the features of Cisco AMP for Endpoints is the Endpoint Compliance Scanner, which allows administrators to create and enforce policies that check the compliance status of endpoints based on various criteria, such as OS version, patch level, antivirus status, firewall status, and more. The Endpoint Compliance Scanner can also remediate non-compliant endpoints by applying patches, updating antivirus signatures, enabling firewall, and so on. By using the Endpoint Compliance Scanner, administrators can ensure that all endpoints are up to date and secure against known vulnerabilities and threats. References:

Cisco AMP for Endpoints

Endpoint Compliance Scanner

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) - Module 4: Endpoint Protection and Detection

 IKEv1 is the authentication protocol that is reliable and supports ACK and sequence for IPsec VPN. IKEv1 is a key management protocol that is used in conjunction with IPsec to establish secure and authenticated connections between IPsec peers. IKEv1 uses UDP port 500 and consists of two phases: phase 1 and phase 2. In phase 1, the peers authenticate each other and negotiate a shared secret key that is used to encrypt the subsequent messages. In phase 2, the peers negotiate the security parameters for the IPsec tunnel, such as the encryption and authentication algorithms, the lifetime, and the mode (transport or tunnel). IKEv1 uses ACK and sequence numbers to ensure the reliability and integrity of the messages exchanged between the peers. ACK is an acknowledgment message that confirms the receipt of a previous message. Sequence number is a unique identifier that is assigned to each message to prevent replay attacks and to detect missing or out-of-order messages. IKEv1 also supports various authentication methods, such as pre-shared keys, digital certificates, and extended authentication (XAUTH). References : Internet Key Exchange for IPsec VPNs Configuration Guide, Security for VPNs with IPsec Configuration Guide, IPSec Architecture

 Cisco Umbrella evaluates policies from the top down and looks for a matching identity and destination. Once a match is found, Umbrella applies that policy’s settings to the identity and destination and stops evaluating all other DNS policies. Therefore, to ensure that the policy that the identity must use takes precedence over the second one, the engineer should make the correct policy first in the policy order. This way, Umbrella will match the identity to the correct policy before checking the second policy. The other options are not correct because they do not guarantee that the identity will use the correct policy. Configuring the default policy to redirect the requests to the correct policy will not work if the identity matches another policy before the default one. Placing the policy with the most-specific configuration last in the policy order will not work if the identity matches a less-specific policy before the last one. Configuring only the policy with the most recently changed timestamp will not work if the identity matches an older policy before the newer one. References :=

Some possible references are:

Policy Precedence - Umbrella User Guide1

Manage Policies - Umbrella User Guide2

Umbrella Policy order - Cisco Community3

Posture assessment is a feature of Cisco ISE that allows you to check the compliance of endpoints with corporate security policies before allowing them to access the network1. Posture assessment can detect missing patches on endpoints and help with remediation by applying the appropriate posture policy and requirement2. Posture assessment can also check for the presence and status of security software, such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall, and so on3. Posture assessment is one of the core security technologies covered in the Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) course4, which prepares you for the Cisco CCNP Security and CCIE Security certifications and for senior-level security roles. References: 1: Posture Service 2: Configure Posture Policies 3: Posture Conditions 4: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0

The login block-for command sets a limit on the maximum number of failed login attempts allowed within a defined period of time. If this limit is exceeded, no further logins are allowed for the specified period of time. This feature is designed to protect the router from denial-of-service and dictionary attacks. The syntax of the command is as follows:

login block-for attempts within

The  parameter specifies the duration of the quiet period in seconds. The  parameter specifies the number of failed attempts that trigger the quiet period. The  parameter specifies the time window in seconds for counting the failed attempts.

In this question, the command login block-for 100 attempts 4 within 60 means that if four failures occur in 60 seconds, the router goes to quiet mode for 100 seconds. During the quiet period, no login attempts are accepted, and the router responds with the message “Login disabled for seconds due to too many failed login attempts.” After the quiet period expires, the router resumes normal login operations.

The other options are incorrect because they do not match the command syntax or the expected behavior of the login block-for feature.

References :=

Some possible references for this question are:

User Security Configuration Guide - Cisco IOS Login Enhancements-Login Block

Configuring Login Block

Restrict login attempts : login block-for command

When applied to a router, which command would help mitigate brute-force password attacks against the router?

To implement external authentication against Active Directory, the Cisco ISE server needs to communicate with the domain controller using either RADIUS or LDAP protocols. RADIUS is used for network access control, while LDAP is used for identity management and directory services. Both protocols require the appropriate ports to be opened and firewall rules to be configured to allow the traffic between the ISE server and the domain controller.

The ISE account does not need to be a domain administrator in Active Directory to perform JOIN operations. It only needs to have the permissions to create computer objects and reset passwords in the domain. This can be achieved by delegating the rights to a specific OU or using a service account with limited privileges.

Active Directory supports user and machine authentication by using various methods, not only MSCHAPv2. MSCHAPv2 is a challenge-response authentication protocol that is commonly used with RADIUS and VPN connections. However, Active Directory also supports other protocols such as Kerberos, NTLM, EAP, and PEAP, depending on the scenario and the client capabilities.

Transparently identify users with authentication realms – This option is available when one or more authentication realms are configured to support transparent identification using one of the following authentication servers:

Active Directory – Create an NTLM or Kerberos authentication realm and enable transparent user identification. In addition, you must deploy a separate Active Directory agent such as Cisco’s Context Directory Agent. For more information, see Transparent User Identification with Active Directory.

LDAP – Create an LDAP authentication realm configured as an eDirectory, and enable transparent user identification. For more information, see Transparent User Identification with LDAP.

Details:

Explanation

Cisco Umbrella protects users from accessing malicious domains by proactively analyzing and blocking unsafe destinations – before a connection is ever made. Thus it can protect from phishing attacks by blocking suspicious domains when users click on the given links that an attacker sent. Cisco Umbrella roaming protects your employees even when they are off the VPN.

The Talos IP and Domain Reputation Center is the world’s most comprehensive real-time threat detection network. It collects and analyzes data from millions of web requests, emails, malware samples, open-source data sets, endpoint intelligence, and network intrusions. It assigns a reputation score to IP addresses and domains based on their observed malicious activity and behavior. The reputation score can range from -10 (very malicious) to +10 (very benign). The reputation score can be used to block or allow traffic, or to trigger further inspection or analysis. The Talos IP and Domain Reputation Center allows you to track the reputation of IP addresses for email and web traffic, as well as to look up the category, volume, and history of any IP address or domain. You can also submit feedback or request a change of reputation for any IP address or domain. References 

Explanation

Protect sensitive content in outgoing emails with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and easy-to-use email

encryption, all in one solution.

Cisco Email Security appliance can now handle incoming mail connections and incoming messages from

specific geolocations and perform appropriate actions on them, for example:

– Prevent email threats coming from specific geographic regions.

– Allow or disallow emails coming from specific geographic regions.

A multicontext firewall is a feature that allows a single physical firewall to be divided into multiple virtual firewalls, also known as security contexts. Each context operates as an independent device, with its own security policy, interfaces, and administrators. This feature is useful for service providers, large enterprises, or any network that requires more than one firewall. One of the problems that a multicontext firewall can solve is an overlapping IP addressing plan. This means that different contexts can use the same IP addresses without causing conflicts, as long as they are separated by different interfaces or VLANs. This allows for more efficient use of IP address space and easier management of multiple networks. A multicontext firewall can also support dynamic routing protocols and VPNs within each context, providing more flexibility and functionality12 References := 1: What Are Multi-Context Firewalls? - Franklin Fitch 2: Multiple Context Mode - Cisco

The command show authen sess int gi0/1 displays the authentication session information for the interface gi0/1, such as the MAC address, the authentication method, the authentication state, the session timeout, and the VLAN assignment. This command is useful for verifying the status of an 802.1X connection on a specific interface. The other commands are not related to 802.1X authentication. The command show authorization status displays the authorization status for the current user. The command show connection status gi0/1 is not a valid Cisco command. The command show ver gi0/1 displays the version information for the interface gi0/1. References: 802.1X Authentication Commands, Configuring IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Authentication, What Cisco command shows you the status of an 802.1X connection on interface gi0/1?

Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a web security vulnerability that allows an attacker to inject malicious code into a web page that is viewed by other users. XSS can compromise the user’s interaction with the web application, steal sensitive data, perform unauthorized actions, and more. To prevent XSS, web developers need to apply various defensive techniques to ensure that user-supplied data is not interpreted as code by the browser. Two of these techniques are:

Incorporate contextual output encoding/escaping: This means that any user-supplied data that is displayed on the web page should be properly encoded or escaped according to the context where it appears. For example, if the data is inserted into an HTML attribute, it should be HTML attribute encoded; if the data is inserted into a JavaScript string, it should be JavaScript string encoded; and so on. This prevents the data from breaking out of its intended context and being executed as code by the browser. Output encoding should be done by using a reliable library or framework that supports different contexts and encodings.

Run untrusted HTML input through an HTML sanitization engine: This means that any user-supplied data that is intended to contain HTML markup should be filtered and validated by a sanitization engine that removes or escapes any potentially dangerous elements, attributes, or scripts. This prevents the attacker from injecting malicious HTML code that can execute scripts, load external resources, redirect the user, or perform other malicious actions. HTML sanitization should be done by using a well-tested and maintained library or framework that follows the best practices and standards for HTML filtering.

References :=

[Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0], Module 5: Securing the Cloud, Lesson 5.2: Web Application Security, Topic 5.2.2: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Cross Site Scripting Prevention Cheat Sheet - OWASP

What is cross-site scripting (XSS) and how to prevent it? - Web Security Academy

 The Cisco Umbrella package that supports selective proxy for inspection of traffic from risky domains is SIG Advantage. SIG stands for Secure Internet Gateway, and it is a cloud-based service that provides comprehensive web security and threat intelligence. SIG Advantage includes all the features of DNS Security Advantage, such as DNS-layer protection, intelligent proxy, and cloud-delivered firewall, plus additional features such as full proxy, SSL decryption, advanced malware protection, and data loss prevention. Selective proxy is a feature that allows Umbrella to route risky domain requests to a proxy for deeper URL and file inspection, without impacting the performance or latency of legitimate traffic. Selective proxy is based on the reputation of the domains, which are classified into three categories: good, bad, and grey. Good domains are allowed without proxying, bad domains are blocked at the DNS layer, and grey domains are proxied for further inspection. Selective proxy is available in both DNS Security Advantage and SIG Advantage packages, but only SIG Advantage offers full proxy for all web traffic, which provides more granular control and visibility over web transactions and file types. References:

Cisco Umbrella Packages

Why Umbrella DNS Security?

Manage the Intelligent Proxy

Cisco Umbrella - Selected Proxy versus Full Proxy

Explanation

Explanation

Southbound APIs enable SDN controllers to dynamically make changes based on real-time demands and

scalability needs.

 MFA stands for multi-factor authentication, which is a security method that requires users to provide two or more pieces of evidence to verify their identity before accessing a system. MFA can prevent unauthorized access to the system if a user’s password is compromised, because the attacker would also need to obtain the other factors, such as a one-time code, a biometric scan, or a physical token. MFA can be implemented using various technologies, such as SMS, email, phone call, mobile app, or hardware device. According to Microsoft, adopting MFA can prevent approximately 99.9% of compromised user accounts, significantly bolstering security measures against unauthorized access12. References:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 6: Secure Network Access and Visibility, Lesson 6.1: Implementing Secure Network Access

350-701 SCOR - Cisco, Exam Topics, 6.1 Implement secure network access

What Is Unauthorized Access? 5 Key Prevention Best Practices - Cynet, Best Practice #3: Implement multi-factor authentication

Unauthorized Access: Top 8 Practices for Detecting and Responding - Ekran System, Best Practice #3: Use multi-factor authentication

A mobile device management (MDM) solution is a software tool that helps organizations manage, secure, and monitor mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Some of the benefits of using an MDM solution are:

A. grants administrators a way to remotely wipe a lost or stolen device: This feature allows administrators to erase all the data and settings on a device that is lost or stolen, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information. This can also help comply with data protection regulations and policies12

E. allows for centralized management of endpoint device applications and configurations: This feature enables administrators to control the applications and settings on the devices, such as enforcing security policies, installing or updating software, configuring network access, and restricting device features. This can help improve productivity, performance, and compliance of the devices13

Other benefits of using an MDM solution are:

B. provides simple and streamlined login experience for multiple applications and users: This feature allows users to access multiple applications and services with a single sign-on (SSO) or multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanism, reducing the hassle of remembering and entering multiple credentials. This can also enhance security and user satisfaction4

C. native integration that helps secure applications across multiple cloud platforms or on-premises environments: This feature allows applications to leverage the native security features of the devices, such as encryption, biometric authentication, and device attestation. This can also help protect the applications from malware, tampering, and data breaches across different environments.

D. encrypts data that is stored on endpoints: This feature allows data to be encrypted at rest and in transit on the devices, preventing unauthorized access or interception of the data. This can also help comply with data protection regulations and policies.

References := 1: Mobile Device Management (MDM): What is MDM & why do Businesses need it? - Business Tech Weekly 2: Top 10 Benefits of Mobile Device Management (MDM) - TechFunnel 3: What are the Benefits of Mobile Device Management? - knowledgenile 4: Mobile Device Management (MDM) - Cisco : Mobile Application Management (MAM) - Cisco : Mobile Device Security - Cisco

Explanation

The Version 1 format was the initially released version. Do not use the Version 1 format unless you are using a legacy collection system that requires it. Use Version 9 or Version 5 export format.

Version 5 export format is suitable only for the main cache; it cannot be expanded to support new features.

Version 8 export format is available only for aggregation caches; it cannot be expanded to support new

features.

Explanation

Explanation

Cisco IOS public key infrastructure (PKI) provides certificate management to support security protocols such as IP Security (IPSec), secure shell (SSH), and secure socket layer (SSL). This module identifies and describes concepts that are needed to understand, plan for, and implement a PKI.

A PKI is composed of the following entities: …

– A distribution mechanism (such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol [LDAP] or HTTP) for certificate revocation lists (CRLs)

A Simple Custom Detection List is a feature of Cisco AMP for Endpoints that allows administrators to create a list of SHA-256 hashes of files that they want to detect, block, and quarantine on their endpoints. The list can be applied to a policy and the connectors will synchronize with the latest changes. However, the list only works with the exact SHA-256 hashes that are provided, and it does not detect any variations or modifications of the files. Therefore, if the malicious file abc428565580xyz.exe has been altered in any way, such as by changing its name, size, or content, the Simple Custom Detection List will not be able to recognize it as a threat. To ensure detection of the malicious file, the administrator must upload the SHA-256 hash of the current version of the file to the Simple Custom Detection List, or use another method that can detect file variations, such as an Advanced Custom Detection List or Cisco Threat Grid. References :=

Some possible references are:

Configure a Simple Custom Detection List on the AMP for Endpoints Portal

Create an Advanced Custom Detection List in Cisco Secure Endpoint

[Cisco AMP for Endpoints User Guide]

 A security application that notifies a controller within a software-defined network architecture about a specific security threat is using a northbound API. A northbound API is an interface that enables communication between the SDN controller and the applications or management systems that use the network services1. A security application can use a northbound API to send alerts, requests, or commands to the SDN controller, which can then take appropriate actions on the network devices or policies2. For example, a security application can use a northbound API to inform the SDN controller about a malicious traffic pattern, and the SDN controller can then block or redirect the traffic using a southbound API3.

 1: What is Software-Defined Networking (SDN)? | VMware Glossary 2: Intent-Based Networking’s Next Evolution: The DNA Center Platform - Cisco Blogs 3: Cisco SDN Security: Securing the Software Defined Network - Cisco

Explanation

Explanation

To configure an NTP enabled router to require authentication when other devices connect to it, use the

following commands:

NTP_Server(config)#ntp authentication-key 2 md5 securitytut

NTP_Server(config)#ntp authenticate

NTP_Server(config)#ntp trusted-key 2

Then you must configure the same authentication-key on the client router:

NTP_Client(config)#ntp authentication-key 2 md5 securitytut

NTP_Client(config)#ntp authenticate

NTP_Client(config)#ntp trusted-key 2

NTP_Client(config)#ntp server 10.10.10.1 key 2

Note: To configure a Cisco device as a NTP client, use the command ntp server . For example:

Router(config)#ntp server 10.10.10.1. This command will instruct the router to query 10.10.10.1 for the time.

Explanation

A Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) file is a JavaScript function definition that determines whether web browser

requests (HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP) go direct to the destination or are forwarded to a web proxy server.

PAC files are used to support explicit proxy deployments in which client browsers are explicitly configured to

send traffic to the web proxy. The big advantage of PAC files is that they are usually relatively easy to create

and maintain.

MFA, or multi-factor authentication, is a method of verifying a user’s identity by requiring two or more factors, such as something the user knows (e.g. password), something the user has (e.g. phone), or something the user is (e.g. fingerprint). MFA is an effective deterrent for phishing attacks, which are attempts to trick users into revealing their credentials or other sensitive information by sending them fraudulent emails or websites that impersonate legitimate entities. MFA can prevent phishing attacks by adding an extra layer of security that is not easily compromised by the attackers, even if they manage to obtain the user’s password. For example, if the user receives a phishing email that asks them to log in to their bank account, and they enter their password on the fake website, the attacker will not be able to access the account unless they also have the user’s phone or fingerprint. MFA can also alert the user of a phishing attempt if they receive an unexpected authentication request on their phone or other device. References:

What Type of Attacks Does MFA Prevent? | OneLogin

Multi-Factor Authentication and Cyberattacks - NYU

 TACACS+ is a protocol that provides authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) services for network devices. Unlike RADIUS, which only supports authorization at the user level, TACACS+ supports authorization at the command level. This means that TACACS+ can verify the permissions of the network administrator for every command that is entered, and allow or deny access accordingly. This provides more granular and secure control over network resources and operations. EAPOL, SSH, and RADIUS are not protocols that can provide command-level authorization for AAA. References :=

Some possible references are:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.2: Network Security Devices and Cloud Services, Topic 1.2.3: AAA

350-701 SCOR - Cisco, Exam Topics, 1.0 Security Concepts, 1.2 Compare network security solutions, 1.2.a AAA

What Is AAA Security? | Fortinet, Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA)

 Cisco Cloudlock is a cloud-native cloud access security broker (CASB) that helps you move to the cloud safely. It protects your cloud users, data, and apps. Cloudlock’s simple, open, and automated approach uses APIs to manage the risks in your cloud app ecosystem. Cloudlock integrates with cloud applications like Dropbox and Office 365 by providing visibility, compliance, threat protection, and data security. Cloudlock can detect and prevent data exfiltration by applying data loss prevention (DLP) policies, encrypting sensitive data, and alerting or blocking unauthorized activities. Cloudlock also supports cloud app discovery and risk assessment, user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), and cloud app firewall12. References: 1: Cisco Cloudlock - Cisco 2: Cisco Cloudlock Privacy Data Sheet

The W32/AutoRun worm is a type of malware that spreads through removable drives, such as USB flash drives, and modifies the autorun.inf file to execute itself when the drive is inserted. The worm also attempts to connect to a remote server and download additional malicious files. One of the features of this worm is that it generates random domain names based on the current date and time, and sends DNS requests to these domains. This is a technique to evade detection and analysis, as well as to communicate with the command and control server. The DNS requests generated by the worm have a distinctive pattern, such as the length of the domain name, the number of subdomains, and the use of redacted characters. By comparing these features to the expected behavior of normal DNS requests, security analysts can identify the presence of the worm and block its traffic. References :=

Some possible references are:

W32/AutoRun worm

DNS requests malicious attack

Four major DNS attack types and how to mitigate them

ISE posture assessment allows you to inspect the security “health” of your PC and MAC clients. This includes checking for the installation, running state, and last update for security software, such as anti-virus, anti-malware, personal firewall, and so on1. Windows service and Windows firewall are examples of such security software that can be checked by ISE posture assessment. Computer identity and user identity are not conditions that can be checked by ISE posture assessment, as they are related to authentication and authorization, not security posture. Default browser is also not a condition that can be checked by ISE posture assessment, as it is not a security software or a security risk. References: 1: Chapter 15. Device Posture Assessment - Cisco ISE for BYOD and Secure Unified Access, 3

The command that results in these messages when attempting to troubleshoot an iPsec VPN connection is debug crypto isakmp. This command displays debug information about the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol, which is used to establish security associations (SAs) for IPsec VPNs. The messages in the exhibit show various steps and statuses of the IKE negotiation process, such as creating and deleting peer structures, receiving and sending packets, and checking the compatibility of the security policies and proposals. The other commands are either invalid (debug crypto ipsec endpoint and debug crypto isakmp connection) or display different information (debug crypto ipsec shows the details of the IPsec encryption and decryption operations). References: 

Explanation

Community Cloud allows system and services to be accessible by group of organizations. It shares the

infrastructure between several organizations from a specific community. It may be managed internally by

organizations or by the third-party.

The Secure Event Connector is a component of the Security Analytics and Logging (SaaS) solution that enables the FMC to send logs to the cloud-based service. The Secure Event Connector uses syslog to forward events from the FMC and the managed devices to the cloud. This method reduces the load on the firewall resources, as the events are sent in batches and compressed before transmission. The Secure Event Connector also provides encryption, authentication, and reliability for the log data. The other methods are not supported by the Security Analytics and Logging (SaaS) solution12 References := 1: Cisco Security Analytics and Logging (On Premises)

Using an Internet browser to access cloud-based service creates the risk of insecure implementation of API. API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of rules and protocols that allow different applications or services to communicate and exchange data. API is often used to access cloud-based service, such as software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), or infrastructure as a service (IaaS). However, if the API is not implemented securely, it can expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized access to the cloud service. For example, an API may not use encryption, authentication, or authorization mechanisms to protect the data in transit or at rest. An API may also have vulnerabilities such as injection, broken authentication, or insufficient logging and monitoring, which can be exploited by attackers to compromise the cloud service or the user’s browser. Therefore, it is important to follow the best practices and standards for secure API development and testing, such as OWASP API Security Top 10. References:

1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) - Cisco

2: 350-701 SCOR - Cisco

3: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0

4: 12 Cloud Security Issues: Risks, Threats & Challenges - CrowdStrike

5: 12 Risks, Threats, & Vulnerabilities in Moving to the Cloud - SEI Blog

6: Remote Browser Isolation Protects Users from Threats - Cisco Umbrella

7: Which risk is created when using an Internet browser to access cloud-based service?

8: Browser in the Cloud: The Evolution of Secure Browsing - Leostream

[9]: OWASP API Security Top 10 2023

Explanation

Dynamic ARP inspection (DAI) is a security feature that validates ARP packets in a network. It intercepts, logs, and discards ARP packets with invalid IP-to-MAC address bindings. This capability protects the network from certain man-in-the-middle attacks. After enabling DAI, all ports become untrusted ports.

 To configure a flow-export action on a Cisco ASA, you need to use the flow-export event-type command and the policy-map command. The flow-export event-type command specifies the type of events that trigger the export of NetFlow Security Event Logging (NSEL) records to a collector. The policy-map command creates or modifies a policy map that can be applied to one or more interfaces to specify a service policy. A service policy consists of a traffic class and one or more actions to be applied to the traffic class. One of the actions can be a flow-export action that matches the NSEL events and sends them to a collector. The other commands are not required for configuring a flow-export action. The access-list command creates or modifies an access list that can be used to filter traffic or match traffic classes, but it is not mandatory for a flow-export action. The flow-export template timeout-rate command specifies how often the ASA sends the template to the collector, but it is not part of the flow-export action configuration. The access-group command applies an access list to an interface, but it is not related to the flow-export action. References:

Cisco ASA 5500 Series Configuration Guide using the CLI, 8.4 and 8.6 - Configuring Network Secure Event Logging (NSEL)

Solved: Flow-Export problem - Cisco Community

How to configure NetFlow on Cisco ASA firewalls - Auvik Support

Configuring Cisco’s ASA for NSEL Export to the StealthWatch System

The reason for the failure is that detections for MD5 signatures must be configured in the advanced custom detection policies, not in the simple detection policy section. The simple detection policy section allows users to create a list of SHA-256 hashes of files that they want to block or quarantine on the endpoints. The SHA-256 hash is a more secure and unique identifier of a file than the MD5 hash, which can have collisions or duplicates. The advanced custom detection policy section allows users to create more complex and flexible rules to detect and block files based on various criteria, such as file name, size, type, signature, or MD5 hash. The advanced custom detection policy section also supports wildcards and regular expressions to match multiple files or patterns. Therefore, if the administrator wants to add specific MD5 signatures to the custom detection policy, they should use the advanced custom detection policy section instead of the simple detection policy section.

Explanation

The appliance will try once to upload the file; if upload is not successful, for example because of

connectivity problems, the file may not be uploaded. If the failure was because the file analysis server was overloaded, the upload will be attempted once more.

Explanation

Explanation

Cisco Defense Orchestrator is a cloud-based management solution that allows you to manage security policies

and device configurations with ease across multiple Cisco and cloud-native security platforms.

Cisco Defense Orchestrator features:

….

Management of hybrid environments: Managing a mix of firewalls running the ASA, FTD, and Meraki

MX software is now easy, with the ability to share policy elements across platforms.

A serverless application is one that does not require the developer to manage the underlying infrastructure or servers. Instead, the application code is executed by a cloud provider in response to events or triggers, such as HTTP requests, database changes, or messages. The cloud provider automatically provisions, scales, and manages the resources needed to run the code, and charges only for the time and resources consumed by the execution. A serverless application runs from an ephemeral, event-triggered, and stateless container that is fully managed by a cloud provider. This means that the container is created on demand when an event occurs, and is destroyed when the execution is completed. The container does not store any persistent state or data, and is isolated from other containers. The cloud provider handles the load balancing, fault tolerance, security, and monitoring of the container. A serverless application can leverage various cloud services, such as databases, storage, messaging, analytics, and machine learning, to perform complex tasks and functionalities. Serverless computing is a cloud-native development model that enables developers to focus on the business logic and deliver faster and more scalable applications. References:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 8: Cloud and Virtual Network Security, Lesson 8.1: Cloud Computing Concepts

What is serverless? - Red Hat

Serverless computing and applications | Microsoft Azure

Explanation

Explanation

Other features are dependent on SSL Decryption functionality, which requires the Cisco Umbrella root

certificate. Having the SSL Decryption feature improves:

Custom URL Blocking—Required to block the HTTPS version of a URL.

…

Umbrella’s Block Page and Block Page Bypass features present an SSL certificate to browsers that make

connections to HTTPS sites. This SSL certificate matches the requested site but will be signed by the Cisco Umbrella certificate authority (CA). If the CA is not trusted by your browser, an error page may be displayed.

Typical errors include “The security certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority” (Internet Explorer), “The site’s security certificate is not trusted!” (Google Chrome) or “This

Connection is Untrusted” (Mozilla Firefox). Although the error page is expected, the message displayed can be confusing and you may wish to prevent it from appearing.

To avoid these error pages, install the Cisco Umbrella root certificate into your browser or the browsers of your users—if you’re a network admin.

A virus is a type of malware that infects a computer system by attaching itself to another program or file. Once executed, the virus can replicate itself and spread to other files or systems. A virus can be used to gain unauthorized access to a computer system by exploiting software vulnerabilities, stealing credentials, or installing backdoors. A virus can also cause damage to the system by deleting, modifying, or encrypting data, or consuming system resources. According to the Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) course, viruses are one of the most common forms of malware and can be classified into different types based on their behavior, such as boot sector viruses, file infectors, macro viruses, or polymorphic viruses1. References: 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) course, Module 1: Malware Analysis, Lesson 1: Malware Types and Characteristics, Topic: Virus.

A CoA request is a network protocol message used in the context of network access control and authentication systems. It is typically employed in scenarios where a user’s access privileges or attributes need to be modified during an active network session. CoA requests are commonly used in conjunction with the RADIUS protocol, which is widely used for managing user authentication and authorization in network environments. When a CoA request is initiated, it is sent by a network access server (NAS) to a RADIUS server to request a change in the user’s authorization state or attributes. The CoA request contains information specifying the desired change, such as granting additional access privileges, revoking existing privileges, modifying session parameters, or updating user attributes. The RADIUS server processes the CoA request and applies the necessary changes to the user’s session in real-time, allowing dynamic adjustments to the user’s authorization and network access. CoA requests are often utilized in scenarios where an administrator needs to promptly update a user’s access rights without requiring them to terminate their current session. This flexibility is particularly valuable in environments that demand fine-grained access control or where access privileges need to be adjusted based on changing circumstances or policies. References :=

Some possible references for this answer are:

RADIUS Change of Authorization - Cisco

What is a CoA Request? - Portnox

RADIUS Change of Authorization: Explained - Cloud RADIUS

 Suppression is a feature of Cisco Next Generation Intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS) that allows you to reduce false positives and unwanted alerts by filtering out specific traffic from the intrusion detection and prevention process. You can configure suppression based on different criteria, such as port, rule, source, destination, and network. The two valid suppression types for this question are port and rule. Port suppression allows you to exclude traffic based on the source or destination port number, or both. For example, you can suppress alerts for port 80 (HTTP) traffic if you are not interested in web-based attacks. Rule suppression allows you to exclude traffic based on the rule ID (SID) or the rule category. For example, you can suppress alerts for rules that belong to the policy-violations category if you are not concerned about them. You can also suppress alerts for specific rules that are not relevant to your network or generate too many false positives. References

Explanation

In order to use AAA along with an external token authentication mechanism, set the “Method” as “Both” in

the Authentication.

A connector is a feature that enables a Cisco ISR to use the default bypass list automatically for web filtering. A connector is a software component that runs on the ISR and communicates with the Cloud Web Security service. The connector intercepts the web traffic from the branch users and redirects it to the Cloud Web Security service for scanning and policy enforcement. The connector also maintains a default bypass list, which contains the domains and URLs that are not redirected to the Cloud Web Security service. The default bypass list is updated automatically by the Cloud Web Security service and can be customized by the administrator. The default bypass list helps to improve the performance and reliability of the web filtering solution by avoiding unnecessary redirections of trusted or sensitive web traffic12. References: 1: Security Configuration Guide: Cloud Web Security, Cisco IOS Release 15M&T - Cisco Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 with Cisco Cloud Web Security Solution [Support] - Cisco 2: Security Configuration Guide: Cloud Web Security, Cisco IOS Release 15M&T - Configuring Cloud Web Security on Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 [Support] - Cisco

Explanation

Malware means “malicious software”, is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network. The most popular types of malware includes viruses, ransomware and spyware. Virus Possibly the most common type of malware, viruses attach their malicious code to clean code and wait to be run.

Ransomware is malicious software that infects your computer and displays messages demanding a fee to be paid in order for your system to work again.

Spyware is spying software that can secretly record everything you enter, upload, download, and store on your computers or mobile devices. Spyware always tries to keep itself hidden.

An exploit is a code that takes advantage of a software vulnerability or security flaw.

Exploits and malware are two risks for endpoints that are not up to date. ARP spoofing and eavesdropping are attacks against the network while denial-of-service attack is based on the flooding of IP packets.

Explanation

Explanation

NetFlow is a network protocol developed by Cisco for the collection and monitoring of network traffic flow data

generated by NetFlow-enabled routers and switches. The flows do not contain actual packet data, but rather the

metadata for communications. It is a standard form of session data that details who, what, when, and where of

network traffic -> Answer A is not correct.

Transparent traffic redirection using WCCP is a deployment mode for the Cisco WSA that allows it to intercept and proxy web requests from client applications without requiring any configuration on the clients. This mode increases the visibility and control of web traffic, while making the proxy function invisible to the users. To support this mode, the Cisco WSA must be configured to use the transparent proxy mode, which enables it to listen on ports 80 and 443 for HTTP and HTTPS traffic, respectively. The Cisco WSA must also be configured to use WCCP service IDs, which are numerical identifiers that specify the type and range of ports to be redirected. For example, service ID 0 (web-cache) redirects port 80, service ID 70 (https-cache) redirects port 443, and service ID 60 (ftp-native) redirects port 21 and a range of passive FTP ports. The Cisco WSA must also be configured to join a WCCP group, which is a set of WCCP routers or switches that cooperate to redirect traffic to the WSA. The WCCP group can be specified by a group list, which is an access list that defines the IP addresses of the WCCP routers or switches, or by a password, which is a shared secret that authenticates the WCCP communication. The WCCP group must also be configured on the network device that performs the traffic redirection, such as a Cisco router, switch, or ASA firewall. The network device must support WCCPv2, which is the latest version of the protocol that allows for advanced features such as load balancing, encryption, and GRE encapsulation. The network device must also be configured to use the same WCCP service IDs and group list or password as the Cisco WSA. The network device must also be configured to apply the WCCP redirection to the appropriate interface and direction, such as the inside interface and inbound direction for traffic originating from the internal network. The network device must also be configured to use an access list that defines the traffic to be redirected or bypassed, such as the source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. The access list can also be used to exclude certain traffic from WCCP redirection, such as traffic to private or internal destinations, or traffic from specific hosts123 References := 1: Configure Transparent Redirection With WCCP in Order to Redirect Native FTP Traffic - Cisco 2: Solved: Transparent Redirection - Cisco Community 3: Cisco WSA : Is it possible to use web proxy in transparent mode without WCCP - Cisco Community

Explanation

CoA Messages are sent on two different udp ports depending on the platform. Cisco standardizes on UDP port

1700, while the actual RFC calls out using UDP port 3799.

Network telemetry is a technology for gaining network insight and facilitating efficient and automated network management. It encompasses various techniques for remote data generation, collection, correlation, and consumption1. Network telemetry can be used for various purposes, such as network performance monitoring, security analysis, troubleshooting, and optimization. One of the applications of network telemetry is Layer 2 device discovery, which allows network operators to discover and map the physical topology of the network, including switches, routers, hosts, and links. Layer 2 device discovery can be achieved by using protocols such as Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) or Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), which enable network devices to advertise their identity, capabilities, and neighbors to other devices on the same network segment. To enable Layer 2 device discovery, network telemetry must be enabled on the network devices, so that they can send and receive LLDP or CDP packets. This feature requires network telemetry to be enabled, because without it, the network devices would not be able to exchange information about their topology and configuration. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Layer 2 device discovery. References: 1: RFC 9232: Network Telemetry Framework - Internet Engineering Task Force

In a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack, the attacker inserts their machine between two hosts that are communicating with each other, and secretly relays and possibly alters the messages between them. The attacker can intercept, modify, or spoof the data, and the hosts are unaware that their communication is compromised. A MITM attack can target any communication channel that uses weak or no encryption, such as email, web, or wireless networks. A MITM attack can break the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of the communication, and can have various goals, such as eavesdropping, stealing credentials, impersonating a legitimate party, or redirecting traffic. A MITM attack can be prevented by using strong encryption protocols, such as TLS, IPSec, or SSH, and verifying the identity of the communication endpoints using certificates or other means. References: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Man-in-the-middle attack - Wikipedia, Man-in-the-Middle Attack: Types and Examples - Fortinet

A network discovery policy is required for the health monitoring feature on the Cisco Firepower Next Generation Intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS). Health monitoring allows the system to collect and display information about the health and performance of the managed devices, such as CPU, memory, disk, and interface utilization, as well as the status of various processes and services. Health monitoring also enables the system to generate alerts and notifications when certain thresholds or conditions are met or violated.

To enable health monitoring, the system must have access to the network data from the managed devices, which is provided by the network discovery policy. The network discovery policy controls how the system collects data on the network assets and which network segments and ports are monitored. The network discovery policy also specifies the zones to which the policy is deployed, which determines the scope of the health monitoring data. Without a network discovery policy, the system cannot perform health monitoring on the NGIPS devices.

References :=

1: Network Discovery Policies, Cisco Firepower Management Center Configuration Guide, Version 7.0, page 1. 2: Health Monitoring, Cisco Firepower Management Center Configuration Guide, Version 7.0, page 1.

Explanation

Cisco Cloudlock is a cloud-native cloud access security broker (CASB) that helps you move to the cloud safely. It protects your cloud users, data, and apps. Cisco Cloudlock provides visibility and compliance checks, protects data against misuse and exfiltration, and provides threat protections against malware like ransomware.

Web usage controls are a feature of Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA) that allow administrators to define and enforce policies for web access based on URL categories. URL categories are groups of websites that share a common theme or content, such as news, sports, entertainment, etc. Cisco WSA uses the Cisco Dynamic Content Analysis Engine and the Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group to provide accurate and up-to-date URL categorization. Administrators can use the web usage controls to allow, block, warn, or monitor web requests based on the URL category of the destination website. They can also create custom URL categories to include or exclude specific domains or URLs from the predefined categories. Web usage controls help administrators to control web traffic, enhance security, improve productivity, and comply with regulatory and organizational requirements. References :=

Some possible references are:

Web Usage Controls - Cisco Web Security Appliance User Guide, Cisco

Cisco Web Usage Control Filtering Categories Data Sheet, Cisco

Define Custom URL Categories in WSA, Cisco

Explanation

Explanation

The following are the prerequisites to integrate Active Directory with Cisco ISE.

+ Use the Network Time Protocol (NTP) server settings to synchronize the time between the Cisco ISE server

and Active Directory. You can configure NTP settings from Cisco ISE CLI.

+ If your Active Directory structure has multidomain forest or is divided into multiple forests, ensure that trust

relationships exist between the domain to which Cisco ISE is connected and the other domains that have user

and machine information to which you need access. For more information on establishing trust relationships,

refer to Microsoft Active Directory documentation.

+ You must have at least one global catalog server operational and accessible by Cisco ISE, in the domain to

which you are joining Cisco ISE.

The API key is a secret token that is used to authenticate the client to the server. It is functionally equivalent to a username and password, and should be treated as such. The API key is passed as part of the HTTP header in the request, using the Authorization: Basic scheme. The API key is combined with the client ID and encoded in base64 format. For example, if the client ID is d16aff14860af496e848 and the API key is d01ed435-b00d-4a4d-a299-1806ac117e72, the HTTP header would look like this:

Authorization: Basic ZDE2YWZmMTQ4NjBhZjQ5NmU4NDg6ZDAxZWQ0MzUtYjAwZC00YTRkLWEyOTktMTgwNmFjMTE3ZTcy

The server then decodes the header and verifies the credentials. If the credentials are valid, the server grants access to the requested resource. If the credentials are invalid, the server returns an HTTP 401 Unauthorized error.

The API key performs the function of HTTP authentication, which is the process of verifying the identity of the client. HTTP authentication is different from HTTP authorization, which is the process of determining the permissions of the client. HTTP authorization is based on the scope of the API credential, which can be either read-only or read & write. The scope determines what actions the client can perform on the Cisco AMP for Endpoints data.

Importing requests is not a function of the API key, but rather a Python module that allows sending HTTP requests. Playing dent ID is not a meaningful term in this context. Therefore, the correct answer is C. References:

Secure Endpoint API - Cisco DevNet

Overview of the Cisco AMP for Endpoints API - Cisco

Configure AMP for Endpoints Event Stream Feature - Cisco

Cisco CloudLock is a cloud-native cloud access security broker (CASB) that helps you move to the cloud safely. It protects your cloud users, data, and apps. CloudLock’s simple, open, and automated approach uses APIs to manage the risks in your cloud app ecosystem. With CloudLock you can more easily combat data breaches while meeting compliance regulations1.

Cisco CloudLock provides the following features that meet the requirements of visibility into data transfers as well as protection against data exfiltration:

User security: Cloudlock uses advanced machine learning algorithms to detect anomalies based on multiple factors. It also identifies activities outside allowed countries and spots actions that seem to take place at impossible speeds across distances1.

Data security: Cloudlock’s data loss prevention (DLP) technology continuously monitors cloud environments to detect and secure sensitive information. It provides countless out-of-the-box policies as well as highly tunable custom policies. It also supports inline and out-of-band data inspection and blocking capabilities to protect sensitive data12.

App security: The Cloudlock Apps Firewall discovers and controls cloud apps connected to your corporate environment. You can see a crowd-sourced Community Trust Rating for individual apps, and you can ban or allowlist them based on risk1.

The other solutions do not provide the same level of visibility and protection as Cisco CloudLock:

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-delivered network security service that provides DNS-layer security, secure web gateway, cloud-delivered firewall, cloud access security broker, and threat intelligence3. It does not offer data security features such as DLP, data inspection, and data blocking4.

Cisco AppDynamics Cloud Monitoring is a cloud-native application performance management solution that helps you monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize your cloud applications. It does not offer user security, data security, or app security features as a CASB solution.

Cisco Stealthwatch is a network traffic analysis solution that provides visibility and threat detection across your network, endpoints, and cloud. It does not offer data security features such as DLP, data inspection, and data blocking.

 3: Cisco Umbrella Packages - Cisco Umbrella 1: Cisco Cloudlock - Cisco 2: Cisco Cloudlock Cisco Cloudlock: Secure Cloud Data 4: Easy to Deploy & Simple to Manage CASB Solution - Cisco Umbrella : Cisco AppDynamics Cloud Monitoring : Cisco Stealthwatch - Cisco

To achieve the goal of excluding some servers from the VPN tunnel and accessing them directly, the engineer must modify the group policy that is applied to the remote access VPN users. The group policy contains the settings for split tunneling, which is a feature that allows the VPN client to route some traffic through the VPN tunnel and some traffic directly to the internet. Split tunneling can be configured based on the destination IP address, the application, or the domain name of the traffic. By modifying the group policy, the engineer can specify which servers or networks should be excluded from the VPN tunnel and accessed directly by the VPN client. This can improve the performance and efficiency of the VPN connection, as well as reduce the load on the VPN gateway and the corporate network. However, split tunneling also introduces some security risks, such as exposing the VPN client to internet threats, bypassing the corporate firewall and security policies, and leaking sensitive data. Therefore, the engineer must carefully evaluate the trade-offs and best practices of using split tunneling for remote access VPNs. References :=

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Secure Connectivity, Lesson 3.1: Implementing and Troubleshooting Remote Access VPN, Topic 3.1.4: Configure and Verify Remote Access VPN, Subtopic 3.1.4.2: Configure and Verify Split Tunneling

VPN Split Tunneling: What It Is & Pros and Cons

Cisco ASA - Enable Split Tunnel for Remote VPN Clients

Microsegmentation is a network security technique that enables security architects to logically divide the data center or cloud environment into distinct security segments down to the individual workload level, and then define security controls and deliver services for each unique segment. Microsegmentation software with network virtualization technology is used to create zones in cloud deployments. These granular secure zones isolate workloads, securing them individually with custom, workload-specific policies. Microsegmentation uses a zero-trust model, which means that no traffic is allowed by default, and only explicitly authorized traffic is permitted based on the principle of least privilege. Microsegmentation helps to reduce the attack surface, prevent the lateral movement of threats, and strengthen regulatory compliance. The other options are incorrect because they do not describe microsegmentation accurately. Option B is incorrect because container orchestration platforms, such as Kubernetes, are used to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, but they do not provide microsegmentation by themselves. Option C is incorrect because private VLAN segmentation is a network security technique that isolates hosts within the same VLAN, but it does not provide granular security controls at the workload level. Option D is incorrect because host-based firewall rules are one of the components of microsegmentation, but they are not sufficient to implement microsegmentation without network virtualization and policy automation. References : What Is Microsegmentation? - Palo Alto Networks, What Is Micro-Segmentation? - Cisco, What is Micro-Segmentation? | VMware Glossary

Microsegmentation is a network security strategy that breaks a network into smaller network “segments” to boost security and control over data traffic1. Unlike traditional network security, which primarily defends the network’s outer boundaries, microsegmentation focuses on securing individual workloads and devices within the network2. Microsegmentation uses an allow-list model to significantly reduce the attack surface across different workload types and environments3. Microsegmentation is also referred to as application segmentation or east-west segmentation in a multicloud data center4.

Option B is the correct description of microsegmentation, as it captures the essence of applying a zero-trust model and specifying how applications on different servers or containers can communicate. Option A is incorrect, as deploying a container orchestration platform is not a sufficient condition for microsegmentation. Option C is incorrect, as deploying host-based firewall rules is not a necessary condition for microsegmentation. Option D is incorrect, as implementing private VLAN segmentation is a different technique from microsegmentation. References: An Introduction to Microsegmentation in Network Security. What Is Micro-Segmentation? - Cisco. What Is Microsegmentation? - Palo Alto Networks. What Is Microsegmentation in Networking? Beginner’s Guide.

 The RADIUS CoA feature supports five IETF attributes as defined in RFC 5176. These are:

Event-Timestamp: This attribute indicates the time when the CoA request was generated by the server.

State: This attribute contains a value that is copied from the Access-Accept message that authorized the session.

Session-Timeout: This attribute specifies the maximum number of seconds of service provided to the user before termination of the session or prompt.

Idle-Timeout: This attribute specifies the maximum number of consecutive seconds of idle connection allowed to the user before termination of the session or prompt.

Filter-Id: This attribute identifies the filter list to be applied to the user session.

The RADIUS CoA feature also supports vendor-specific attributes (VSAs) that are defined by Cisco or other vendors. These VSAs can be used to perform additional actions such as port shutdown, port bounce, or security and password accounting. References :=

Some possible references are:

RFC 5176: This document describes the dynamic authorization extensions to RADIUS, including the CoA request and response codes, and the supported IETF attributes.

RADIUS Change of Authorization - Cisco: This document provides the configuration guide for the RADIUS CoA feature on Cisco IOS devices, including the supported IETF and Cisco VSAs.

Supported IETF attributes in RFC 5176 - Ruckus Networks: This document lists the supported IETF attributes and error clause values for the RADIUS CoA feature on Ruckus devices.

V