Cisco 200-201 - Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)

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

A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack occurs when an attacker secretly intercepts and possibly alters the communication between two parties who believe they are directly communicating with each other. In this scenario, an attacker can observe network traffic exchanged between two users by placing themselves in between their communication channel. References := Cisco Blogs - New Cybersecurity and Cloud Skills to Protect Companies from Cybersecurity Attacks of the Future

 The virtual address space for a Windows process is the set of virtual memory addresses that can be used by the process. Each process has its own virtual address space that is isolated from other processes. The virtual address space is divided into regions that have different attributes, such as read-only, read-write, execute, and so on. The virtual address space is mapped to the physical memory by the operating system using a data structure called a page table. References:

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 4: Host-Based Analysis, Lesson 4.1: Windows Operating System

Virtual Address Space

Attacking a vulnerability is categorized as exploitation, which is the third phase of the cyberattack lifecycle. Exploitation is the process of taking advantage of a vulnerability in a system, application, or network to gain access, escalate privileges, or execute commands. Action on objectives, delivery, and installation are other phases of the cyberattack lifecycle, but they do not involve attacking a vulnerability. Action on objectives is the final phase, where the attacker achieves their goal, such as stealing data, disrupting services, or destroying assets. Delivery is the second phase, where the attacker delivers the malicious payload, such as malware, phishing email, or malicious link, to the target. Installation is the fourth phase, where the attacker installs the malicious payload on the compromised system or network to maintain persistence or spread laterally. References: What is a Cyberattack? | IBM, Recognizing the seven stages of a cyber-attack - DNV

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

A botnet is a network of compromised computers controlled by an attacker. Botnets are often used to carry out Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where the compromised machines are directed to flood a target with traffic, rendering it inaccessible. References: Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.3: Common Network Application Operations and Attacks, Topic 1.3.4: Denial-of-Service Attacks

The Cuckoo sandbox report shows the analysis results of a file named "VirusShare_fc1937c1aa536b3744ebfb1716fd5f4d".

The file type is identified as a PE32 executable for MS Windows.

The "Yara" section indicates that the file contains shellcode, which matches specific shellcode byte patterns.

Shellcode typically indicates that the file will execute a payload, often used to open a command interpreter or execute commands directly.

Additionally, the antivirus result shows that the file was identified as containing a trojan (Trojan.Generic.7654828), which is consistent with behaviors such as opening a command interpreter for malicious purposes.

References

Cuckoo Sandbox Documentation

Analysis of Shellcode Behavior

Understanding Trojan Malware Functionality

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