HPE6-A78 Aruba Certified Network Security Associate Exam Question and Answers

The Aruba ClearPass Device Insight Analyzer plays a crucial role within the Device Insight architecture by residing in the cloud and applying machine learning and supervised crowdsourcing to the metadata sent by Collectors. This component of the architecture is responsible for analyzing vast amounts of data collected from the network to identify and classify devices accurately. By utilizing machine learning algorithms and crowdsourced input, the Device Insight Analyzer enhances the accuracy of device detection and classification, thereby improving the overall security and management of the network.

References:

• Aruba ClearPass official documentation and whitepapers that detail the functionality and deployment of the Device Insight Analyzer.
• Technical articles and presentations on network security solutions that discuss the use of machine learning and data analytics in device management.

To meet the requirements for configuring an ArubaOS-CX switch for integration with ClearPass Policy Manager (CPPM), it is necessary to set the AAA authentication login method for SSH to use the “radius” server-group, with “local” as a backup. This ensures that when an admin attempts to SSH into the switch, the authentication request is first sent to CPPM via RADIUS. If CPPM is unavailable, the switch will fall back to using local authentication12.

Here’s why the other options are not correct:

• Option B is incorrect because configuring a CPPM username and password on the switch that matches a CPPM admin account is not required for SSH login; rather, the switch needs to be configured to communicate with CPPM for authentication.
• Option C is incorrect because while CPPM will send Aruba-Admin-Role Vendor-Specific Attributes (VSAs), the switch does not need to have port-access roles created with the same names; it needs to interpret the VSA to assign the correct role.
• Option D is incorrect because disabling SSH on the default VRF and enabling it on the mgmt VRF is not related to the authentication process with CPPM.

Therefore, the correct answer is A, as setting the AAA authentication login method for SSH to the “radius” server-group with “local” as backup is a key step in ensuring that the switch can authenticate admins through CPPM while providing a fallback method12.

In a wireless network deployment with Aruba Mobility Master (MM), Mobility Controllers (MCs), and Campus APs (CAPs), where a WLAN is configured to use Tunnel mode for forwarding, the user traffic is tunneled from the APs to the MCs. VLAN 301, which is assigned to the WLAN, must be present on the links from the MCs to the core routing switches because these switches act as the default router for the wireless user traffic. It is not necessary for the VLAN to be present on all campus LAN links or AP links, only between the MCs and the core routing switches where the routing for VLAN 301 will occur.

In an Aruba network, when setting up a WPA3-Enterprise network that also supports WPA2-Enterprise clients, you would typically configure the network to operate in a transitional mode that supports both protocols. CNSA (Commercial National Security Algorithm) mode is intended for networks that require higher security standards as specified by the US National Security Agency (NSA). However, for compatibility with WPA2 clients, which do not support CNSA requirements, you would disable CNSA mode. WPA3 can use 256-bit encryption keys, which offer a higher level of security than the 128-bit keys used in WPA2.

In the 802.1X network access control model, the roles of the authenticator and the authentication server are distinct yet complementary. The authenticator acts as a RADIUS client, which is a network device, like a switch or wireless access point, that directly interfaces with the client machine (supplicant). The authentication server, typically a RADIUS server, is responsible for verifying the credentials provided by the supplicant through the authenticator. This setup helps in separating the duties where the authenticator enforces authentication but does not decide on the validity of the credentials, which is the role of the authentication server.References:

• IEEE 802.1X standard for network access control.

The correct use case for using the specified certificate file format is option B, using a PKCS12 file to install a certificate along with its private key on a device. PKCS12 is a binary format for storing a certificate chain and private key in a single encrypted file. PEM files are Base64 encoded certificate files and are typically used for storing certificates, not private keys, and PKCS7 is used for certificate chains without the private key.

These answers are based on general networking and security practices, specifically within the context of Aruba network device configurations. If you have questions specific to Oracle Database 12c SQL, please provide the relevant details or ask separate questions related to that topic.

In the context of an Aruba Mobility Controller (MC) configuration, a client will receive the default role assignment if they have passed 802.1X authentication and the authentication server did not send an Aruba-User-Role Vendor Specific Attribute (VSA). The default role is assigned by the MC when a client successfully authenticates but the authentication server provides no specific role instruction. This behavior ensures that a client is not left without any role assignment, which could potentially lead to a lack of network access or access control. This default role assignment mechanism is part of Aruba's role-based access control, as documented in the ArubaOS user guide and best practices.

The thumbprint (also known as a fingerprint) of a certificate or SSH key is a hash that uniquely represents the public key contained within. When you first connect to the switch with SSH from a management station, you should ensure that the thumbprint matches what you expect. This is a security measure to confirm the identity of the device you are connecting to and to ensure that a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack is not occurring. If the thumbprint matches the known good thumbprint of the switch, it is safe to proceed with the connection.

References:

• SSH and network security protocols that discuss the importance of verifying the identity of devices before initiating a secure connection.
• IT security guides that provide best practices for avoiding MITM attacks during SSH sessions.

The ArubaOS firewall is a stateful firewall, meaning that it can track the state of active sessions and can make decisions based on the context of the traffic. This stateful inspection capability allows it to automatically allow return traffic for sessions that it has permitted, thereby enabling seamless two-way communication for authorized users while maintaining the security posture of the network.References:

• ArubaOS firewall documentation.

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) can indeed be exploited to conduct various types of attacks, most notably ARP spoofing/poisoning. Gratuitous ARP is a special kind of ARP message which is used by an IP node to announce or update its IP to MAC mapping to the entire network. A hacker can abuse this by sending out gratuitous ARP messages pretending to associate the IP address of the router (default gateway) with their own MAC address. This results in traffic that was supposed to go to the router being sent to the attacker instead, thus potentially enabling the attacker to intercept, modify, or block traffic.

When dealing with a failed 802.1X authentication attempt to a WLAN enforced by Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager (CPPM) where no record of the attempt is seen in ClearPass Access Tracker, a good next troubleshooting step is to check the CPPM Event Viewer. Since you are able to successfully ping from the Mobility Controller to CPPM, this indicates that there is network connectivity between these two devices. The lack of a record in Access Tracker suggests that the issue may not be with the RADIUS/EAP certificate or user credentials, but possibly with the ClearPass service itself or its reception of authentication requests. The Event Viewer can provide detailed logs that might reveal internal errors or misconfigurations within CPPM that could prevent it from processing authentication attempts properly.

A Server Certificate is required by Aruba Mobility Controller when using RadSec to secure RADIUS communication. RadSec provides a secure transport for RADIUS traffic through SSL/TLS which requires the use of a Server Certificate to establish the secure tunnel. In the other scenarios listed, a Server Certificate is not explicitly required for the operations mentioned.

The benefit of Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE) is that it allows anyone to connect, but it provides better protection against eavesdropping than a traditional open network. OWE is a type of wireless security specified in the WPA3 standard that offers encrypted communication without the complexity of a full authentication process, thereby securing data on networks that would otherwise be open and unencrypted.

References:

• Wi-Fi Alliance specifications for WPA3 and Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE).
• Security whitepapers and industry articles discussing the advantages of WPA3, including OWE.

Protected Management Frames (PMF), also known as Management Frame Protection (MFP), is designed to protect clients from denial-of-service (DoS) attacks that involve forged de-authentication and disassociation frames. These attacks can disconnect legitimate clients from the network. PMF provides a way to authenticate these management frames, ensuring that they are not forged, thus enhancing the security of the wireless network.

References:

• IEEE 802.11w amendment, which introduces PMF as a security enhancement to protect management frames.
• Wi-Fi Alliance security guidelines for Protected Management Frames (PMF).

For WPA3-Enterprise with EAP-TLS, it's crucial that clients have a trusted certificate installed for the authentication process. EAP-TLS relies on a mutual exchange of certificates for authentication. Deploying client certificates signed by a CA that CPPM trusts ensures that the ClearPass Policy Manager can verify the authenticity of the client certificates during the TLS handshake process. Trust in the root CA is typically required for the server side of the authentication process, not the client side, which is covered by the client’s own certificate.

ClearPass Policy Manager (CPPM) uses various methods to classify endpoints, and one of them is TCP fingerprinting, which involves analyzing TCP/IP packets to identify the type of device or operating system sending them. To utilize TCP fingerprinting capabilities, network traffic needs to be accessible to the CPPM. This can be done by mirroring traffic to CPPM’s span port from a device that can see the traffic, like a core routing switch. This approach allows CPPM to observe the TCP characteristics of devices as they communicate over the network, enabling it to make more accurate decisions for device classification.

The AP is classified as a rogue because it is connected to your LAN and is transmitting wireless traffic with your network's default gateway's MAC address as a source MAC. In this scenario, the 'Match method = Exact match' and 'Match type = Eth-GW-wired-Mac-Table' indicates that the rogue AP has been detected by matching the Ethernet gateway's MAC address, which is on the wired network, implying that the rogue AP is connected to the corporate LAN. Since the AP does not belong to the company, its presence on the network is unauthorized and is thus classified as a rogue AP.

References:

• ArubaOS documentation on rogue AP detection and classification.
• Wireless security best practices that explain how the presence of unauthorized APs on the LAN constitutes a security threat.

In WPA3-Enterprise, the Pairwise Master Key (PMK) is indeed unique for each session and is derived using a process called Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE). SAE is a new handshake protocol available in WPA3 that provides better security than the Pre-Shared Key (PSK) used in WPA2. This handshake process strengthens user privacy in open networks and provides forward secrecy. The information on SAE and its use in generating a unique PMK can be found in the Wi-Fi Alliance's WPA3 specifications and related technical documentation.

A rogue radio operating in ad hoc mode with open security can pose several threats to a network. Ad hoc networks allow direct device-to-device communication without centralized control. If such a radio is present within or near a corporate environment, it can potentially be used to create a peer-to-peer network that bypasses corporate security controls, effectively acting as a backdoor into the corporate network for unauthorized users or devices. This can lead to a breach of data security and unauthorized access to network resources.

For following Aruba best security practices, the setting you should change is to disable local authentication. When integrating with an external RADIUS server like ClearPass Policy Manager (CPPM) for authenticating administrative access to the Mobility Controller (MC), it is a best practice to rely on the external server rather than the local user database. This practice not only centralizes the management of user roles and access but also enhances security by leveraging CPPM's advanced authentication mechanisms.

References:

• Aruba Networks official best practice documentation, which recommends centralized authentication for administrative access.
• Security standards and guidelines that promote the use of external RADIUS servers for authentication purposes.

Control Plane Security (CPsec) enhances security in the network by protecting management traffic between APs and Mobility Controllers (MCs) from eavesdropping. CPsec ensures that all control and management traffic that transits the network is encrypted, thus preventing potential attackers from gaining access to sensitive management data. It helps in securing the network's control plane, which is crucial for maintaining the integrity and privacy of the network operations.References:

• Aruba Networks' CPsec documentation.

In SNMPv3, security is paramount and each SNMP entity (client or agent) needs to have a user with a security name (username) and optionally, a security level which determines whether authentication and encryption are used. When configuring SNMPv3 users on network infrastructure devices, it is essential to match the username, authentication (auth) algorithm, authentication key (auth key), privacy (priv) algorithm, and privacy key (priv key) exactly as they are configured on the SNMP server to ensure successful communication.

This is because the SNMPv3 security model relies on a combination of a username and a pair of keys (authentication and privacy keys) to uniquely identify and secure communication between the agent and the manager. The keys are used to verify the integrity (auth key) and confidentiality (priv key) of the messages. Using the same algorithms ensures that the messages can be properly encrypted and decrypted on both ends.

An ArubaOS user role determines the firewall policies and bandwidth contracts that apply to the client’s traffic. When a user is authenticated, they are assigned a role, and this role has associated policies that govern network access rights, Quality of Service (QoS), Layer 2 forwarding, Layer 3 routing behaviors, and bandwidth contracts for users or devices.

References:

• Aruba Networks official documentation on user roles in ArubaOS.
• Technical guides that detail user role definitions and their impact on network policies.

To ensure secure transmission of log data over the network, particularly when dealing with sensitive or critical information, using TLS (Transport Layer Security) for encrypted communication between network devices and syslog servers is necessary:

• Secure Logging Setup: When configuring an ArubaOS-CX switch to send logs securely to a Syslog server, specifying the server with the TLS option ensures that all transmitted log data is encrypted. Additionally, the switch must have a valid certificate to establish a trusted connection, preventing potential eavesdropping or tampering with the logs in transit.
• Other Options:

For securing management access to the ArubaOS Web UI of an Aruba Mobility Controller (MC), it is a best practice to install a certificate signed by a Certificate Authority (CA). This ensures that communications between administrators and the MC are secured with trusted encryption, which greatly reduces the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks. Using a CA-signed certificate enhances the trustworthiness of the connection over self-signed certificates, which do not offer the same level of assurance.References:

• ArubaOS documentation on management access security.

The primary reason for adding a "Log Settings" definition in the ArubaOS Diagnostics > System > Log Settings page is to configure the Syslog server settings for the server to which the Mobility Controller (MC) forwards logs for a particular category and level. This setting enables the MC to send detailed logs to a Syslog server for centralized logging and monitoring, which is essential for troubleshooting, security analysis, and compliance with various policies.References:

• ArubaOS documentation on log management and Syslog configuration.

EST (Enrollment over Secure Transport) is a protocol designed to streamline the certificate management process. It enables automated and secure enrollment, renewal, and revocation of digital certificates, which significantly reduces the management overhead typically associated with digital certificates. With EST, administrators can more easily manage certificates' lifecycle, ensuring that expired certificates are promptly replaced or renewed without significant manual intervention.

To differentiate access control for faculty and students, the best approach is to use roles. By creating two roles - "faculty" and "student" - and applying the appropriate firewall policies to each, the university can enforce different access rules for each group. This is more efficient than managing multiple VLANs or WLANs because it allows for role-based access control, which is directly tied to user identity rather than just IP addresses or the network they are connected to.QUESTION NO: 105

The monitoring admin has asked you to set up an ArubaOS-Switch to meet these criteria:

• Send logs to a SIEM Syslog server at 10.4.13.15 at the standard UDP port (514)

• Send a log for all events at the "warning" level or above

The switch did not have any "logging" configuration on it. You then entered this command:

ArubaOS-Switch(config)# logging 10.4.13.15 udp

What should you do to finish configuring to the requirements?

A. Add categories (system-modules) at the global level.

B. Specify "warning" as the global level.

C. Ask for the Syslog password and configure it on the switch.

D. Configure logging as a debug destination.

Answer: B

To set up an ArubaOS-Switch to send logs to a SIEM syslog server at the specified criteria, you would need to specify the level of events that should be logged. Since the requirement is to log all events at the "warning" level or above, you should specify the syslog level after the logging server IP and port. The command should look like this:

ArubaOS-Switch(config)# logging 10.4.13.15 ArubaOS-Switch(config)# logging trap warning

This would set up the switch to send logs to the syslog server at the IP address 10.4.13.15 using the default UDP port (514), for all events at the "warning" level or above.