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

Explanation

You can configure discovery rules to tailor the discovery of host and application data to your needs.

The Firepower System can use data from NetFlow exporters to generate connection and discovery events, and to add host and application data to the network map.

A network analysis policy governs how traffic is decoded and preprocessed so it can be further evaluated, especially for anomalous traffic that might signal an intrusion attempt -> Answer D is not correct.

Explanation

Private Network Monitoring (PNM) provides visibility and threat detection for the on-premises network, delivered from the cloud as a SaaS solution. It is the perfect solution for organizations who prefer SaaS products and desire better awareness and security in their on-premises environments while reducing capital expenditure and

operational overhead. It works by deploying lightweight software in a virtual machine or server that can

consume a variety of native sources of telemetry or extract metadata from network packet flow. It encrypts this metadata and sends it to the Stealthwatch Cloud analytics platform for analysis. Stealthwatch Cloud consumes metadata only. The packet payloads are never retained or transferred outside the network.

This lab focuses on how to configure a Stealthwatch Cloud Private Network Monitoring (PNM) Sensor, in order to provide visibility and effectively identify active threats, and monitors user and device behavior within onpremises networks.

The Stealthwatch Cloud PNM Sensor is an extremely flexible piece of technology, capable of being utilized in a number of different deployment scenarios. It can be deployed as a complete Ubuntu based virtual appliance on different hypervisors (e.g. –VMware, VirtualBox). It can be deployed on hardware running a number of different Linux-based operating systems.

Explanation

Cisco DNA Center has four general sections aligned to IT workflows:

Design: Design your network for consistent configurations by device and by site. Physical maps and logical topologies help provide quick visual reference. The direct import feature brings in existing maps, images, and topologies directly from Cisco Prime Infrastructure and the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller

Enterprise Module (APIC-EM), making upgrades easy and quick. Device configurations by site can be

consolidated in a “golden image” that can be used to automatically provision new network devices. These new devices can either be pre-staged by associating the device details and mapping to a site. Or they can be claimed upon connection and mapped to the site.

Policy: Translate business intent into network policies and apply those policies, such as access control, traffic routing, and quality of service, consistently over the entire wired and wireless infrastructure. Policy-based access control and network segmentation is a critical function of the Cisco Software-Defined Access (SDAccess) solution built from Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). Cisco AI Network Analytics and Cisco Group-Based Policy Analytics running in the Cisco DNA Center identify endpoints, group similar endpoints, and determine group communication behavior. Cisco DNA Center then facilitates creating policies that determine the form of communication allowed between and within members of each group. ISE then activates the underlying infrastructure and segments the network creating a virtual overlay to follow these

policies consistently. Such segmenting implements zero-trust security in the workplace, reduces risk, contains

threats, and helps verify regulatory compliance by giving endpoints just the right level of access they need.

Provision: Once you have created policies in Cisco DNA Center, provisioning is a simple drag-and-drop task.

The profiles (called scalable group tags or “SGTs”) in the Cisco DNA Center inventory list are assigned a policy, and this policy will always follow the identity. The process is completely automated and zero-touch. New devices added to the network are assigned to an SGT based on identity—greatly facilitating remote office setups.

Assurance: Cisco DNA Assurance, using AI/ML, enables every point on the network to become a sensor, sending continuous streaming telemetry on application performance and user connectivity in real time. The clean and simple dashboard shows detailed network health and flags issues. Then, guided remediation

automates resolution to keep your network performing at its optimal with less mundane troubleshooting work.

The outcome is a consistent experience and proactive optimization of your network, with less time spent on troubleshooting tasks.

The mechanism that the engineer should configure to accomplish the goal of sending telemetry using the cloud provider’s mechanisms to a security device is VPC flow logs. VPC flow logs are a feature of Google Cloud that capture and record information about the network flows sent from and received by the virtual machines (VMs) inside a VPC network1. VPC flow logs can provide network telemetry data such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, bytes sent and received, and connection state1. VPC flow logs can be exported to Cloud Logging, Pub/Sub, or Cloud Storage for further analysis by security devices or tools1. VPC flow logs can help the engineer to perform behavioral analysis to detect malicious activity on the hosts, such as network scans, port sweeps, brute force attacks, data exfiltration, or lateral movement2.

The other options are not correct mechanisms to send telemetry using the cloud provider’s mechanisms to a security device. Option A is incorrect because mirror port is not a feature of Google Cloud, but rather a network device configuration that copies traffic from one port to another for monitoring purposes3. Option B is incorrect because flow is not a specific mechanism, but rather a generic term that refers to a sequence of packets between a source and a destination4. Option C is incorrect because NetFlow is not a feature of Google Cloud, but rather a network protocol developed by Cisco that collects and aggregates information about network flows5. NetFlow is not compatible with VPC flow logs, which use a different format6. References:

VPC flow logs overview

When to use 5 telemetry types in security threat monitoring

What is a Mirror Port?

What is a Network Flow?

What is NetFlow?

Exporting VPC flow logs to Pub/Sub

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

 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

https://community.cisco.com/t5/endpoint-security/amp-endpoint-isolation/td-p/4086674#:~:text=Isolating%20an%20endpoint%20blocks%20all,your%20IP%20isolation%20allow%20list

Trusted Automated Exchange of Indicator Information (TAXII) is a standard that defines how to exchange cyber threat intelligence (CTI) over HTTPS. CTI includes indicators of compromise (IOCs), such as malware hashes, IP addresses, URLs, and domains, that can be used to detect and respond to cyberattacks. TAXII enables the sharing of CTI in a secure, automated, and interoperable way among different organizations and tools. Structured Threat Information Expression (STIX) is a standard that defines how to represent and structure CTI in a common language. STIX and TAXII are often used together to facilitate the exchange of CTI. Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is not a standard, but a term used to describe a sophisticated and stealthy cyberattack that persists over a long period of time, often targeting specific organizations or sectors. Open Command and Control (OpenC2) is a standard that defines how to communicate and execute cyber defense actions across different technologies and domains. OpenC2 enables the orchestration and automation of cyber defense actions, such as blocking, isolating, or redirecting malicious traffic or devices. References :=

Some possible references are:

[Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0], Module 4: Content Security, Lesson 4.3: Cisco Umbrella, Topic 4.3.1: Cisco Umbrella Investigate

350-701 SCOR - Cisco, Exam Topics, 4.0 Content Security, 4.3 Describe the components, capabilities, and benefits of Cisco Umbrella, 4.3.a Investigate

TAXII - OASIS Cyber Threat Intelligence Technical Committee, Overview, Introduction

STIX - OASIS Cyber Threat Intelligence Technical Committee, Overview, Introduction

OpenC2 - OASIS Open Command and Control Technical Committee, Overview, Introduction

What is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? | Fortinet, Definition, What is an APT?

sfr {fail-open | fail-close [monitor-only]} <- There's a couple different options here. The first one is fail-open which means that if the Firepower software module is unavailable, the ASA will continue to forward traffic. fail-close means that if the Firepower module fails, the traffic will stop flowing. While this doesn't seem ideal, there might be a use case for it when securing highly regulated environments. The monitor-only switch can be used with both and basically puts the Firepower services into IDS-mode only. This might be useful for initial testing or setup.

To deploy Cisco WSA in transparent mode, the configuration component that must be used is WCCP on switch. WCCP stands for Web Cache Communication Protocol, which is a protocol that allows a network device (such as a switch) to redirect web traffic to a proxy server (such as Cisco WSA) transparently. This means that the client does not need to configure any proxy settings on the browser, and the proxy server can intercept and process the web requests and responses without the client’s knowledge. WCCP can also provide load balancing and failover capabilities for multiple proxy servers.

The other options are incorrect because they are not required or relevant for transparent mode deployment. Option A is incorrect because MDA (Multilink PPP Dial Access) is a feature that allows multiple physical links to be aggregated into a single logical link for dial-up connections. It has nothing to do with transparent mode. Option B is incorrect because PBR (Policy-Based Routing) is a feature that allows routing decisions to be based on criteria other than the destination IP address, such as source IP address, protocol, port, etc. It is not necessary for transparent mode, as WCCP can handle the traffic redirection. Option D is incorrect because DNS resolution on Cisco WSA is not a configuration component, but a function that allows the proxy server to resolve domain names to IP addresses. It is not specific to transparent mode, as it is also used in explicit mode. References:

What is the difference between transparent and forward proxy mode?

User Guide for AsyncOS 12.7 for Cisco Web Security Appliances - LD (Limited Deployment) - Acquire End-User Credentials

Cisco WSA : Is it possible to use web proxy in transparent mode without WCCP?

The process of performing automated static and dynamic analysis of files against preloaded behavioral indicators for threat analysis is called advanced sandboxing. Advanced sandboxing is a feature of Cisco Secure Malware Analytics (Threat Grid), which is a cloud-based or on-premises solution that analyzes the behavior of suspicious files and URLs. Advanced sandboxing uses a combination of static and dynamic analysis techniques to examine the files against more than 700 behavioral indicators, such as registry changes, network connections, file modifications, and process injections. These indicators help to uncover stealthy and sophisticated threats, and provide the security team with detailed reports and actionable intelligence. Advanced sandboxing also integrates with other Cisco security products, such as AMP, Firepower, and Email Security, to provide comprehensive malware protection across the network. Advanced sandboxing is different from other options, such as deep visibility scan, point-in-time checks, and advanced scanning, which are not specific processes or features of Cisco Secure Malware Analytics. Deep visibility scan is a generic term that refers to the ability to inspect network traffic and files for malicious activity. Point-in-time checks are periodic scans that detect malware at a specific moment, but do not provide continuous analysis or retrospective security. Advanced scanning is also a generic term that can refer to any scanning technique that goes beyond basic signature-based detection, such as heuristic analysis, machine learning, or behavioral analysis. References :=

Some possible references are:

Cisco Secure Malware Analytics (Threat Grid)

Malware Protection - Cisco AMP Advanced Malware Protection

Cisco Secure Malware Analytics Data Sheet

DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) is a technology that protects DNS from cache poisoning and spoofing attacks by digitally signing DNS data with cryptographic keys. DNSSEC ensures the integrity and authenticity of DNS responses, preventing attackers from redirecting traffic to malicious domains. Cisco Umbrella supports DNSSEC by performing validation on queries sent from Umbrella resolvers to upstream authorities. This means that Umbrella will only accept DNS responses that are signed and verified by the authoritative servers for each domain. To enable DNSSEC validation, the organization needs to configure Cisco Umbrella and use DNSSEC for domain authentication to authoritative servers. This will ensure that Umbrella resolvers will reject any forged or tampered DNS responses and provide secure DNS resolution for the organization’s network. References :=

Some possible references are:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 2: Network Security, Lesson 2.5: Implement DNS Security

What is DNSSEC and Why Is It Important? - Cisco Umbrella

DNSSEC General Availability – Cisco Umbrella

 Cisco AMP for Endpoints and Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client are both security solutions that protect mobile users from threats, but they have different functions and features. Cisco AMP for Endpoints is a cloud-managed endpoint security solution that stops and tracks malicious activity on hosts, such as malware execution, file behavior, and command-and-control callbacks. It also provides threat intelligence, sandboxing, and retrospective analysis to detect and respond to advanced threats. Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client is a lightweight DNS client that tracks only URL-based threats, such as phishing, ransomware, and botnets. It prevents connections to malicious domains and IP addresses, and provides visibility and enforcement for off-network devices. It also integrates with Cisco AnyConnect VPN client to provide seamless protection for VPN and non-VPN traffic. Therefore, the functional difference between Cisco AMP for Endpoints and Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client is that AMP for Endpoints stops and tracks malicious activity on hosts, and the Umbrella Roaming Client tracks only URL-based threats. References :=

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.1: Cisco AMP for Endpoints Overview

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.2: Cisco AMP for Endpoints Architecture and Components

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.3: Cisco AMP for Endpoints Installation and Configuration

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.4: Cisco AMP for Endpoints Analysis and Response

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.5: Cisco Umbrella Overview

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.6: Cisco Umbrella Architecture and Components

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.7: Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 3.8: Cisco Umbrella Policies and Reporting

Best Mobile Cybersecurity Solution - Cisco Umbrella

The Cisco Endpoint IoC feature is a powerful incident response tool for scanning of post-compromise indicators across multiple computers. Endpoint IoCs are imported through the console from OpenIOC-based files written to trigger on file properties such as name, size, hash, and other attributes and system properties such as process information, running services, and Windows Registry entries. The IoC syntax can be used by incident responders to find specific artifacts or use logic to create sophisticated, correlated detections for families of malware. Endpoint IoCs have the advantage of being portable to share within your organization or in industry vertical forums and mailing lists. The Endpoint IoC scanner is available in AMP for Endpoints Windows Connector versions 4 and higher. Running Endpoint IoC scans may require up to 1 GB of free drive space. The Endpoint IoC feature is based on the openioc.com framework, which is an open standard for sharing threat intelligence. References:

Cisco Endpoint IOC Attributes, User Guide

What Are Indicators of Compromise (IOC)? - Cisco, Security Indicators of Compromise

General questions about AMP - Cisco Community, Post by Cisco Employee