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

Stateful failover means that the connection state information is replicated from the active ASA to the standby ASA, so that in the event of a failover, the connections are preserved and do not need to be reestablished. Stateless failover means that the connection state information is not replicated, so that in the event of a failover, the connections are dropped and need to be reestablished by the end hosts. Stateful failover provides a smoother transition and less disruption to the network traffic, while stateless failover is simpler and less resource-intensive. References:

Failover for High Availability - Cisco

Failover Types / ASA Failover Addresses / Failover Requirements | Cisco …

Cisco ISE is the security solution that is used for posture assessment of the endpoints in a BYOD solution. Posture assessment allows Cisco ISE to inspect the security health of the endpoints, such as their operating system, software applications, network settings, and security software. Cisco ISE can then enforce posture policies based on the compliance status of the endpoints and grant or deny them access to the network resources. Cisco ISE supports different types of posture agents, such as AnyConnect, AnyConnect Stealth, and Temporal Agent, to monitor and remediate the endpoints. Cisco ISE also supports agentless posture for devices that cannot run an agent, such as printers, cameras, and IoT devices. Cisco ISE integrates with various third-party vendors to provide posture assessment for different endpoint platforms, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. References :=

Some possible references are:

Cisco Identity Services Engine Administrator Guide, Release 3.0 - Compliance

Chapter 15. Device Posture Assessment - Cisco ISE for BYOD and Secure Unified Access

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

The IP and Domain Reputation Center is a service provided by Talos, Cisco’s Security Intelligence and Research Group, that tracks the reputation of IP addresses and domains for email and web traffic. The IP and Domain Reputation Center collects and analyzes data from millions of deployed web, email, firewall and IPS appliances, as well as open-source data sets, endpoint intelligence, and network intrusions. The IP and Domain Reputation Center transforms this data into actionable threat intelligence and tools to improve security posture. The IP and Domain Reputation Center allows users to look up websites, URLs and IP addresses and the information Talos has about them, such as their reputation score, category, volume, and threat level. The IP and Domain Reputation Center also provides threat data overviews, such as the top email and spam senders by country, and the standard categories used to classify website content and attack types123. References := 1: Reputation Center - A Real Time Threat Detection Service || Cisco Talos Intelligence Group - Comprehensive Threat Intelligence 2: IP & Domain Reputation Center - Talos Intelligence 3: Talos Reputation Center overview | Talos Support Documents

 When adding a device to Firepower Management Center, you need to provide a registration key, which is a unique alphanumeric string that you create and enter on both the device and the Firepower Management Center. The registration key is used to authenticate the device and the Firepower Management Center to each other. You do not need to provide the username and password, encryption method, or device serial number when adding a device to Firepower Management Center1. References: 1: How to Manage a Device with the Firepower Management Center - Configure the Managed Device

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 posture policy is a collection of posture requirements, which are associated with one or more identity groups, and operating systems. We can configure ISE to check for the Windows patch at Work Centers > Posture > Posture Elements > Conditions > File.

In this example, we are going to use the predefined file check to ensure that our Windows 10 clients have the critical security patch installed to prevent the Wanna Cry malware.

The configuration that is needed to accomplish the goal of adding protection for data in transit and having headers in the email message is to deploy an encryption appliance. An encryption appliance is a device that encrypts and decrypts email messages using various encryption standards, such as S/MIME, PGP, or Cisco Registered Envelope Service (CRES). An encryption appliance can also add headers to the email message to indicate the encryption status, the encryption key, or the encryption policy. An encryption appliance can be integrated with an email appliance, such as Cisco Email Security Appliance (ESA), to provide end-to-end email security and encryption.

The other options are incorrect because:

Provisioning the email appliance is not enough to add protection for data in transit and have headers in the email message. An email appliance can provide various email security features, such as spam filtering, virus scanning, content filtering, or data loss prevention, but it does not encrypt or decrypt email messages by itself. An email appliance needs to work with an encryption appliance to provide email encryption and decryption.

Mapping sender IP addresses to a host interface is not related to adding protection for data in transit and having headers in the email message. This is a configuration option for an email appliance that allows it to accept email messages from specific IP addresses or ranges and assign them to a specific host interface. This can be useful for load balancing, traffic management, or policy enforcement, but it does not affect email encryption or decryption.

Enabling flagged message handling is not relevant to adding protection for data in transit and having headers in the email message. This is a configuration option for an email appliance that allows it to handle email messages that have a specific flag or tag in the subject line or the body. This can be useful for testing, troubleshooting, or applying special policies, but it does not affect email encryption or decryption.

Explanation

Cloud computing can be broken into the following three basic models:

+ Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS describes a cloud solution where you are renting infrastructure. You purchase virtual power to execute your software as needed. This is much like running a virtual server on your own equipment, except you are now running a virtual server on a virtual disk. This model is similar to a utility company model because you pay for what you use.

+ Platform as a Service (PaaS): PaaS provides everything except applications. Services provided by this

model include all phases of the system development life cycle (SDLC) and can use application programming interfaces (APIs), website portals, or gateway software. These solutions tend to be proprietary, which can cause problems if the customer moves away from the provider’s platform.

+ Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS is designed to provide a complete packaged solution. The software is rented out to the user. The service is usually provided through some type of front end or web portal. While the end user is free to use the service from anywhere, the company pays a peruse fee.

 Posture is a feature within Cisco ISE that verifies the compliance of an endpoint before providing access to the network. Posture assessment checks the state of the endpoint, such as the operating system, antivirus, firewall, patches, and so on, against the predefined policies. If the endpoint does not meet the policy requirements, it can be remediated by installing or updating the necessary software or configuration. Posture assessment can be done for both wired and wireless endpoints, as well as VPN clients. Posture assessment requires the installation of a posture agent on the endpoint, which communicates with the posture service on the ISE server. The posture agent can be either a persistent agent, which runs in the background and provides continuous assessment, or a temporal agent, which runs on-demand and is removed after the assessment is complete. Posture assessment can be integrated with 802.1X or web authentication methods for network access control. References :=

Some possible references are:

ISE Posture Prescriptive Deployment Guide

ISE Posture Deployment Best Practices and Considerations

Understanding ISE Posture Services

Explanation

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

EDR stands for endpoint detection and response, while EPP stands for endpoint protection platform. EDR and EPP are two types of endpoint security solutions that have different capabilities and objectives. EDR provides real-time visibility into endpoint activities, detects malicious behavior and anomalies, and enables security teams to investigate and respond to threats. EPP prevents, detects, and remediates security threats on endpoints, such as known and unknown malware, ransomware, and zero-day vulnerabilities. EPP solutions may also include EDR capabilities, but not all EDR solutions include EPP capabilities.

One of the key features of EDR is retrospective analysis, which means the ability to look back at historical endpoint data and identify the root cause, scope, and impact of a security incident. Retrospective analysis helps security teams understand how the threat entered the network, what actions it performed, and how to prevent it from happening again. EPP solutions, on the other hand, do not provide retrospective analysis, as they are mainly focused on preventing and remediating threats, rather than investigating and responding to them.

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Retrospective analysis is a characteristic of an EDR solution and not of an EPP solution.

Full Context Awareness - policy enforcement

NGIPS - threat prevention

AMP - real-time

Collective Sec Intel - Detection, blocking an remediation

Cisco Cloudlock is a cloud-native security platform that provides data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities for public cloud environments, such as SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS. Cisco Cloudlock can discover, classify, and protect sensitive data stored in cloud applications, such as Office 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dropbox, and AWS. Cisco Cloudlock uses advanced techniques, such as regular expressions, keywords, dictionaries, and machine learning, to identify and monitor data based on predefined or custom policies. Cisco Cloudlock can also enforce actions, such as encryption, quarantine, deletion, or notification, to prevent data leakage or exposure12. References := 1: Cisco Cloudlock Data Sheet 2: Cloud Data Loss Prevention (Cloud DLP) Overview

Certificate authorities (CAs) are responsible for issuing, renewing, revoking, and publishing digital certificates. They also maintain a certificate revocation list (CRL), which is a database of revoked certificates that can be checked by relying parties to verify the validity of a certificate. Registration authorities (RAs) are entities that assist CAs with the verification of user identities and enrollment requests. They do not issue certificates themselves, nor do they have access to the CRL. Therefore, CRL publishing is a function that is performed by CAs but is a limitation of RAs. References :=

Some possible references are:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 4: Secure Connectivity, Lesson 4.1: VPN Fundamentals, Topic 4.1.1: Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

Easy guide to SSL certificate authorities, Namecheap

How exactly are registration authorities related to certificate authorities?, Information Security Stack Exchange

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.

 The monitoring agent uses the RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) performance metric to collect and output packet loss and jitter information. RTP is a network protocol used for delivering audio and video over IP networks. It provides mechanisms for timestamping, sequence numbering, and delivery monitoring, which allow for the measurement of packet loss and jitter. RTP is specifically designed for real-time multimedia streaming applications, which are more sensitive to changes in the transmission characteristics of data networks than other applications. Therefore, RTP performance is a suitable metric for monitoring and collecting packet loss and jitter information.

The other options are not directly related to measuring packet loss and jitter. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a transport protocol that ensures reliable and ordered delivery of data, but it is not typically used for real-time multimedia applications. WSAv (Web Security Virtual Appliance) is a Cisco solution for web security, but it does not measure packet loss and jitter. AVC (Application Visibility and Control) is a technology that monitors and controls network applications, but it does not focus on packet loss and jitter. References :=

Measuring Delay, Jitter, and Packet Loss with Cisco IOS SAA and RTTMON1

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.02

Cisco 350-701: Which metric used by monitoring agent to collect and output packet loss and jitter information?

Workloaded security models are ways of protecting applications, services, and capabilities that run on a cloud resource. Virtual machines, databases, containers, and applications are all considered cloud workloads. There are different types of cloud deployment models, such as public, private, hybrid, and multicloud. Depending on the deployment model, the cloud workload security can vary in terms of responsibility, visibility, and control.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a cloud deployment model where the cloud provider offers the basic computing infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking, as a service. The customer is responsible for installing, configuring, and managing the operating systems, applications, and security of the workloads that run on the cloud infrastructure. IaaS provides the customer with more flexibility and control over the workload security, but also more complexity and overhead.

On-premises is a deployment model where the customer owns and operates the entire IT infrastructure, including the hardware, software, and security. The customer has full responsibility and control over the workload security, but also the highest cost and maintenance. On-premises deployment can offer more security and compliance than cloud deployment, depending on the customer’s security posture and practices.

https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/products/security/secure-workload/index.html

https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/cloud-security/what-is-cloud-workload-security/

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.

 Multi-factor 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 VPN. MFA is a core component of a strong identity and access management (IAM) policy1. MFA is important to implement inside of an organization because it can prevent brute force attacks from being successful. A brute force attack is a type of cyberattack that tries to guess the user’s password or PIN by trying different combinations until it finds the correct one. This can be done manually or with automated tools. MFA can stop brute force attacks by requiring an additional factor of authentication that the attacker does not have, such as a phone, a token, a biometric, or a location. MFA can also reduce the risk of other types of attacks that rely on stealing or compromising the user’s credentials, such as phishing, keylogging, or credential stuffing. References := 1: What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)? | OneLogin

Explanation

Explanation

When Umbrella receives a DNS request, it uses intelligence to determine if the request is safe, malicious or risky — meaning the domain contains both malicious and legitimate content. Safe and malicious requests are routed as usual or blocked, respectively. Risky requests are routed to our cloud-based proxy for deeper inspection. The Umbrella proxy uses Cisco Talos web reputation and other third-party feeds to determine if a URL is malicious.

The Python script in the exhibit uses the Cisco AMP for Endpoints API to get information about the computers in the deployment. It imports the requests library, which allows it to make HTTP requests. It then defines three variables: client_id, api_key, and url. These are used to authenticate and access the API endpoint. The url is set to ‘1’, which returns a list of computers in JSON format. The script then makes a GET request using the requests.get() method, passing the url and the authentication details as parameters. The response from the API is stored in the response variable, and converted to JSON using the response.json() method. The script then loops over each computer in the ‘data’ field of the JSON response, using a for loop. Inside the loop, it extracts the hostname of each computer using the ‘hostname’ key, and prints it using the print() function. Therefore, the script will pull all computer hostnames and print them, which is option C. References:

Overview of the Cisco AMP for Endpoints API

Secure Endpoint API - Cisco DevNet

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

Asymmetric encryption, also known as public key cryptography, uses two different keys for encryption and decryption: a public key and a private key. The public key can be shared with anyone, while the private key must be kept secret. Data encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key, and vice versa. This ensures that only the intended recipient can access the encrypted data, and that the sender can prove their identity with a digital signature. Asymmetric encryption is widely used for securing Internet communications, such as TLS/SSL, which enables HTTPS. Some examples of asymmetric encryption algorithms are RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and Elliptic Curve Cryptography. The other options are not correct because they do not use a public key and private key. Symmetric encryption uses the same key for encryption and decryption, and is faster and more efficient than asymmetric encryption. However, symmetric encryption requires a secure way to exchange the key between the sender and the receiver, which can be facilitated by asymmetric encryption. Linear and nonlinear encryption are not types of encryption, but rather properties of encryption algorithms. A linear encryption algorithm is one that can be expressed as a linear function, such as XOR. A nonlinear encryption algorithm is one that involves more complex mathematical operations, such as modular arithmetic or S-boxes. Nonlinear encryption algorithms are generally more secure and resistant to cryptanalysis than linear encryption algorithms. References :=

Public-key cryptography - Wikipedia

How does public key cryptography work? - Cloudflare

Public and private encryption keys | PreVeil

AES encryption, what are public and private keys?

Explanation

Explanation

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

scalability needs.

 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.

ESA stands for Email Security Appliance, which is a Cisco product that provides comprehensive email security solutions. ESA can be deployed in different modes, such as gateway, hybrid, or cloud, depending on the customer’s needs and preferences. One of the key components of ESA configuration is the listener, which is a service that listens for incoming SMTP connections on a specific port and interface. A listener can be configured to handle inbound or outbound email, or both, depending on the mail flow policies and sender groups that are applied to it.

One way to segregate inbound and outbound email on ESA is to use a pair of logical listeners on a single physical interface with two unique logical IPv4 addresses and one IPv6 address. This method allows the ESA to have two separate listeners for inbound and outbound email, each with its own IP address and mail flow policies, while using the same physical interface and port. This can simplify the network configuration and reduce the hardware requirements for ESA deployment. The IPv6 address can be used to support dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6 environments, or to provide redundancy in case of IPv4 address exhaustion.

The other options are incorrect because:

A is false, as one listener on a single physical interface cannot segregate inbound and outbound email, unless it uses different sender groups and mail flow policies for different hosts, which is not a recommended practice.

C is false, as pair of logical IPv4 listeners and a pair of IPv6 listeners on two physically separate interfaces is an unnecessary and complex configuration that does not provide any additional benefits over option B.

D is false, as one listener on one logical IPv4 address on a single logical interface cannot segregate inbound and outbound email, unless it uses different sender groups and mail flow policies for different hosts, which is not a recommended practice.

Explanation

Explanation

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that requires the user to provide two or more

verification factors to gain access to a resource. MFA requires means of verification that unauthorized users

won’t have.

Proper multi-factor authentication uses factors from at least two different categories.

MFA methods:

+ Knowledge – usually a password – is the most commonly used tool in MFA solutions. However, despite their

simplicity, passwords have become a security problem and slow down productivity.

+ Physical factors – also called possession factors–use tokens, such as a USB dongle or a portable device,

that generate a temporary QR (quick response) code. Mobile phones are commonly used, as they have the

advantage of being readily available in most situations.

+ Inherent – This category includes biometrics like fingerprint, face, and retina scans. As technology advances,

it may also include voice ID or other behavioral inputs like keystroke metrics. Because inherent factors are

reliably unique, always present, and secure, this category shows promise.

+ Location-based and time-based – Authentication systems can use GPS coordinates, network parameters,

and metadata for the network in use, and device recognition for MFA. Adaptive authentication combines these

data points with historical or contextual user data.

A time factor in conjunction with a location factor could detect an attacker attempting to authenticate in Europe

when the user was last authenticated in California an hour prior, for example.

+ Time-based one-time password (TOTP) – This is generally used in 2FA but could apply to any MFA

method where a second step is introduced dynamically at login upon completing a first step. The wait for a

second step–in which temporary passcodes are sent by SMS or email–is usually brief, and the process is easy

to use for a wide range of users and devices. This method is currently widely used.

+ Social media – In this case a user grants permission for a website to use their social media username and

password for login. This provide an easy login process, and one generally available to all users.

+ Risk-based authentication – Sometimes called adaptive multi-factor authentication, this method combines

adaptive authentication and algorithms that calculate risk and observe the context of specific login requests.

The goal of this method is to reduce redundant logins and provide a more user-friendly workflow.

+ Push-based 2FA – Push-based 2FA improves on SMS and TOTP 2FA by adding additional layers of security

while improving ease of use. It confirms a user’s identity with multiple factors of authentication that other

methods cannot. Because push-based 2FA sends notifications through data networks like cellular or Wi-Fi,

users must have data access on their mobile devices to use the 2FA functionality.

Endpoint-based security is the solution for performing signature-based application control, which is a method of identifying and blocking malicious applications based on their signatures or hashes. Signature-based application control is one of the features of endpoint security solutions, such as Cisco AMP for Endpoints1, that protect endpoints from known and unknown threats. Endpoint security solutions can also perform other functions, such as behavioral analysis, sandboxing, machine learning, and threat hunting, to provide comprehensive protection, detection, and response on the endpoint2. The other options are not scenarios where endpoint-based security is the solution. Inspecting encrypted traffic requires a network-based security solution, such as Cisco SSL Appliance3, that can decrypt and inspect the traffic for malicious content. Device profiling and authorization requires a network access control solution, such as Cisco Identity Services Engine4, that can identify and authenticate devices and users and enforce policies based on their roles and contexts. Inspecting a password-protected archive requires a file analysis solution, such as Cisco Threat Grid5, that can extract and analyze the contents of the archive for malware and indicators of compromise. References :=

Cisco AMP for Endpoints

What is Endpoint Security? How Does It Work?

Cisco SSL Appliance

Cisco Identity Services Engine

Cisco Threat Grid

For TACACS authentication to work, the key configured on the network device must match the key configured on the TACACS server. If users are unable to authenticate despite the TACACS server being reachable, it is likely due to a mismatch in the keys. Ensuring that both the network device and the TACACS server have the same key configured is crucial for successful authentication.

Explanation

Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud: Available as an SaaS product offer to provide visibility and threat detection within public cloud infrastructures such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Web Cache Communication Protocol (WCCP) is supported on Cisco IOS routers and Cisco ASA firewalls. WCCP allows these devices to redirect traffic to a WCCP-capable device, such as a web cache or a Cisco Secure Web Appliance, for processing. This redirection can be used for tasks like content filtering, web caching, and load balancing.

 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

NetFlow Secure Event Logging (NSEL) is a security logging mechanism that is built on NetFlow Version 9 technology. It provides a stateful, IP flow tracking method that exports only those records that indicate significant events in a flow, such as flow-create, flow-teardown, and flow-denied. NSEL events are triggered by the event that caused the state change in the flow. This reduces the amount of data that is exported and provides more relevant information for security analysis. NSEL also supports periodic flow-update events, which provide byte counters over the duration of the flow. These events are usually time-driven, but may also be triggered by state changes in the flow. NSEL uses templates to describe the format of the data records that are exported through NetFlow. Each event has several record formats or templates associated with it. NSEL delivers templates and data records to configured NSEL collectors through NetFlow over UDP only. NSEL also allows filtering of NSEL events based on the traffic and event type through Modular Policy Framework, and then sends records to different collectors. The supported event types are flow-create, flow-denied, flow-teardown, flow-update, and all. References :=

Some possible references are:

NetFlow Secure Event Logging (NSEL) - Cisco

NetFlow Secure Event Logging (NSEL) - Cisco

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

Explanation

A posture policy is a collection of posture requirements, which are associated with one or more identity groups, and operating systems. We can configure ISE to check for the Windows patch at Work Centers > Posture > Posture Elements > Conditions > File.

In this example, we are going to use the predefined file check to ensure that our Windows 10 clients have the critical security patch installed to prevent the Wanna Cry malware; and we can also configure ISE to update the client with this patch.

 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

Simple Custom Detection is a feature of Cisco AMP for Endpoints that allows administrators to block specific files based on their SHA-256 or MD5 hashes. This feature can be used to detect and quarantine files of unknown disposition, such as abc424400664.zip, by adding their hashes to a custom list in the AMP portal. The list can then be applied to a policy that is assigned to the endpoints. Simple Custom Detection works on files of any type, size, or platform, unlike the other options that are either platform-specific (Android Custom Detection), size-limited (Blocked Application), or signature-based (Advanced Custom Detection). References: 1, 2, 3

Explanation

With Cisco pxGrid (Platform Exchange Grid), your multiple security products can now share data and work together. This open, scalable, and IETF standards-driven platform helps you automate security to get answers and contain threats faster.

 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

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

Explanation

Explanation

Cisco FTD devices, Cisco Firepower devices, and the Cisco ASA FirePOWER modules can be managed by

the Firepower Management Center (FMC), formerly known as the FireSIGHT Management Center -> Answer D

is not correct

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?

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.

Explanation

Explanation

A Directory Harvest Attack (DHA) is a technique used by spammers to find valid/existent email addresses at a domain either by using Brute force or by guessing valid e-mail addresses at a domain using different

permutations of common username. Its easy for attackers to get hold of a valid email address if your

organization uses standard format for official e-mail alias (for example: jsmith@example.com). We can

configure DHA Prevention to prevent malicious actors from quickly identifying valid recipients.

Note: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an Internet protocol that email programs use to look up contact information from a server, such as ClickMail Central Directory. For example, here’s an LDAP search translated into plain English: “Search for all people located in Chicago who’s name contains “Fred” that have an email address. Please return their full name, email, title, and description.

ZBFW stands for Zone-Based Firewall, which is a feature that allows unidirectional application of IOS firewall policies between groups of interfaces known as zones. Interfaces are assigned to zones, and firewall rules are applied to specific types of traffic moving in one direction between the zones. ZBFW enforces a secure inter-zone policy by default, meaning traffic cannot pass between security zones until an explicit policy allowing that traffic is defined. The zone itself is an abstraction of multiple interfaces with the same or similar security requirements that can be logically grouped together. ZBFW is CBAC’s replacement and offers intuitive policies for multiple-interface routers, increased granularity of firewall policy application, and a default deny-all policy that prohibits traffic between firewall security zones until an explicit policy is applied to allow desirable traffic. ZBFW is supported on IOS devices running 12.4(6)T or later, and ASR devices running 12.2(33) or later. References:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 4: Securing the Cloud, Lesson 4.1: Introducing Cisco Cloud Services Router 1000V Series, Topic 4.1.2: Zone-Based Firewall

Understand the Zone-Based Policy Firewall Design

Managing Zone-based Firewall Rules

Zone Based Firewall Overview

CBAC vs. Zone-based firewall

 Cl/CD pipelining is a method of software development that aims to deliver software faster and more reliably by automating the process of integrating, testing, and deploying code changes. Cl stands for continuous integration, which means that every code change is merged into a shared repository and verified by automated tests. CD stands for continuous delivery, which means that the code is always in a deployable state and can be released to production environments with minimal human intervention. Cl/CD pipelining enables developers to collaborate more effectively, detect and fix errors earlier, and deliver value to customers more frequently. Cl/CD pipelining is a key practice of DevOps, a culture and set of processes that bridge the gap between development and operations teams. References: 

https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/devops/what-cicd-pipeline

https://about.gitlab.com/topics/ci-cd/cicd-pipeline/

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

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.

The function of the crypto is a kmp key cisc406397954 address 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 command when establishing an IPsec VPN tunnel is to configure the pre-shared authentication key. This command specifies the key that will be used to authenticate the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) phase 1 negotiation between the IPsec peers. The key is associated with the address 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0, which means that it will apply to any peer that initiates or responds to the IKE negotiation. This is a common configuration for dynamic IPsec VPN scenarios, such as Dynamic Multipoint VPN (DMVPN) or Easy VPN, where the IP addresses of the peers are not known in advance. However, this is also a less secure configuration, as it exposes the VPN server to potential brute-force attacks from any source. A more secure configuration would be to specify the exact IP address or subnet of the peer, or to use certificates instead of pre-shared keys.

A network administrator can transparently identify users using Active Directory on the Cisco WSA in two ways:

Create NTLM or Kerberos authentication realm and enable transparent user identification. This option allows the WSA to use the NTLM or Kerberos protocol to authenticate users without prompting them for credentials. The WSA must join the Active Directory domain and have a valid service principal name (SPN) for this option to work1.

Deploy a separate Active Directory agent such as Cisco Context Directory Agent (CDA). This option allows the WSA to receive user-to-IP mappings from the CDA, which monitors the Active Directory domain controllers for user logon events. The CDA must be installed on a Windows server and have access to the domain controllers and the WSA2.

The other options are not ways to transparently identify users using Active Directory on the Cisco WSA. Creating an LDAP authentication realm and disabling transparent user identification will require users to enter their credentials manually. Installing the eDirectory client on each client workstation or deploying a separate eDirectory server are not related to Active Directory, but to Novell eDirectory, which is a different directory service3.

References := 1: User Guide for AsyncOS 11.0 for Cisco Web Security Appliances, Chapter: Acquire End-User Credentials, Topic: Active Directory/Kerberos, page 4-3. 2: User Guide for AsyncOS 11.0 for Cisco Web Security Appliances, Chapter: Acquire End-User Credentials, Topic: Active Directory Agent, page 4-5. 3: User Guide for AsyncOS 11.0 for Cisco Web Security Appliances, Chapter: Acquire End-User Credentials, Topic: eDirectory, page 4-8.

 DoS attacks are categorized as flood attacks or crash attacks. Flood attacks are the more common form of DoS attacks. They occur when the attacked system is overwhelmed by large amounts of traffic that the server is unable to handle. The system eventually stops. Some examples of flood attacks are ICMP flood, SYN flood, and UDP flood. Crash attacks are less frequent and they exploit flaws in the targeted system. The result is that the system crashes. Some examples of crash attacks are Ping of Death, Teardrop, and Land. References:

What is a denial-of-service (DoS) attack? | Cloudflare

What is a Denial of Service (DoS) attack? | Norton

What is a Denial of Service (DoS) Attack? | Cobalt

What is a denial of service attack (DoS) - Palo Alto Networks

Cisco AMP for Endpoints is a solution that enables protection, detection, and response on the endpoint against known and unknown threats. It provides continuous visibility and analysis of endpoint activity, as well as automated threat prevention and response capabilities. It leverages cloud-based intelligence, sandboxing, and machine learning to block malware, fileless attacks, ransomware, and other advanced threats. It also allows security teams to quickly investigate and remediate incidents, as well as hunt for indicators of compromise across all endpoints. Cisco AMP for Endpoints is part of the Cisco SecureX platform, which integrates with other Cisco security solutions to provide a unified and simplified security experience. The other options are not correct because they do not offer the same level of endpoint protection, detection, and response as Cisco AMP for Endpoints. Cisco AnyConnect is a VPN solution that provides secure access to the network for remote workers, but it does not monitor or respond to endpoint threats. Cisco Umbrella is a DNS security solution that blocks malicious domains, IPs, and URLs, but it does not analyze or remediate endpoint activity. Cisco Duo is a multi-factor authentication solution that verifies the identity of users and devices, but it does not protect or detect endpoint attacks. References :=

Some possible references are:

Cisco AMP for Endpoints

Cisco SecureX

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0 - Module 5: Endpoint Protection and Detection

Explanation

Explanation

Customers must manage applications and data in PaaS.

SQL injection attacks are a type of code injection technique that exploit the use of dynamic SQL queries in web applications. Attackers can inject malicious SQL statements into user input fields, such as login forms, search boxes, or URLs, and execute them on the underlying database. This can result in unauthorized access, data theft, data corruption, or denial of service.

To prevent SQL injection attacks, web developers should use the following techniques:

Use prepared statements and parameterized queries: Prepared statements are SQL queries that are precompiled and executed with user-supplied parameters. Parameterized queries are SQL queries that use placeholders for user input and bind them to actual values at runtime. Both techniques separate the SQL code from the user input, making it impossible for attackers to inject SQL commands into the query. For example, in Java, PreparedStatement is a class that implements parameterized queries. In PHP, PDO and mysqli are extensions that support prepared statements.

Block SQL code execution in the web application database login: Web applications should use a dedicated database user account with limited privileges to connect to the database. This account should only have the permissions necessary to perform the required operations, such as select, insert, update, or delete. It should not have the permissions to execute arbitrary SQL commands, such as create, drop, alter, grant, or revoke. This way, even if an attacker manages to inject SQL code into the query, the database will reject it due to insufficient privileges.

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

An application that does not validate user input is particularly susceptible to SQL injection attacks. In an SQL injection attack, an attacker can insert or "inject" a SQL query via the input data from the client to the application. Due to the lack of validation, the malicious SQL commands are executed by the database server, leading to unauthorized access or manipulation of the database.

Explanation

Explanation

The Application Visibility and Control (AVC) engine lets you create policies to control application activity on the network without having to fully understand the underlying technology of each application. You can configure application control settings in Access Policy groups. You can block or allow applications individually or according to application type. You can also apply controls to particular application types.

Explanation

Explanation

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

scalability needs.

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.

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.

This is a type of Outbreak Control list that allows the administrator to create a list of files based on their SHA-256 hash values that will be detected, blocked, and quarantined by the AMP for Endpoints connectors. The Simple Custom Detection list can be applied to a policy and synchronized with the devices that have the AMP connectors installed. This way, the administrator can prevent the execution of specific files without having to quarantine them on the devices.

The other options are incorrect because:

Advanced Custom Detection is a type of Outbreak Control list that allows the administrator to create custom rules based on file attributes, such as file name, size, path, or parent process. These rules can be used to detect and block files that match certain criteria, but they cannot be used to quarantine them.

Blocked Application is a type of Outbreak Control list that allows the administrator to create a list of applications based on their SHA-256 hash values that will be blocked from running on the devices that have the AMP connectors installed. However, this list does not detect or quarantine the applications, only prevents them from executing.

Isolation is a feature of AMP for Endpoints that allows the administrator to isolate a device from the network if it is compromised by malware. This prevents the device from communicating with other devices or the internet, but does not affect the files on the device.

The cloud security shared responsibility model is a way of describing how the security tasks and obligations are divided between the cloud service provider (CSP) and the customer, depending on the type of cloud service model used. The cloud service models are:

Software as a Service (SaaS): The CSP provides and manages the entire software stack, including the applications, data, runtime, middleware, operating system, virtualization, servers, storage, and networking. The customer only needs to access the software through a web browser or an application. The customer is responsible for managing their own data and identities, as well as configuring the security settings of the software. The CSP is responsible for everything else, including patching the operating system and the applications12

Platform as a Service (PaaS): The CSP provides and manages the platform layer, including the runtime, middleware, operating system, virtualization, servers, storage, and networking. The customer can deploy and run their own applications and data on the platform, using the tools and languages supported by the CSP. The customer is responsible for managing their own applications and data, as well as configuring the security settings of the platform. The CSP is responsible for patching the operating system and the middleware12

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): The CSP provides and manages the infrastructure layer, including the virtualization, servers, storage, and networking. The customer can provision and use virtual machines, containers, or bare metal servers, and install their own operating system, middleware, applications, and data. The customer is responsible for managing and patching their own operating system, middleware, applications, and data, as well as configuring the security settings of the infrastructure. The CSP is responsible for the physical security and availability of the infrastructure12

References := 1: Shared responsibility in the cloud - Microsoft Azure 2: Cloud security shared responsibility model - NCSC

 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

Explanation

FlexVPN supports IKEv2 -> Answer A is not correct.

DMVPN supports both IKEv1 & IKEv2 -> Answer B is not correct.

FlexVPN support multiple SAs -> Answer D is not correct.

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:

href=javascript:alert&#

x28'XSS')>Click Here

is equivalent to:

Click Here

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

Cisco Secure Workload (formerly Tetration) is a solution that provides visibility, segmentation, and security for cloud applications. It can monitor application communications, detect abnormal application behavior, and identify vulnerabilities within the applications. Cisco Secure Workload can also enforce granular policies to control the traffic between applications and prevent unauthorized access. References: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 6: Cloud and Content Security, Lesson 6.2: Cisco Cloud Security Solutions, Topic 6.2.2: Cisco Secure Workload

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.

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

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)

Explanation

The Trusted Automated eXchangeof Indicator Information (TAXII) specifies mechanisms for exchanging

structured cyber threat information between parties over the network.

TAXII exists to provide specific capabilities to those interested in sharing structured cyber threat information.

TAXII Capabilities are the highest level at which TAXII actions can be described. There are three capabilities

that this version of TAXII supports: push messaging, pull messaging, and discovery.

Although there is no “binding” capability in the list but it is the best answer here.

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

NetFlow is a baseline form of telemetry that is recommended for network infrastructure devices. NetFlow is a technology that collects and exports information about IP traffic flows on enabled interfaces. NetFlow can provide valuable insight into the network performance, utilization, behavior, and security. NetFlow can help identify anomalies, such as DDoS attacks, malware, or misconfigurations, by comparing the current traffic patterns with the normal or baseline ones. NetFlow can also help with capacity planning, troubleshooting, and forensic analysis. NetFlow is supported on various Cisco platforms, such as routers, switches, firewalls, and IPS sensors. NetFlow can export data to different collectors and analyzers, such as Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis and Response System (CS-MARS), Cisco Traffic Anomaly Detectors and Cisco Guard DDoS Mitigation Appliances, Cisco Network Analysis Module (NAM), and other third-party tools. References:

The Python script is using the dnac_login function to authenticate to a Cisco DNA Center server and obtain a token that can be used for subsequent API calls. The function takes three parameters: host, username, and password. It constructs a URL for the authentication endpoint, which is https://{}/api/system/v1/auth/token. It then uses the requests library to send a POST HTTP request to the URL, passing the username and password as HTTP Basic Authentication credentials, and setting the headers to indicate the expected content type and response format. The function also disables the SSL verification by setting the verify parameter to False. This is not recommended for production environments, as it exposes the script to potential security risks. The function then returns the token value from the JSON response, which is accessed by using the response.json()[ "Token"] syntax. The token can then be used as a bearer token for subsequent API calls to the Cisco DNA Center server. References:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 9: Content Security, Lesson 9.3: Cisco DNA Center APIs

Cisco DNA Center Platform API Reference, Authentication API

Refer to the exhibit. What will happen when the Python script is executed?

 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

 Tetration is the solution that protects hybrid cloud deployment workloads with application visibility and segmentation. Tetration enables a zero-trust model using segmentation, which allows you to identify security incidents faster, contain lateral movement, and reduce your attack surface. Tetration supports both on-premises and public cloud workloads and provides real-time telemetry data, behavior analysis, software inventory, and policy enforcement. Tetration is part of the Cisco Zero Trust portfolio, which also includes solutions for securing the workforce and workplace. References:

Cisco Tetration Platform - Cisco, Topic: Cisco Tetration offers holistic workload protection for multicloud data centers by enabling a zero-trust model using segmentation.

[Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0], Module 5: Securing the Cloud, Lesson 5.3: Cloud Workload Security, Topic 5.3.1: Tetration

Cisco Zero Trust Tetration, Topic: Tetration provides zero-trust security for workloads as part of the Cisco Zero Trust portfolio.

Dual-SSID BYOD is the term for when an endpoint is associated to a provisioning WLAN that is shared with guest access, and the same guest portal is used as the BYOD portal. This flow is a unique capability of ISE where the user does not have to log in twice, as ISE can take the user information from the 802.1X session and direct the user to the BYOD flow. Once the endpoint is onboarded, it is reconnected to the secured WLAN for full network access. This flow is different from single-SSID BYOD, where the endpoint associates to a secure WLAN, gets onboarded, and then reconnects to the same WLAN12. References: 1: ISE BYOD: Dual vs. Single SSID Onboarding - Cisco Community 2: Cisco ISE BYOD Prescriptive Deployment Guide - Cisco Community

The result of using this authentication protocol in the configuration is that the authentication and authorization requests are grouped in a single packet. This is because the configuration uses RADIUS as the AAA protocol, which combines both authentication and authorization functions in one process. RADIUS is facilitated through AAA and can be enabled only through AAA commands. The aaa new-model global configuration command enables AAA, and the radius-server host command specifies the IP address and the shared secret key of the RADIUS server. The aaa authentication command defines the method list for RADIUS authentication, and the aaa group server command defines the group name and the members of the group. The line and interface commands enable the defined method list to be used. When a user tries to access the router, the router sends a single Access-Request packet to the RADIUS server, which contains the user credentials and other attributes. The RADIUS server then verifies the credentials and returns either an Access-Accept packet, which grants access and may include authorization information, or an Access-Reject packet, which denies access. Therefore, the correct answer is D. References:

Security Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE Everest 16.6.x (Catalyst …

Configuring Basic AAA on an Access Server - Cisco

AAA Server Priority explained with New Radius Server Command Line

Configuring AAA on Cisco Devices – RADIUS and TACACS+ - Study-CCNA

Explanation

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/ise/2-4/admin_guide/b_ISE_admin_guide_24/

m_ise_interoperability_mdm.html

The access control rule in the exhibit has the following characteristics:

The rule name is DMZ_Rule and it is enabled.

The action set for this rule is Trust, meaning traffic matching this rule will not be subjected to further inspection.

The source zones are not specified, meaning any zone can match this rule.

The destination zone is DMZ_Inside, meaning only traffic destined to this zone can match this rule.

Therefore, the effect of this rule is that all traffic from any zone to the DMZ_Inside zone will be permitted with no further inspection. This is the correct answer, option A.

The other options are incorrect because they do not match the configuration of the rule or the behavior of the Trust action. Option B is incorrect because traffic will be allowed through to the DMZ_Inside zone, not blocked. Option C is incorrect because traffic will not be inspected before being allowed to the DMZ_Inside zone. Option D is incorrect because traffic does not need to be trusted to be allowed to the DMZ_Inside zone. References:

Firepower Management Center Configuration Guide, Version 6.6 - Access Control Rules

Firepower Management Center Device Configuration Guide, 7.1 - Access Control Policies

How to Deploy FMC/FTD part 2 – Access Control Policies

Explanation

Explanation

You can also monitor on-premises networks in your organizations using Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud. In order to do so, you need to deploy at least one Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud Sensor appliance (virtual or physical appliance).

 Installing the Cisco Umbrella root CA onto the user’s device is the action that accomplishes the goal of inspecting traffic without alerting end-users. This is because the root CA allows the user’s device to trust the certificates issued by the Cisco Umbrella intelligent proxy, which acts as a man-in-the-middle for SSL sites on Umbrella’s grey list. Without the root CA, the user’s browser would raise errors when accessing those sites, as it would detect an untrusted certificate. By installing the root CA, the user’s browser would accept the certificate and allow the traffic to be proxied and inspected by the intelligent proxy. References:

Enable SSL Decryption - Umbrella User Guide

SSL Decryption in the Intelligent Proxy – Cisco Umbrella

Cisco Umbrella Intelligent Proxy and SSL Decryption

Intelligent Proxy and SSL Decryption with Cisco Umbrella

Explanation

Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email or malicious web sites to solicit personal,

often financial, information. Attackers may send email seemingly from a reputable credit card company or

financial institution that requests account information, often suggesting that there is a problem.

The ip radius source-interface command is needed for this configuration because it forces RADIUS to use the IP address of a specified interface for all outgoing RADIUS packets. This ensures that the RADIUS server can identify the source of the requests and apply the appropriate policies. If this command is not used, RADIUS will use the IP address of the interface that is closest to the destination, which may not match the configured NAS IP on the RADIUS server. This can cause the RADIUS server to reject the requests as unauthorized12. References:

1: RADIUS source interface - Cisco Community

2: RADIUS Commands - Cisco

Explanation

Explanation

Cisco Cloudlock: Secure your cloud users, data, and applications with the cloud-native Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) and cloud cybersecurity platform.

The dot1x pae authenticator command enables 802.1x authentication on the port and configures the port as an authenticator. This command is required for the port to initiate the authentication process with the connected client. Without this command, the port will not send EAPOL packets to the client and will not receive the client credentials. Therefore, the client will not be authenticated and will remain in the unauthorized state. The other options are not mandatory for 802.1x authentication, although they can be used to modify the default behavior of the port. For example, authentication open allows the port to grant access to the client before authentication, dot1x reauthentication enables periodic reauthentication of the client, and cisp enable enables Cisco Identity Services Protocol (CISP) on the port. References: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 5: Secure Network Access, Lesson 5.1: Implementing 802.1X Authentication, Topic 5.1.2: Configuring 802.1X Authentication, Page 5-9.

Device compliance checks are a feature of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) that allows you to verify the posture of endpoints before allowing them to access your network. Posture is the state of the endpoint in terms of security, such as the presence of anti-virus software, firewall, patches, and so on. A posture agent, such as the AnyConnect ISE Posture Agent, runs on the endpoint and collects posture information, which is then sent to the ISE server for evaluation. Based on the posture policy, the ISE server can grant or deny network access, or apply remediation actions to the endpoint. One of the benefits of conducting device compliance checks is that it validates if anti-virus software is installed on the endpoint, which can prevent malware infections and protect your network from threats. The other options are not benefits of device compliance checks, as they are not related to the posture of the endpoint. References:

Compliance - Cisco

Device Compliance - Cisco

Explanation

Explanation

Easy Connect simplifies network access control and segmentation by allowing the assignment of Security

Group Tags to endpoints without requiring 802.1X on those endpoints, whether using wired or wireless

connectivity.

 OWASP stands for Open Web Application Security Project, a non-profit organization that provides resources for web application security. OWASP has developed a number of standards, projects, events, and news on topics such as web application security, supply chain security, and cyber risk mitigation1. One of the most widely recognized OWASP resources is the OWASP Top 10, a standard awareness document for developers and web application security. It represents a broad consensus about the most critical security risks to web applications, such as broken access control, cryptographic failures, injection, and insecure design2. The OWASP Top 10 is updated periodically based on data analysis and community feedback. The latest edition was released in 20213. By following the OWASP Top 10 and other OWASP resources, developers can build more secure applications that minimize these risks. References := 1: OWASP Foundation, the Open Source Foundation for Application Security 2: OWASP Top Ten | OWASP Foundation 3: OWASP Top 10:2021

URL conditions in access control rules allow you to limit the websites that users on your network can access. This feature is called URL filtering. There are two ways you can use access control to specify URLs you want to block (or, conversely, allow):

– With any license, you can manually specify individual URLs, groups of URLs, and URL lists and feeds to achieve granular, custom control over web traffic.

– With a URL Filtering license, you can also control access to websites based on the URL’s general

classification, or category, and risk level, or reputation. The system displays this category and reputation data in connection logs, intrusion events, and application details.

Using category and reputation data also simplifies policy creation and administration. It grants you assurance that the system will control web traffic as expected. Finally, because Cisco’s threat intelligence is continually updated with new URLs, as well as new categories and risks for existing URLs, you can ensure that the system uses up-to-date information to filter requested URLs. Malicious sites that represent security threats such as malware, spam, botnets, and phishing may appear and disappear faster than you can update and deploy new policies.

Cisco ISE and pxGrid use the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standards to integrate with each other and with other interoperable security platforms. IETF is an open, international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers who produce voluntary standards for the Internet. Cisco pxGrid is based on the IETF standards-track XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) and RESTCONF (Representational State Transfer Configuration Protocol) technologies. These standards enable Cisco pxGrid to provide a scalable, secure, and open data-sharing platform that supports multiple security products and services. Cisco ISE uses the IETF standards-track RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) and TACACS+ (Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System Plus) protocols to provide network access control and policy enforcement. Cisco ISE also supports the IETF standards-track SXP (Security Group Tag eXchange Protocol) to propagate security group tags across the network. By using the IETF standards, Cisco ISE and pxGrid can interoperate with other security platforms that support the same standards, such as Infoblox, Splunk, Rapid7, and more. References:

Cisco pxGrid - Cisco

ISE pxGrid General Information & FAQ - Cisco Community

How To: Integrate Cisco WSA using ISE and TrustSec via pxGrid

Infoblox DDI, Cisco ISE, and the pxGrid Solution Platform

Explanation

DTLS is used for delay sensitive applications (voice and video) as its UDP based while TLS is TCP based.

Therefore DTLS offers strongest throughput performance. The throughput of DTLS at the time of AnyConnect connection can be expected to have processing performance close to VPN throughput.

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 CWS eliminates the need to backhaul traffic through headquarters for remote workers whereas Cisco WSA does not. Cisco CWS is a cloud-based web security service that provides comprehensive protection against web-based threats for users anywhere, on any device1. Cisco WSA is an on-premises web security appliance that provides web filtering, malware scanning, data loss prevention, and other features for users within the network perimeter2. One of the benefits of using Cisco CWS over Cisco WSA is that it eliminates the need to backhaul traffic through headquarters for remote workers, which can reduce bandwidth costs, latency, and complexity3. Remote workers can connect directly to the nearest Cisco CWS data center and receive the same level of web security as if they were in the office. Cisco WSA, on the other hand, requires remote workers to use a VPN or proxy to route their web traffic through the headquarters, which can affect their performance and user experience. References:

1: Cisco Cloud Web Security Data Sheet

2: Cisco Secure Web Appliance Data Sheet

3: Cisco Cloud Web Security: Comprehensive Defense, Advanced Threat Protection, and Superior Flexibility for Your Business

: Cisco Cloud Web Security: How It Works

: Cisco Cloud Web Security: FAQ

Cisco Stealthwatch - rapidly collects and analyzes netflow and telementy data to deliver in-depth visibility and understanding of network traffic

Cisco ISE – obtains contextual identity and profiles for all users and device

Cisco TrustSec – software defined segmentation that uses SGTs

Cisco Umbrella – secure internet gateway ion the cloud that provides a security solution

 A private cloud is a cloud deployment model that is dedicated to a single organization and provides exclusive access to its resources and services. A private cloud can be hosted on-premises or off-premises by a third-party provider, but in either case, the organization has full control and visibility over the security, privacy, and compliance of its data and applications. A private cloud can also leverage the security features and best practices of the public cloud service provider, if applicable, while maintaining a higher degree of isolation and customization. A private cloud is the most secure deployment model when considering risks to cloud adoption, as it minimizes the exposure of sensitive data to external threats, reduces the dependency on the security posture of the cloud service provider, and enables the organization to meet its specific security and regulatory requirements123. References: 1: Best Practices to Manage Risks in the Cloud - ISACA 2: Security in the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure 3: Five challenges to cloud adoption and how to overcome them - PwC Middle East

Malware installation: This may be done by hijacking DNS queries and responding with malicious IP addresses.

Command & Control communication: As part of lateral movement, after an initial compromise, DNS

communications is abused to communicate with a C2 server. This typically involves making periodic DNS

queries from a computer in the target network for a domain controlled by the adversary. The responses contain encoded messages that may be used to perform unauthorized actions in the target network.

Network footprinting: Adversaries use DNS queries to build a map of the network. Attackers live off the terrain so developing a map is important to them.

Data theft (exfiltration): Abuse of DNS to transfer data; this may be performed by tunneling other protocols like FTP, SSH through DNS queries and responses. Attackers make multiple DNS queries from a compromised computer to a domain owned by the adversary. DNS tunneling can also be used for executing commands and transferring malware into the target network.

Explanation

Explanation

Talos Threat Source is a regular intelligence update from Cisco Talos, highlighting the biggest threats each week and other security news.

A NetFlow version 9 template record is a record that contains information about the fields that will be present in the data records that follow the template. A template record consists of a template ID, a field count, and a list of field types and lengths. A template record is sent periodically by the NetFlow exporter to the NetFlow collector, so that the collector can parse and interpret the data records correctly. A template record can also be requested by the collector using an options template record. The purpose of a template record is to define the format of data records, which contain the actual information about the IP flows1234.

A. It specifies the data format of NetFlow processes. - This is incorrect, because a template record does not specify the data format of NetFlow processes, but rather the data format of data records. NetFlow processes are the functions that perform flow creation, aggregation, export, and analysis on the NetFlow device or the collector. B. It provides a standardized set of information about an IP flow. - This is incorrect, because a template record does not provide any information about an IP flow, but rather the information about the fields that will be present in the data records. The data records are the ones that provide the information about an IP flow, such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, bytes, packets, timestamps, and so on. C. It defines the format of data records. - This is correct, because a template record defines the format of data records by specifying the field types and lengths that will be present in the data records. A template record allows the NetFlow collector to parse and interpret the data records correctly, and also enables the NetFlow exporter to use different formats for different types of flows. D. It serves as a unique identification number to distinguish individual data records. - This is incorrect, because a template record does not serve as a unique identification number, but rather as a description of the fields. A template record has a template ID, which is a 16-bit value that identifies the template record uniquely within an export packet, but this ID is not used to distinguish individual data records. The data records are distinguished by their position within the export packet and their association with a template record.

References := 1: NetFlow Version 9 Flow-Record Format [IP Application Services] - Cisco … 2: NetFlow V9 formats - IBM 3: Netflow :: Version 9 - Caligare 4: NetFlow Versions > NetFlow for Cybersecurity | Cisco Press

Explanation

Stateful failover for IP Security (IPsec) enables a router to continue processing and forwarding IPsec packets

after a planned or unplanned outage occurs. Customers employ a backup (secondary) router that automatically

takes over the tasks of the active (primary) router if the active router loses connectivity for any reason. This

failover process is transparent to users and does not require adjustment or reconfiguration of any remote peer.

Stateful failover for IPsec requires that your network contains two identical routers that are available to be either

the primary or secondary device. Both routers should be the same type of device, have the same CPU and

memory, and have either no encryption accelerator or identical encryption accelerators.

Prerequisites for Stateful Failover for IPsec

Complete, Duplicate IPsec and IKE Configuration on the Active and Standby Devices

This document assumes that you have a complete IKE and IPsec configuration.

The IKE and IPsec configuration that is set up on the active device must be duplicated on the standby device.

That is, the crypto configuration must be identical with respect to Internet Security Association and Key

Management Protocol (ISAKMP) policy, ISAKMP keys (preshared), IPsec profiles, IPsec transform sets, all crypto map sets that are used for stateful failover, all access control lists (ACLs) that are used in match address statements on crypto map sets, all AAA configurations used for crypto, client configuration groups, IP local pools used for crypto, and ISAKMP profiles.

Explanation

The AES encryption algorithm encrypts and decrypts data in blocks of 128 bits (block size). It can do this using 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit keys

 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

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.

Multiple context mode allows you to partition a single ASA into multiple virtual firewalls, each with its own security policy, interfaces, and management IP address. This mode is useful for providing security services to different customers or tenants on a shared appliance, while maintaining separation of management and configuration. Each context acts as an independent device and can be in either routed or transparent mode. You can also assign different administrators to each context and limit their access to specific commands and features. Multiple context mode is supported in Cisco ACI with the ASA device package version 1.2 or later. References: 

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/aci/apic/sw/1-x/L4-L7_Service_Graph_Deployment_Guide/b_L4L7_Service_Graph_Deploy_ver122g/b_L4L7_Service_Graph_Deploy_ver122x_chapter_0110.pdf

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/asa/asa96/configuration/general/asa-96-general-config/intro-fw.html

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.

Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud is a cloud-delivered and SaaS-based solution that provides visibility and threat detection across the AWS network. It does not require any software agents to be installed on the AWS instances, and it relies on AWS VPC flow logs to collect network traffic metadata. Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud analyzes the flow logs using machine learning and behavioral modeling to detect anomalies and threats, such as data exfiltration, lateral movement, reconnaissance, and compromised instances. Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud also provides contextual information and actionable alerts to help users respond to incidents and remediate issues.

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-delivered and SaaS-based solution that provides DNS-layer security and web filtering for internet traffic. It does not provide visibility and threat detection for internal AWS network traffic, and it requires software agents to be installed on the endpoints or network devices to enforce policies and redirect DNS requests.

NetFlow collectors are devices or software applications that collect and analyze NetFlow records, which are generated by network devices to capture information about IP traffic flows. NetFlow collectors can provide visibility and threat detection for network traffic, but they are not cloud-delivered or SaaS-based solutions. They also require NetFlow exporters to be configured on the network devices, which may not be supported by AWS.

Cisco Cloudlock is a cloud-delivered and SaaS-based solution that provides cloud security posture management (CSPM) and cloud access security broker (CASB) capabilities for cloud applications and environments. It does not provide visibility and threat detection for AWS network traffic, and it does not rely on AWS VPC flow logs. It focuses on protecting cloud data, users, and configurations from misconfigurations, compliance violations, and malicious activities. References :=

Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud for AWS

Cisco Umbrella

NetFlow

[Cisco Cloudlock]

 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

Explanation

Only in On-site (on-premises) and IaaS we (tenant) manage O/S (Operating System).

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.

single methods of authentication can be compromised more easily than MFA. MFA, or multi-factor authentication, is a security process that requires users to provide two or more factors to verify their identity and access resources. MFA reduces the risk of unauthorized access by making it harder for attackers to compromise all the factors needed, especially if they are different in nature, such as something you know (password), something you have (token), and something you are (biometric).

To understand the concept of MFA and why it is important for authentication security, you can refer to the following sections of the source book:

Section 1.1.1: Describe the concepts of identity and access management

Section 1.1.1.1: Describe the concepts of identity principles

Section 1.1.1.2: Describe the concepts of authentication

Section 1.1.1.3: Describe the concepts of authorization

Section 1.1.1.4: Describe the concepts of accounting

Section 1.1.1.5: Describe the concepts of identity stores

Section 1.1.1.6: Describe the concepts of MFA

 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

 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

 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

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

A Cisco Umbrella virtual appliance (VA) is a lightweight virtual machine that acts as a DNS forwarder in your network. It forwards internal DNS queries to Umbrella and provides Umbrella with the internal IP address and hostname of the device that made the request. This allows Umbrella to apply policies and report on traffic based on the subnet, hostname, or user identity of the device1. The other options are not relevant for this scenario. Tenant control features are used to limit access to specific instances of cloud applications, such as Microsoft 365 or Google G Suite2. The Microsoft Active Directory Connector is used to provision users and groups from Active Directory to Umbrella, not to provide IP address information3. An internal domain is a domain that is resolved by your own DNS server, not by Umbrella, and is used to bypass Umbrella for domains that are only accessible within your network4. References:

1: Deploy Virtual Appliances - Umbrella User Guide

2: Manage Tenant Controls - Umbrella SIG User Guide

3: Connect Active Directory to Umbrella to Provision User and Groups

4: Domain Management - Umbrella User Guide

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.

Cisco Stealthwatch is a network security and visibility platform that provides an agentless solution to monitor network traffic and detect threats, including those in encrypted traffic. Stealthwatch uses Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA), a technology that leverages network telemetry and machine learning to identify malicious patterns and behaviors in encrypted traffic without decryption. ETA can also assess the cryptographic strength and compliance of the encryption protocols used in the network. Stealthwatch integrates with other Cisco security products, such as Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP), to provide contextual information and threat intelligence for faster and more effective response. Stealthwatch is the only Cisco platform that offers ETA as a solution to provide visibility across the network, including encrypted traffic analytics, to detect malware in encrypted traffic without the need for decryption. References :=

Some possible references are:

Cisco Secure Network Analytics (Stealthwatch) - Cisco, Cisco

Encrypted Traffic Analytics > Security | Cisco Press, Cisco Press

Solutions - Encrypted Traffic Analytics with the New Cisco Network and Secure Network Analytics At-a-Glance - Cisco, Cisco

Cisco Encrypted Traffic Analytics White Paper, Cisco

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

One of the benefits of a Cisco Secure Email Gateway Virtual appliance compared to a physical one is the ability to allocate additional resources as needed. Virtual appliances can be easily scaled up by allocating more CPU, memory, or storage resources, providing flexibility and scalability in response to changing demands or growth.

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.

3DES is a symmetric-key block cipher that applies the DES algorithm three times to each data block. It was developed to improve the security of DES, which has a small key size and is vulnerable to brute-force attacks. 3DES encrypts traffic by using three different keys, each 56 bits long, to perform three rounds of encryption on the plaintext. The encryption process can be described as follows:

Encrypt the plaintext with the first key (K1).

Decrypt the result with the second key (K2).

Encrypt the result again with the third key (K3).

The final ciphertext is the output of the third encryption. The decryption process is the reverse of the encryption process, using the same keys in reverse order:

Decrypt the ciphertext with the third key (K3).

Encrypt the result with the second key (K2).

Decrypt the result again with the first key (K1).

The final plaintext is the output of the third decryption. 3DES is more secure than DES because it uses a longer effective key length of 168 bits (56 x 3), which makes brute-force attacks more difficult. However, 3DES is also slower than DES because it requires three times more computations. Moreover, 3DES has some weaknesses, such as the meet-in-the-middle attack, which can reduce the effective key length to 112 bits. Therefore, 3DES is not recommended for new applications and has been deprecated by NIST since 201712

References := 1: NIST Special Publication 800-67 Revision 2 Recommendation for the Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDEA) Block Cipher 2: What is 3DES encryption and how does DES work? | Comparitech

Configuring the IEEE 802.1X Flexible Authentication feature to support Layer 3 authentication mechanisms involves adding MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB) into the switch configuration. This allows devices that do not support 802.1X to be authenticated using their MAC address. Once MAB identifies the device, it can then be redirected to a Layer 3 device for further authentication, thus providing a mechanism to support devices requiring Layer 3 authentication methods.

A PAC file, or proxy auto-configuration file, is a script that tells the web browser how to use a proxy server for different URLs. A PAC file can be hosted on a web server or on the WSA itself, and can be deployed to the client web browser manually or automatically. A WSA HTTP proxy configuration with a PAC file is defined as an explicit proxy deployment, because the client web browser is aware of the proxy and sends requests to it directly. This is different from a transparent proxy deployment, where the client web browser is unaware of the proxy and the requests are redirected to it by a network device such as a router or a firewall. A bridge proxy deployment is a type of transparent proxy deployment where the WSA acts as a layer 2 bridge between two network segments and intercepts the traffic passing through it. A PAC file is not used in a bridge proxy deployment. In a dual-NIC configuration, the WSA has two network interfaces, one for the client-side network and one for the server-side network. The PAC file does not direct traffic through the two NICs to the proxy, but rather tells the client web browser to send requests to the proxy’s IP address and port number. The WSA then forwards the requests to the server-side network through the other NIC. Therefore, option B is incorrect. References :=

Some possible references are:

1: What is a Proxy Pac file and are there any examples? - Cisco

2: What is a PAC file and where is it located on WSA? - Cisco

3: [WSA Training Series] How to configure the HTTPS Proxy on the Cisco Web Security Appliance

4: Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) file

5: Use proxy auto-configuration (.pac) files with IEAK 11

Explanation

The RADIUS Change of Authorization (CoA) feature provides a mechanism to change the attributes of an

authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) session after it is authenticated.

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.

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?

Explanation

SQL injection usually occurs when you ask a user for input, like their username/userid, but the user gives

(“injects”) you an SQL statement that you will unknowingly run on your database. For example:

Look at the following example, which creates a SELECT statement by adding a variable (txtUserId) to a select

string. The variable is fetched from user input (getRequestString):

txtUserId = getRequestString(“UserId”);

txtSQL = “SELECT * FROM Users WHERE UserId = ” + txtUserId;

If user enter something like this: “100 OR 1=1” then the SzQL statement will look like this:

SELECT * FROM Users WHERE UserId = 100 OR 1=1;

The SQL above is valid and will return ALL rows from the “Users” table, since OR 1=1 is always TRUE. A

hacker might get access to all the user names and passwords in this database.

 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 Duo is a cloud-based solution that provides multi-factor authentication (MFA) and device trust for secure access to applications and data. MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity with something they know (such as a password) and something they have (such as a phone or a hardware token). Device trust ensures that only trusted devices can access sensitive resources by checking the device health and compliance. Cisco Duo can help prevent social engineering attacks by making it harder for hackers to impersonate legitimate users or compromise their credentials. Cisco Duo can also integrate with other Cisco security products, such as Cisco AnyConnect, Cisco AMP for Endpoints, and Cisco Umbrella, to provide a comprehensive security solution. References :=

Cisco Duo Security

Cisco Duo: Multi-Factor Authentication

Cisco Duo: Device Trust

Cisco Security Core Technologies SCOR

Wired 802.1X authentication is a port-based network access control that uses the physical characteristics of the switched LAN infrastructure to authenticate devices attached to a LAN port1. Wired 802.1X authentication requires three components: a supplicant, an authenticator, and an authentication server2. The supplicant is the client device that requests access to the network. The authenticator is the switch port that controls the access to the network based on the authentication result. The authentication server is the server that validates the credentials of the supplicant and sends the authentication result to the authenticator3.

In this question, option A is correct because Cisco Identity Service Engine (ISE) is an example of an authentication server that supports wired 802.1X authentication4. Option C is correct because Cisco Catalyst switch is an example of an authenticator that supports wired 802.1X authentication5. Option B is incorrect because Cisco AnyConnect ISE Posture module is not a supplicant, but a software component that checks the compliance status of the supplicant. Option D is incorrect because Cisco ISE is not an authenticator, but an authentication server. Option E is incorrect because Cisco Prime Infrastructure is not an authentication server, but a network management tool.

 1: Wired 802.1X Deployment Guide - Cisco 2: 802.1X Authenticated Wired Access Overview | Microsoft Learn 3: About 802.1X Authentication - Aruba 4: Cisco Identity Services Engine - Products & Services - Cisco 5: Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Series Switches - Products & Services - Cisco : Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Administrator Guide, Release 4.9 - Configure Posture [Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client] - Cisco : Cisco Prime Infrastructure - Products & Services - Cisco

Cisco ESA uses a multilayer approach to fight viruses and malware. The first layer of defense consists of outbreak filters, which the appliance downloads from Cisco SenderBase. Outbreak filters use global threat intelligence and behavioral analysis to identify and block emerging threats before they reach the network. The second layer of defense consists of antivirus engines, which scan the message body and attachments for known viruses and malware. Cisco ESA supports multiple antivirus engines, such as Sophos, McAfee, and Cisco AMP. The Sophos engine is one of the default engines that Cisco ESA uses, along with McAfee. The Sophos engine provides fast and accurate detection of viruses and malware, and updates its signatures frequently. The other options are not features that are used to configure Cisco ESA with a multilayer approach to fight viruses and malware. A white list is a list of trusted senders or recipients that are exempt from spam or virus filtering. RAT is the Recipient Access Table, which is used to determine whether the appliance accepts or rejects messages to a recipient address. DLP is Data Loss Prevention, which is used to prevent sensitive or confidential data from leaving the network. References :=

Email Security Using Cisco ESA

Demystifying Cisco ESA HAT, RAT Tables and Deployment Types

Email Security Deployment Guide - Cisco

Explanation

Explanation

The Mail Policies menu is where almost all of the controls related to email filtering happens. All the security and content filtering policies are set here, so it’s likely that, as an ESA administrator, the pages on this menu are where you are likely to spend most of your time.

Explanation

Explanation

A bridge group is a group of interfaces that the ASA bridges instead of routes. Bridge groups are only

supported in Transparent Firewall Mode. Like any other firewall interfaces, access control between interfaces is controlled, and all of the usual firewall checks are in place.

Each bridge group includes a Bridge Virtual Interface (BVI). The ASA uses the BVI IP address as the source address for packets originating from the bridge group. The BVI IP address must be on the same subnet as the bridge group member interfaces. The BVI does not support traffic on secondary networks; only traffic on the same network as the BVI IP address is supported.

You can include multiple interfaces per bridge group. If you use more than 2 interfaces per bridge group, you can control communication between multiple segments on the same network, and not just between inside and outside. For example, if you have three inside segments that you do not want to communicate with each other, you can put each segment on a separate interface, and only allow them to communicate with the outside interface. Or you can customize the access rules between interfaces to allow only as much access as desired.

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.

According to the NIST 800-145 guide1, a community cloud is a cloud infrastructure that is provisioned for exclusive use by a specific community of consumers from organizations that have shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be owned, managed, and operated by one or more of the organizations in the community, a third party, or some combination of them, and it may exist on or off premises. A community cloud differs from a private cloud, which is provisioned for exclusive use by a single organization, and a public cloud, which is provisioned for open use by the general public. A hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities, but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds). References := 1: NIST SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, page 3.

Multifactor authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires two or more proofs of identity to grant access to a resource, such as a username and password, a one-time code, a smart card, etc.1 MFA provides stronger protection than single-factor authentication (SFA), which only requires one proof of identity, such as a password. SFA can be compromised more easily by attackers who can guess, steal, or intercept passwords, or use phishing or social engineering techniques to trick users into revealing their credentials. MFA adds an extra layer of security that makes it harder for attackers to gain access, even if they have the password. MFA can also prevent unauthorized access from lost or stolen devices, as the attacker would need another factor to authenticate. MFA can also deter attackers from targeting an organization, as they would need to invest more time and resources to bypass the security measures. Therefore, organizations should migrate to a multifactor authentication strategy to enhance their security posture and protect their data and assets. References := 1: What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)? - Auth0

 TAXII, short for Trusted Automated eXchange of Intelligence Information, is a protocol that defines how cyber threat information can be shared via services and message exchanges. It is designed specifically to support STIX information, which is a standardized language for expressing and exchanging cyber threat information. TAXII enables organizations to share STIX information by defining an API that aligns with common sharing models, such as hub and spoke, source/subscriber, and peer-to-peer. TAXII also defines four services that allow users to discover, manage, receive, and request STIX information. Therefore, TAXII supports STIX information and determines how threat intelligence information is relayed. TAXII does not determine the “what” of threat intelligence, as that is the role of STIX. TAXII does not allow users to describe threat motivations and abilities, as that is also part of STIX. TAXII does not exchange trusted anomaly intelligence information, as that is a specific type of threat intelligence that may or may not be represented in STIX. References:

What are STIX/TAXII Standards I Resources I Anomali

Cyber Threat Intelligence Technical Committee - GitHub Pages

GETVPN and IPsec are both VPN technologies that use ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) to encrypt and authenticate data packets. However, they differ in the following aspects:

GETVPN uses a group IPSec security paradigm, which means that all group members share the same IPSec SA (Security Association) and can communicate with each other without having to establish point-to-point tunnels. IPsec, on the other hand, uses a pair-wise IPSec security paradigm, which requires each pair of devices to negotiate and maintain their own IPSec SAs and tunnels.

GETVPN uses GDOI (Group Domain of Interpretation) as a key management protocol, which allows a Key Server (KS) to distribute the encryption keys and policies to all group members. IPsec uses IKE (Internet Key Exchange) as a key management protocol, which involves two phases of negotiation between each pair of devices to establish the IPSec SAs.

GETVPN supports multicast traffic without the need for GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation) tunneling, as it preserves the original IP header of the packet. IPsec does not support multicast traffic natively, and requires GRE tunneling to encapsulate the multicast packets with a new IP header.

GETVPN relies on the underlying WAN routing to deliver the encrypted packets to the destination, as it does not create any overlay routing. IPsec creates an overlay routing, which may introduce additional latency and complexity.

References :=

Some possible references are:

[Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0], Module 6: Secure Connectivity, Lesson 6.2: Implementing Site-to-Site VPNs, Topic 6.2.2: Group Encrypted Transport VPN

Group Encrypted Transport VPN (GETVPN)

GETVPN - Cisco Community

Cisco Get VPN vs DMVPN: Difference and Comparison

What is a difference between GETVPN and IPsec?

Explanation

Diffie Hellman (DH) uses a private-public key pair to establish a shared secret, typically a symmetric key. DH is not a symmetric algorithm – it is an asymmetric algorithm used to establish a shared secret for a symmetric key algorithm.

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)

Retrospective detection is a feature of Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints that performs correlation of telemetry, files, and intrusion events that are flagged as possible active breaches. Retrospective detection allows AMP to continuously analyze file activity across the network and identify malicious behavior that was previously undetected. Retrospective detection can also trigger alerts and remediation actions when a file’s disposition changes from clean to malicious12. References: 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 4: Endpoint Protection and Detection, Lesson 4.1: Cisco AMP for Endpoints Overview, Topic 4.1.3: Retrospective Detection 2: Cisco AMP for Endpoints User Guide, Chapter: Retrospective Detection, URL: 3

 ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload) is a cryptographic process that provides origin confidentiality, integrity, and origin authentication for packets. ESP encrypts the payload of an IP packet with a symmetric key, and adds a header and a trailer to the packet. The header contains a security parameter index (SPI) and a sequence number, which are used to identify the security association (SA) and prevent replay attacks. The trailer contains padding and a next header field, which are used to align the packet and indicate the type of the original payload. ESP also adds an authentication data field at the end of the packet, which contains a message authentication code (MAC) that is computed over the entire ESP packet (except for the authentication data field itself) using a secret key and a hash function. The MAC provides data integrity and origin authentication for the packet. ESP can operate in two modes: tunnel mode and transport mode. In tunnel mode, ESP encapsulates the entire original IP packet, including the IP header, and adds a new IP header. This mode provides protection for the entire packet, but adds more overhead. In transport mode, ESP only encapsulates the payload of the original IP packet, and leaves the IP header intact. This mode provides protection only for the payload, but preserves the original IP header information. ESP is one of the two main protocols of IPsec, along with AH (Authentication Header). AH only provides data integrity and origin authentication, but not confidentiality. AH adds a header to the IP packet, which contains a MAC that is computed over the immutable fields of the IP header and the entire payload. AH does not encrypt the payload, and therefore does not protect it from eavesdropping. AH can also operate in tunnel mode or transport mode, but it is incompatible with NAT devices, which modify the IP header fields. IKE (Internet Key Exchange) is a protocol that is used to establish and manage SAs for IPsec. IKE negotiates the security parameters, such as the encryption and authentication algorithms, the keys, and the SPIs, for the IPsec protocols. IKE also performs mutual authentication between the IPsec peers, and establishes a secure channel for exchanging keying material. IKE has two versions: IKEv1 and IKEv2. IKEv1 consists of two phases: phase 1 and phase 2. In phase 1, IKEv1 establishes an IKE SA, which is a secure channel for phase 2. In phase 2, IKEv1 negotiates one or more IPsec SAs, which are used to protect the IPsec traffic. IKEv2 simplifies the IKE protocol by combining the two phases of IKEv1 into a single exchange. IKEv2 also supports more features, such as NAT traversal, EAP authentication, and MOBIKE. References :=

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 3: VPN Technologies, Lesson 3.1: Site-to-Site VPNs, Topic 3.1.1: IPsec VPNs

IPsec - Wikipedia

AH and ESP protocols - IBM

How TLS provides identification, authentication, confidentiality, and integrity - IBM

Explanation

A data breach is the intentional or unintentional release of secure or private/confidential information to an

untrusted environment.

When your credentials have been compromised, it means someone other than you may be in possession of your account information, such as your username and/or password.

 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

 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 :=

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/firepower/60/configuration/guide/fpmc-config-guide-v60/Health_Monitoring.html

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/secure-firewall/management-center/admin/710/management-center-admin-71/health-health.html

Explanation

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

the Authentication.

Explanation

Explanation

Cisco Advanced Phishing Protection provides sender authentication and BEC detection capabilities. It uses advanced machine learning techniques, real-time behavior analytics, relationship modeling, and telemetry to protect against identity deception-based threats.

Explanation

Zero Trust is a security framework requiring all users, whether in or outside the organization’s network, to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated for security configuration and posture before being granted or keeping access to applications and data. Zero Trust assumes that there is no traditional network edge; networks can be local, in the cloud, or a combination or hybrid with resources anywhere as well as workers in any location.

The Zero Trust model uses microsegmentation — a security technique that involves dividing perimeters into small zones to maintain separate access to every part of the network — to contain attacks.

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

The function of Cisco Cloudlock for data security is data loss prevention (DLP). 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 ecosystem1. One of the key features of Cloudlock is its DLP technology, which 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. You can use Cloudlock’s DLP to prevent data breaches, comply with regulations, and enforce data governance across SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS platforms2. References: 1: Cisco Cloudlock - Cisco2: Cloudlock: Cloud User Security - Cisco Umbrella.

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 

https://talosintelligence.com/reputation_center/

https://bing.com/search?q=Talos+reputation+center+IP+addresses+email+web+traffic

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

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.

The difference between GRE over IPsec and IPsec with crypto map is that GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation) over IPsec can encapsulate and transport non-IP protocols across an IP network, whereas IPsec with crypto map is typically used for IP traffic. GRE tunnels wrapped in IPsec provide a way to transport multicast traffic and other protocol types across an IPsec VPN, offering greater flexibility in the types of traffic that can be secured.

Container orchestration is the automated process of organizing the functions of modular, containerized components that create the infrastructure of an application1. Container orchestration tools, such as Kubernetes, provide a framework for managing containers and microservices architecture at scale2. A feature of container orchestration is the ability to deploy Kubernetes clusters in air-gapped sites, which are isolated from the internet and other networks for security reasons3. Cisco Container Platform (CCP) is a solution that simplifies the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters in any environment, including air-gapped sites4. CCP provides a data plane that runs on the Kubernetes nodes and handles the container networking, storage, and security. CCP also provides a control plane that runs on a separate management cluster and provides a web-based user interface and API for cluster operations. CCP supports the deployment of Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) clusters on the data plane, but not on air-gapped sites. References: 1: What Is Container Orchestration? | AppDynamics 2: What is container orchestration? - Red Hat 3: Container orchestration for microservices - Azure Architecture Center 4: Cisco Container Platform Data Sheet : Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 5: Cloud and Network Security, Lesson 5.3: Cisco Cloud Security Solutions, Topic 5.3.2: Cisco Container Platform : Cisco Container Platform User Guide, Release 5.1, Chapter: Deploying Amazon ECS Clusters

Explanation

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

Cisco AMP (Advanced Malware Protection) is a technology that provides a combination of endpoint protection, endpoint detection, and response. Cisco AMP protects endpoints from malware and other threats by using multiple prevention engines, including signatures, machine learning, and file reputation. Cisco AMP also continuously monitors and analyzes endpoint activity to detect malicious behavior and indicators of compromise. Cisco AMP can respond to threats by blocking, isolating, or removing malicious files, processes, or devices across the network. Cisco AMP leverages the cloud-based intelligence of Cisco Talos and Cisco Threat Grid to provide global threat visibility and analysis. Cisco AMP can also integrate with Cisco Umbrella and other security solutions to provide a comprehensive and unified approach to endpoint security. References:

Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints)

Prevent, Detect and Respond with Cisco AMP for Endpoints

Provide State-of-the-Art Endpoint Protection as a Managed Service

RADIUS Change of Authorization (CoA) is a feature of Cisco ASA that allows VPN users to be postured against Cisco ISE without requiring an inline posture node. RADIUS CoA enables the ISE to send a message to the ASA to change the authorization attributes of an existing VPN session, such as the assigned IP address, ACL, or group policy. This way, the ISE can dynamically adjust the access level of the VPN user based on the posture assessment results, without the need for an intermediate device to enforce the policy change12. RADIUS CoA is supported by the ASA since version 9.2.13. References: 1: ASA Version 9.2.1 VPN Posture with ISE Configuration Example - Cisco 2: How To: ISE and ASA Integration using CoA for Posture - Cisco Community 3: How To Configure Posture with AnyConnect Compliance … - Cisco CommunityQUESTION NO: 94

What two mechanisms are used to redirect users to a web portal to authenticate to ISE for guest services?

(Choose two)

A. multiple factor auth

B. local web auth

C. single sign-on

D. central web auth

E. TACACS+

Answer: B, D

 Local web authentication (LWA) and central web authentication (CWA) are two mechanisms that are used to redirect users to a web portal to authenticate to ISE for guest services. Both methods involve the use of a redirect access control list (ACL) that allows the user to access only the web portal URL and blocks all other traffic until the user is authenticated. The difference between LWA and CWA is where the web portal and the authentication logic are hosted.

LWA: The web portal and the authentication logic are hosted on the wireless LAN controller (WLC). The WLC sends a RADIUS access-accept message to the network access device (NAD) along with the redirect ACL and the web portal URL. The NAD then redirects the user to the web portal on the WLC, where the user enters their credentials. The WLC verifies the credentials with the ISE and grants or denies access to the user. The advantage of LWA is that it does not require any configuration on the ISE, but the disadvantage is that it does not support advanced features such as posture assessment, profiling, or authorization policies.

CWA: The web portal and the authentication logic are hosted on the ISE. The WLC sends a RADIUS access-challenge message to the NAD along with the redirect ACL and the web portal URL. The NAD then redirects the user to the web portal on the ISE, where the user enters their credentials. The ISE verifies the credentials and sends a RADIUS access-accept message to the WLC with the authorization profile and the final ACL. The WLC then applies the authorization profile and the final ACL to the user session. The advantage of CWA is that it supports advanced features such as posture assessment, profiling, or authorization policies, but the disadvantage is that it requires more configuration on the ISE.

References :=

Configure Guest Access

Web Authentication Redirection to Original URL

Configure Local Web Authentication with External Authentication

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a product that provides comprehensive and scalable access policy enforcement for wired and wireless networks. ISE supports TACACS+ for device administration, which allows for granular control over the commands and actions that network administrators can perform on network devices. ISE also supports 802.1X, MAB, and WebAuth for network access, which enables authentication and authorization of users and endpoints based on various attributes, such as identity, device type, posture, location, and time. ISE can also integrate with other Cisco security products, such as Cisco Stealthwatch and Cisco AMP for Endpoints, to provide enhanced visibility and threat detection. Therefore, ISE is the product that meets all of the requirements stated in the question. References :=

Some possible references are:

Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0, Module 4: Secure Network Access, Identity Management, and Secure Access

TACACS+ Configuration Guide, Configuring TACACS

Cisco Identity Services Engine Administrator Guide, Release 2.7, Device Administration

Cisco Identity Services Engine Administrator Guide, Release 2.7, Network Access Devices

Cisco Identity Services Engine Administrator Guide, Release 2.7, Policy Sets

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

Explanation

Explanation

How To Troubleshoot ISE Failed Authentications & Authorizations

Check the ISE Live Logs

Login to the primary ISE Policy Administration Node (PAN).

Go to Operations > RADIUS > Live Logs

(Optional) If the event is not present in the RADIUS Live Logs, go to Operations > Reports > Reports >

Endpoints and Users > RADIUS Authentications

Check for Any Failed Authentication Attempts in the Log

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

 A flow monitor is a component of Flexible NetFlow that is used to store and export flow data. A flow monitor consists of a record, an optional exporter, and a cache. The cache is a section of memory that stores flow entries before they are exported to an external collector. The cache is created by the flow monitor when NetFlow is applied to an interface. The cache collects traffic based on the key and nonkey fields in the configured record. The key fields are used to identify a flow uniquely, while the nonkey fields are used to provide additional information about the flow. The cache can be configured with various parameters, such as the number of entries, the timeout values, and the type of cache. The cache can also be viewed and cleared using show and clear commands. References :=

Some possible references are:

Flexible Netflow Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS Release 15M&T

ASR9000/XR Netflow Architecture and overview

Cisco IOS Flexible NetFlow Command Reference - cache (Flexible NetFlow) through match flow

 The Python script of the Cisco DNA Center API in the exhibit uses the requests module to send a GET request to the /dna/intent/api/v1/network-device endpoint, which returns a list of network devices managed by Cisco DNA Center. The script also uses HTTPBasicAuth to provide the username and password for authentication. The script then parses the JSON response and prints the hostname, type, management IP address, and software version of each device in a table format using the prettytable module. Therefore, the result of this script is to receive information about a switch or switches from Cisco DNA Center. References:

Python Scripting APIs in Cisco DNA Center Let You Improve Effectiveness, Topic: Network device’s script, simple and easy to create

Intro to Cisco DNA Center REST API with Python, Module 2: Using Python to Retrieve a Network Device List

Cisco DNA Center API Call Python Script Example, Topic: Cisco DNA CENTER SANDBOX Call DNA Center API Call Python Script Example

Explanation

Explanation

There are three basic categories of attack:

+ volume-based attacks, which use high traffic to inundate the network bandwidth

+ protocol attacks, which focus on exploiting server resources

+ application attacks, which focus on web applications and are considered the most sophisticated and serious type of attacks Reference: https://www.esecurityplanet.com/networks/types-of-ddos-attacks/

When the Cisco Secure Firewall downloads threat intelligence updates from Cisco Talos, it is engaged in "consumption." This term refers to the process of receiving and utilizing threat intelligence data to enhance security measures. Cisco Talos provides comprehensive threat intelligence that Cisco Secure Firewall consumes to update its threat detection and prevention capabilities.

Based on the configuration script in the image, the interface GigabitEthernet0/0/18 is configured for both 802.1X and MAB authentication. The command authentication port-control auto enables 802.1X authentication on the port, while the command dot1x pae authenticator enables the port to act as an authenticator. The command authentication host-mode multi-domain enables MAB authentication on the port, and allows two devices to be authenticated, one in the voice VLAN and one in the data VLAN. Therefore, when a device tries to connect to the port, the switch will first attempt 802.1X authentication, and if it fails, it will fall back to MAB authentication using the device’s MAC address. The switch will then contact the ISE server, which is configured as the RADIUS server group ise-group, to verify the device’s credentials and assign the appropriate access level based on the ISE policy. The ISE policy can also dynamically assign VLANs, ACLs, or service policies to the device based on its identity and posture. References :=

Some possible references are:

[Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0], Module 6: Secure Connectivity, Lesson 6.2: Implementing Site-to-Site VPNs, Topic 6.2.2: Group Encrypted Transport VPN

Cisco IOS Security Configuration Guide, Release 15M&T - Configuring IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Authentication

Cisco IOS Security Configuration Guide, Release 15M&T - Configuring MAC Authentication Bypass

Cisco Identity Services Engine Administrator Guide, Release 2.7 - Configure Wired 802.1X and MAB

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/firepower/623/configuration/guide/fpmc-config-guide-v623/access_control_using_intrusion_and_file_policies.html#:~:text=File%20Policies-,Access%20Control%20Traffic%20Handling%20with%20Intrusion%20and%20File%20Policies,-The%20following%20diagram

the first three access control rules in the policy—Monitor, Trust, and Block—cannot inspect matching traffic. Monitor rules track and log but do not inspect network traffic, so the system continues to match traffic against additional rules to determine whether to permit or deny it

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/firepower/623/configuration/guide/fpmc-config-guide-v623/access_control_rules.html#:~:text=Rule%20Blocking%20Actions-,Access%20Control%20Rule%20Allow%20Action,network%20discovery%20policy%3B%20additionally%2C%20application%20discovery%20is%20limited%20for%20encrypted%20sessions.,-Related%20Concepts

 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

 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”.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/ise/1-4-1/admin_guide/b_ise_admin_guide_141/b_ise_admin_guide_141_chapter_01110.html

Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud is a network detection and response (NDR) solution that leverages pre-existing infrastructure to offer enterprise-wide, contextual visibility of network traffic from the private network to the public cloud1. It uses advanced analytics and machine learning to detect threats and anomalies across on-premises and cloud environments, and provides actionable alerts and recommendations to remediate them2. Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud is part of Cisco’s XDR strategy, which converges its deep expertise and visibility across the network and endpoints into one turnkey, risk-based solution3. References: 3: Cisco Unveils New Solution to Rapidly Detect Advanced Cyber Threats and Automate Response 2: Cisco Secure Network Analytics - Cisco 1: Cisco Stealthwatch and Cisco Tetration Workload Security

Explanation

Explanation

Cisco Security Manager provides a comprehensive management solution for:

– Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances

– Cisco intrusion prevention systems 4200 and 4500 Series Sensors

– Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client

ETHOS is one of the many detection engines that AMP uses to continuously protect you from malware. It is only available in the public cloud, as it requires a large amount of data and processing power to operate. ETHOS uses machine learning to analyze the behavior and characteristics of files and determine their maliciousness. It can detect both known and unknown threats, as well as polymorphic and metamorphic malware that can change their appearance or code. ETHOS is part of the AMP cloud’s dynamic analysis capabilities, which also include SPERO and Threat Grid12.

The private cloud instance of AMP does not have ETHOS, as it is meant to be an on-premises, self-contained solution that satisfies stringent privacy requirements. The private cloud instance also does not have SPERO or Threat Grid, unless they are deployed separately as additional appliances. The private cloud instance relies on the TETRA detection engine, which is a signature-based engine that can identify known malware. TETRA is updated regularly with new signatures from the AMP cloud, but it cannot detect unknown or zero-day threats as effectively as ETHOS34.

Therefore, the capability that is exclusive to the AMP public cloud instance as compared to the private cloud instance is the ETHOS detection engine. References: 1: Cisco Advanced Malware Protection Private Cloud Appliance Data Sheet 2: What is AMP Private Cloud 3: Deploy Cisco AMP Private Cloud on Cisco HyperFlex Systems 4: AMP Private Cloud vs Public Cloud Dashboard different

A passphrase is a type of protection that encrypts RSA keys when they are exported and imported. A passphrase is a sequence of characters that the user enters to decrypt the key. The passphrase acts as a symmetric key that is used to encrypt and decrypt the RSA key with a symmetric algorithm, such as AES. This way, the RSA key is protected from unauthorized access or tampering when it is transferred or stored. A passphrase can also provide additional security by adding entropy to the RSA key generation process. A file, NGE, and nonexportable are not types of protection that encrypt RSA keys when they are exported and imported. A file is a container that stores the RSA key, but does not encrypt it. NGE stands for Next Generation Encryption, which is a set of cryptographic standards and algorithms that Cisco recommends, but it is not a specific type of protection. Nonexportable is a property that prevents the RSA key from being exported at all, but it does not encrypt it. References: RSA/Schannel Key BLOBs, Common Encryption Types, Protocols and Algorithms Explained, Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0 (Module 5: Implementing Secure Communications with VPNs, Lesson 5.1: Implementing Site-to-Site VPNs, Topic 5.1.2: Implementing Site-to-Site VPNs with Pre-Shared Keys)

Explanation

Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints offers a variety of lists, referred to as Outbreak Control, that allow you to customize it to your needs. The main lists are: Simple Custom Detections, Blocked Applications, Allowed Applications, Advanced Custom Detections, and IP Blocked and Allowed Lists.

A Simple Custom Detection list is similar to a blocked list. These are files that you want to detect and

quarantine.

Allowed applications lists are for files you never want to convict. Some examples are a custom application that is detected by a generic engine or a standard image that you use throughout the company Reference: https://docs.amp.cisco.com/AMP%20for%20Endpoints%20User%20Guide.pdf

The RAT (Recipient Access Table) is the list that contains the allowed recipient addresses on the Cisco ESA. The RAT controls whether the ESA accepts or rejects messages to a recipient address based on the sender group and the mail policy. The RAT can be configured to allow, relay, or reject messages to specific recipients or domains. The RAT can also be used to apply different message filters or content filters to different recipient groups12. References: 1: Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) course, Module 2: Network Security, Lesson 3: Deploying Cisco Email Security Appliance, Topic: Configuring Mail Policies2: Cisco Email Security Appliance User Guide, Release 13.5 - Configuring Mail Policies [Cisco Secure Email Gateway] - Cisco.

The Cisco ASA and the Cisco IOS router with Zone-Based Policy Firewall (ZFW) have different default behaviors when it comes to traffic filtering. The Cisco ASA follows a default deny-all policy that prohibits traffic between firewall security zones until an explicit policy is applied to allow desirable traffic1. The Cisco IOS router with ZFW, on the other hand, starts out by allowing all traffic, even on untrusted interfaces, until a zone-pair policy is applied to restrict or inspect traffic2. This means that the Cisco ASA provides a higher level of security by default, while the Cisco IOS router with ZFW requires more configuration to harden the router. However, the Cisco IOS router with ZFW also offers more flexibility and granularity in defining firewall policies, as well as more advanced features such as DMVPN, GET VPN, and Policy-Based Routing, which are not supported by the Cisco ASA23. References:

2: IOS Firewall vs. ASA - Cisco Community

1: Understand the Zone-Based Policy Firewall Design - Cisco

4: What is a functional difference between a Cisco ASA and a Cisco IOS router with Zone-based policy firewall?

5: What is a functional difference between a Cisco ASA and Cisco IOS router with Zone-based policy firewall?

3: Cisco Zone-Based Firewall Reporting – Plixer

 SNMPv3 is a security model that uses authentication and encryption to provide secure access to devices. SNMPv3 requires the configuration of SNMP groups, users, and views. SNMP groups define the security model, security level, and access rights for a set of users. SNMP users are members of SNMP groups and have passwords for authentication and encryption. SNMP views define the subset of the MIB tree that a group of users can access. To facilitate access to the SNMP views, the network administrator must map the SNMPv3 users to the SNMP views using the snmp-server group command with the v3 and view keywords. This command assigns a view to a group of users and specifies the security model and level for that group. For example, the following command maps the SNMPv3 users in the group admin to the view all using the authPriv security level:

snmp-server group admin v3 authPriv read all write all

This command allows the users in the group admin to access all the MIB objects in the view all using authentication and encryption. The other options are not correct because they are not related to the SNMP views. Option B is incorrect because the password for SNMPv3 authentication is configured for each user using the snmp-server user command with the auth keyword. Option C is incorrect because the encryption algorithm for SNMPv3 is also configured for each user using the snmp-server user command with the priv keyword. Option D is incorrect because the UDP port used by SNMP is not configurable and is always 161 for queries and 162 for traps. References :=

Some possible references for this question are:

SNMP Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE Release 3SE (Catalyst 3850 Switches) - SNMP Version 3

Configuration Template for SNMPv3 - Cisco Community

Configure ESXi for SNMP v3 - VMware Docs

How to Configure SNMPv3 and How It Works - CBT Nuggets

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.

Explanation

All IKE policies on the device are sent to the remote peer regardless of what is in the selected policy section.

The first IKE Policy matched by the remote peer will be selected for the VPN connection. Choose which policy is sent first using the priority field. Priority 1 will be sent first.

 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

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

Device compliance checks are used to verify that the devices managed by Intune meet the security and configuration requirements defined by the organization. Device compliance checks can use various parameters to evaluate the device state, such as:

Endpoint protection software version: This parameter checks if the device has a valid and up-to-date antivirus or antimalware software installed and running. This parameter helps to protect the device from malicious software and network attacks.

Device operating system version: This parameter checks if the device has the minimum or maximum operating system version supported by the organization. This parameter helps to ensure that the device has the latest security patches and features available.

Windows registry values: This parameter checks if the device has specific registry values configured or not. This parameter helps to enforce custom settings or policies on the device that are not covered by other parameters.

DHCP snooping checks: This parameter checks if the device is connected to a trusted network that uses DHCP snooping to prevent rogue DHCP servers from assigning IP addresses to the device. This parameter helps to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks and network spoofing.

DNS integrity checks: This parameter checks if the device is using a secure and reliable DNS server that can resolve domain names correctly and prevent DNS hijacking or poisoning. This parameter helps to prevent phishing and redirection attacks.

References :=

Some possible references are:

Device compliance policies in Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn, Microsoft

Monitor results of your device compliance policies in Microsoft Intune | Microsoft Learn, Microsoft

Check device access | Microsoft Learn, Microsoft

Ensure device compliance - Configuration Manager | Microsoft Learn, Microsoft

 Cisco Container Platform (CCP) is a solution that simplifies the deployment and management of containerized applications across multiple clouds. It provides the following benefits to customers who utilize cloud service providers12:

Allows developers to create code once and deploy to multiple clouds. CCP is based on open source components, such as Kubernetes and Docker, that are compatible with various cloud platforms. This enables developers to write code once and run it anywhere, without worrying about the underlying infrastructure or vendor lock-in. CCP also supports hybrid and multicloud scenarios, allowing customers to leverage the best features of different cloud providers and optimize their costs and performance.

Manages Kubernetes clusters. CCP automates the installation, configuration, and maintenance of Kubernetes clusters, which are groups of nodes that run containerized applications. CCP provides a simple GUI-driven menu system to deploy clusters, as well as automated monthly updates for bug fixes, feature enhancements, and security patches. CCP also offers a choice of networking solutions, such as Cisco ACI, Calico, or Contiv, to connect and secure the clusters. CCP also integrates with Cisco AppDynamics and Prometheus for visibility and monitoring of the clusters and applications. References:

Cisco Container Platform - Cisco

Cisco Container Platform - At-a-Glance - Cisco