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

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

Explanation

Explanation

You specify primary and secondary actions that the appliance will take when it detects a possible DLP violation

in an outgoing message. Different actions can be assigned for different violation types and severities.

Primary actions include:

– Deliver

– Drop

– Quarantine

Secondary actions include:

– Sending a copy to a policy quarantine if you choose to deliver the message. The copy is a perfect clone of the

original, including the Message ID. Quarantining a copy allows you to test the DLP system before deployment in

addition to providing another way to monitor DLP violations. When you release the copy from the quarantine,

the appliance delivers the copy to the recipient, who will have already received the original message.

– Encrypting messages. The appliance only encrypts the message body. It does not encrypt the message

headers.

– Altering the subject header of messages containing a DLP violation.

– Adding disclaimer text to messages.

– Sending messages to an alternate destination mailhost.

– Sending copies (bcc) of messages to other recipients. (For example, you could copy messages with critical

DLP violations to a compliance officer’s mailbox for examination.)

– Sending a DLP violation notification message to the sender or other contacts, such as a manager or DLP

compliance officer.

Explanation

Domain name system (DNS) is the protocol that translates human-friendly URLs, such as securitytut.com, into IP addresses, such as 183.33.24.13. Because DNS messages are only used as the beginning of each communication and they are not intended for data transfer, many organizations do not monitor their DNS traffic for malicious activity. As a result, DNS-based attacks can be effective if launched against their networks. DNS tunneling is one such attack.

An example of DNS Tunneling is shown below:

The attacker incorporates one of many open-source DNS tunneling kits into an authoritative DNSnameserver (NS) and malicious payload.2. An IP address (e.g. 1.2.3.4) is allocated from the attacker’s infrastructure and a domain name (e.g. attackerdomain.com) is registered or reused. The registrar informs the top-level domain (.com) nameservers to refer requests for attackerdomain.com to ns.attackerdomain.com, which has a DNS record mapped to 1.2.3.43. The attacker compromises a system with the malicious payload. Once the desired data is obtained, the payload encodes the data as a series of 32 characters (0-9, A-Z) broken into short strings (3KJ242AIE9, P028X977W,…).4. The payload initiates thousands of unique DNS record requests to the attacker’s domain with each string as

Explanation

Explanation

Each rule also has an action, which determines whether you monitor, trust, block, or allow matching traffic.

Note: With action “trust”, Firepower does not do any more inspection on the traffic. There will be no intrusion protection and also no file-policy on this traffic.

Explanation

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

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 Trojan malware attack is a type of malicious code or software that disguises itself as a legitimate program or file to trick users into executing it. Once executed, the Trojan can perform various harmful actions on the infected system or network, such as stealing data, deleting files, or installing other malware. There are different types of Trojan malware attacks, depending on their purpose and behavior. Two common types are:

Rootkit: A rootkit is a type of Trojan that hides itself and other malware from detection and removal by antivirus software or system tools. A rootkit can modify the operating system or the firmware of the device to gain persistent and privileged access to the system. A rootkit can also intercept and manipulate system calls, network traffic, or user input to conceal its activities or redirect them to malicious servers.

Backdoor: A backdoor is a type of Trojan that creates a secret or unauthorized access point to the infected system or network. A backdoor can allow an attacker to remotely control the system, execute commands, upload or download files, or monitor the system activity. A backdoor can also be used to install other malware or launch further attacks on other systems or networks.

Explanation

Explanation

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

scalability needs.

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

Explanation

The following are restrictions for Flexible NetFlow:

+ Traditional NetFlow (TNF) accounting is not supported.

+ Flexible NetFlow v5 export format is not supported, only NetFlow v9 export format is supported.

+ Both ingress and egress NetFlow accounting is supported.

+ Microflow policing feature shares the NetFlow hardware resource with FNF.

+ Only one flow monitor per interface and per direction is supported.

Explanation

Answer B is not correct because Cross-site Scripting (XSS) is not a brute force attack.

Answer C is not correct because the statement “Cross-site Scripting is when executives in a corporation are attacked” is not true. XSS is a client-side vulnerability that targets other application users.

Answer D is not correct because the statement “Cross-site Scripting is an attack where code is executed from the server side”. In fact, XSS is a method that exploits website vulnerability by injecting scripts that will run at client’s side.

Therefore only answer A is left. In XSS, an attacker will try to inject his malicious code (usually malicious links) into a database. When other users follow his links, their web browsers are redirected to websites where

attackers can steal data from them. In a SQL Injection, an attacker will try to inject SQL code (via his browser) into forms, cookies, or HTTP headers that do not use data sanitizing or validation methods of GET/POST

parameters.

Note: The main difference between a SQL and XSS injection attack is that SQL injection attacks are used to steal information from databases whereas XSS attacks are used to redirect users to websites where attackers can steal data from them.

 EPP solutions solely focus on the perimeter of the network, which is the boundary between the internal and external networks. The perimeter is where most of the endpoints, such as laptops, desktops, mobile devices, and IoT devices, are located and connected to the network. EPP solutions aim to prevent, detect, and remediate security threats on these endpoints by using technologies such as antivirus, data encryption, and data loss prevention. EPP solutions rely on signatures and other indicators of intrusion by known threats to block malicious activity and malware on the endpoints12.

EDR solutions do not focus on the perimeter, but rather on the entire network, including the core and the East-West gateways. The core is the central part of the network that connects different segments and provides high-speed data transmission. The East-West gateways are the points of communication between different segments within the network, such as between different data centers or cloud environments. EDR solutions provide continuous and comprehensive visibility into endpoint activities across the network by using threat hunting tools for behavior-based endpoint threat detection. EDR solutions monitor and record endpoint data, detect anomalies and malicious behavior, and respond to threats that EPP and other security tools did not catch. EDR solutions also enable security teams to proactively investigate and contain incidents by using incident data search, alert triage, threat validation, and malicious activity blocking134.

References := 1: EPP vs. EDR: Why You Need Both - CrowdStrike 2: Comparing endpoint security: EPP vs. EDR vs. XDR | Infosec 3: EDR vs EPP: What is the Difference? - Exabeam 4: EDR vs EPP: Key Features, Differences, and How They Work Together

 Cisco Firepower is a unified security solution that combines firewall, intrusion prevention system (IPS), advanced malware protection (AMP), and threat intelligence features. Cisco ASA is a traditional firewall that focuses on network traffic control based on packet filtering and stateful inspection. One of the key differences between Cisco Firepower and Cisco ASA is that Cisco Firepower natively provides intrusion prevention capabilities while Cisco ASA does not. Intrusion prevention is the process of detecting and blocking malicious network traffic before it reaches the intended target. Cisco Firepower uses a combination of signature-based and behavior-based detection methods to identify and stop known and unknown attacks. Cisco ASA, on the other hand, does not have built-in intrusion prevention capabilities. It can only perform basic packet inspection and filtering based on predefined rules. To enable intrusion prevention on Cisco ASA, an additional module called FirePOWER Services is required. This module integrates Cisco Firepower features into Cisco ASA, but it is not the same as Cisco Firepower itself. Cisco Firepower offers more advanced and integrated security features than Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services123. References: 1: Cisco ASA vs Cisco Firepower | What are the differences? - StackShare 2: Cisco FTD vs ASA: Difference and Comparison 3: CISCO FIREPOWER VS. ASA - Critical Design

 SaaS stands for Software as a Service, which is a cloud service offering that allows customers to access a web application that is being hosted, managed, and maintained by a cloud service provider. SaaS applications are typically accessed through a web browser or a mobile app, and the customers do not need to install, update, or maintain any software or hardware on their own. SaaS applications can provide various benefits, such as lower upfront costs, faster deployment, scalability, and automatic updates. Some examples of SaaS applications are Gmail, Salesforce, Zoom, and Netflix123.

IaC stands for Infrastructure as Code, which is a method of provisioning and managing cloud resources using code or scripts, rather than manual processes or graphical user interfaces. IaC can help automate and standardize the deployment and configuration of cloud infrastructure, as well as improve consistency, reliability, and security. IaC is not a cloud service offering, but rather a technique or practice that can be used with different cloud service models, such as IaaS or PaaS45.

IaaS stands for Infrastructure as a Service, which is a cloud service offering that provides customers with access to virtualized computing resources, such as servers, storage, networks, and operating systems. IaaS customers can rent or lease these resources from a cloud service provider, and have full control over their configuration and management. IaaS customers are responsible for installing, updating, and maintaining their own applications and middleware on top of the cloud infrastructure. IaaS can provide various benefits, such as flexibility, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and security. Some examples of IaaS providers are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform .

PaaS stands for Platform as a Service, which is a cloud service offering that provides customers with access to a cloud-based platform that includes the infrastructure, operating system, middleware, and development tools needed to build, deploy, and run applications. PaaS customers can focus on developing and running their own applications, without worrying about the underlying cloud infrastructure or software. PaaS can provide various benefits, such as faster development, scalability, compatibility, and security. Some examples of PaaS providers are Heroku, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and Google App Engine .

References := 1: IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS | IBM 2: What is SaaS? Software as a service explained | InfoWorld 3: SaaS - Software as a Service | Oracle 4: What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)? | Red Hat 5: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) | AWS : What is IaaS? Infrastructure as a service explained | InfoWorld : IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service | Oracle : Cloud Computing Services | Google Cloud : What is PaaS? Platform as a service explained | InfoWorld : PaaS - Platform as a Service | Oracle : Cloud Services - Deploy Cloud Apps & APIs | Microsoft Azure

Cisco Workload Optimization Manager provides specific real-time actions that ensure workloads get the

resources they need when they need them, enabling continuous placement, resizing, and capacity decisions that can be automated, driving continuous health in the environment. You can automate the software’s decisions according to your level of comfort: recommend (view only), manual (select and apply), or automated (executed in real time by software).