NSK101 - Netskope Certified Cloud Security Administrator (NCCSA)

Three security controls that are offered by the Netskope Cloud platform are: C. cloud security posture management, E. threat protection, and B. data loss prevention for SMTP.

Cloud security posture management is a service that provides continuous assessment and remediation of public cloud deployments for risks, threats, and compliance issues. Netskope CSPM leverages the APIs available from cloud service providers such as AWS, Azure, and GCP to scan the cloud infrastructure for misconfigurations, such as insecure permissions, open ports, unencrypted data, etc. Netskope CSPM also provides security posture policies, profiles, and rules that can be customized to match the security standards and best practices of the organization or industry.

Threat protection is a capability to detect and block malware, ransomware, phishing, and other cyber threats that may compromise cloud data or users. Netskope threat protection uses advanced techniques such as machine learning, sandboxing, threat intelligence, and behavioral analysis to identify and prevent malicious activities in real time. Netskope threat protection also integrates with third-party solutions such as antivirus engines, firewalls, SIEMs, etc., to provide comprehensive defense across the cloud and web1.

Data loss prevention for SMTP is a feature that allows you to protect sensitive data that is sent or received via email. Netskope DLP for SMTP can scan email messages and attachments for predefined or custom data patterns, such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, health records, etc., and apply appropriate actions, such as block, quarantine, encrypt, notify, etc., based on the DLP policies. Netskope DLP for SMTP can also support multiple email domains and routing rules for different groups of users2.

An App Instance is a feature in the Netskope platform that allows you to define and identify different instances of the same cloud application based on the domain name or URL. For example, you can define an App Instance for your enterprise Google Drive instance (such as drive.google.com/a/yourcompany.com) and another App Instance for your personal Google Drive instance (such as drive.google.com). This way, you can differentiate between them and apply different policies and actions based on the App Instance. You would want to define an App Instance to achieve this level of granularity and control over your cloud application activities. Creating an API Data Protection Policy for a personal Box instance, enabling the instance_id attribute in the advanced search field, or differentiating between an enterprise Google Drive instance vs. an enterprise Box instance are not valid reasons to define an App Instance, as they are either unrelated or irrelevant to the App Instance feature. References: Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 5: Real-Time Policies, Lesson 4: App Instances.

Netskope’s DLP solution is a powerful tool that can help customers protect their sensitive data from unauthorized access, exposure, or loss. One use case for Netskope’s DLP solution is to stop unintentional data movement, such as accidental uploads, downloads, or sharing of confidential files or information to or from cloud applications. Another use case for Netskope’s DLP solution is to ensure regulatory compliance, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or other industry-specific standards that require data protection and privacy measures. Netskope’s DLP solution can help customers comply with these regulations by detecting and preventing data breaches, enforcing encryption policies, applying data retention rules, and generating audit reports. Detecting malware in files before they are uploaded to a cloud application or detecting sensitive data in password protected files are not use cases for Netskope’s DLP solution, as they are more related to threat protection or file inspection capabilities. References: Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 6: Data Loss Prevention, Lesson 1: DLP Overview.