NSK101 Netskope Certified Cloud Security Administrator (NCCSA) Question and Answers

The term that correctly defines the Zero Trust security model is least privilege access. The Zero Trust security model is a modern security strategy based on the principle: never trust, always verify. Instead of assuming everything behind the corporate firewall is safe, the Zero Trust model assumes breach and verifies each request as though it originates from an open network. One of the core principles of the Zero Trust model is to use least privilege access, which means granting users or systems only the minimum level of access they need to perform their tasks, and only for a limited time. This helps reduce the attack surface and minimize the impact of a potential breach. References: Zero Trust Security - microsoft.comWhat is Zero Trust Security? Principles of the Zero Trust Model

If the Cloud Storage category is in the Steering Configuration as an exception, then Netskope will not steer any traffic to or from cloud storage applications, such as Microsoft 365 OneDrive, to its platform. This means that Netskope will not be able to inspect or apply any policies to this traffic, including DLP policies. Similarly, if the destination domain is excluded from decryption in the decryption policy, then Netskope will not decrypt any traffic to or from that domain, such as onedrive.com. This means that Netskope will not be able to inspect or apply any policies to this traffic, including DLP policies. The location of the Netskope POP or the use of IPsec as a steering option do not affect the application of DLP policies, as long as Netskope can steer and decrypt the relevant traffic. References: Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 3: Steering Configuration, Lesson 1: Steering Options and Lesson 2: Exceptions; Module 4: Decryption Policy, Lesson 1: Decryption Policy Overview and Lesson 2: Decryption Policy Configuration.

https://www.bsimm.com/ : https://www.iso.org/isoiec-27001-information-security.html : https://www.dasca.org/ : https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework

 To provide a quick view under the Skope IT Applications page showing only risky shadow IT cloud applications being used, you can use two filter combinations: Sanctioned = No and CCL = Medium, Low, Poor. The Sanctioned filter allows you to select whether you want to see only sanctioned or unsanctioned apps in your organization. Sanctioned apps are those that are approved and managed by your IT department, while unsanctioned apps are those that are used without authorization or oversight by your employees. Shadow IT refers to the use of unsanctioned apps that may pose security or compliance risks for your organization. The CCL filter allows you to select the Cloud Confidence Level (CCL) ratings of the apps you want to see. The CCL rating is a measure of how enterprise-ready a cloud app is based on various criteria such as security, auditability, business continuity, etc. The CCL rating ranges from Excellent to Poor, with Excellent being the most secure and compliant and Poor being the least. Risky cloud apps are those that have a low CCL rating, such as Medium, Low, or Poor. By applying these two filters, you can narrow down the list of apps to only those that are unsanctioned and have a low CCL rating, which indicates that they are risky shadow IT cloud applications being used in your organization. References: SkopeIT ApplicationsNetskope Cloud Confidence Index

In this scenario, a user is connected to a cloud application through Netskope’s proxy, which is a deployment method that allows Netskope to intercept and inspect the traffic between the user and the cloud application in real time. In this case, Netskope can collect and display various information about the user and the cloud application at Skope IT, which is a feature in the Netskope platform that allows you to view and analyze all the activities performed by users on cloud applications. Some of the information that is available at Skope IT are: username, device location, account instance, URL category, user activity, and cloud app risk rating. Username is the name or identifier of the user who is accessing the cloud application. Device location is the geographical location of the device that the user is using to access the cloud application. Account instance is the specific instance of the cloud application that the user is accessing, such as a personal or enterprise instance. URL category is the classification of the web page that the user is visiting within the cloud application, such as Business or Social Media. User activity is the action that the user is performing on the cloud application, such as Upload or Share. Cloud app risk rating is the score that Netskope assigns to the cloud application based on its security posture and compliance with best practices. Destination IP, OS patch version, file version, and shared folder are not information that is available at Skope IT in this scenario, as they are either unrelated or irrelevant to the proxy connection or the Skope IT feature. References: [Netskope Inline CASB], [Netskope Skope IT].

CASB inline interception use cases are scenarios where you need to apply real-time policies and actions on the traffic between users and cloud applications. For example, you may want to block file uploads to a personal Box account to prevent data leakage or exfiltration. You can use Netskope’s inline proxy mode to intercept and inspect the traffic between users and Box, and apply granular policies based on user identity, device type, app instance, file metadata, etc. You can also use Netskope’s inline proxy mode to provide user alerts when sensitive information is posted in Slack. For example, you may want to warn users when they share credit card numbers or social security numbers in Slack channels or messages. You can use Netskope’s steering client to redirect the traffic between users and Slack to Netskope’s inline proxy for inspection and enforcement. You can also use Netskope’s DLP engine to detect sensitive data patterns and apply actions such as alerting or blocking. References: Netskope Inline Proxy ModeNetskope Steering Client [Netskope DLP Engine]

In this scenario, you have deployed the Netskope client in Web mode, which is a feature that allows you to steer your users’ web traffic to Netskope for inspection and policy enforcement. However, some users report that their messenger application is no longer working, even though you have a specific real-time policy that allows this application. Upon further investigation, you discover that the messenger application is using proprietary encryption, which means that Netskope cannot decrypt or inspect the traffic from this application. To resolve this issue, you need to permit access to all the users and maintain some visibility. The configuration change that would accomplish this task is to add a policy in the SSL decryption section to bypass the messenger domain(s). This will allow Netskope to skip the decryption process for the traffic from the messenger application and pass it through without any modification. However, Netskope will still be able to log some basic information about the traffic, such as source, destination, bytes, etc., for visibility purposes. Changing the real-time policy to block the messenger application, creating a new custom cloud application using the custom connector, or editing the steering configuration and adding a steering exception for the messenger application are not configuration changes that would accomplish this task, as they would either prevent access to the application, require additional steps or resources, or reduce visibility. References: [Netskope Client], Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 4: Decryption Policy.

Shadow IT is the term for the unauthorized use of IT resources and functions by employees within an organization. It can include cloud services, software, and hardware that are not approved or managed by the IT department. Two use cases that would be considered examples of shadow IT within an organization are: an unsanctioned Microsoft 365 OneDrive account being used by a corporate user to upload sensitive data and an unsanctioned Google Drive account used by a corporate user to upload non-sensitive data. In both cases, the corporate user is using a personal cloud storage service that is not sanctioned by the organization to store work-related data. This can introduce security risks, such as data leakage, data loss, compliance violations, malware infections, etc. The IT department may not have visibility or control over these cloud services or the data stored in them. References: What is shadow IT? | CloudflareWhat is Shadow IT? | IBM

Two statements that describe a website categorized as a domain generated algorithm (DGA) are: The website is used to hide a command-and-control server and the domain was created by a program. A domain generated algorithm (DGA) is a technique used by cyber attackers to generate new domain names and IP addresses for malware’s command and control servers. Executed in a manner that seems random, it makes it nearly impossible for threat hunters to detect and contain the attack. A command-and-control server is a server that communicates with malware installed on infected machines and sends commands or updates to them. A program is a piece of software that performs a specific task or function. A domain generated algorithm is implemented by a program that runs on the attacker’s machine or the malware itself, and produces a large number of domain names based on some logic, such as date, time, seed, dictionary, etc. References: Domain generation algorithmAmong cyber-attack techniques, what is a DGA?

If a customer wants to detect misconfigurations in their AWS cloud instances, the Netskope feature that I would recommend to them is Netskope Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM). Netskope CSPM 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 AWS and other cloud service providers 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 customer’s security standards and best practices. Netskope CSPM can also alert, report, or remediate the misconfigurations automatically or manually. References: Netskope CSPMCloud Security Posture Management

According to Netskope, two preferred methods to report a URL miscategorization are: use www.netskope.com/url-lookup and use the URL Lookup page in the dashboard. The first method allows you to visit www.netskope.com/url-lookup in your browser and enter any URL that you want to check or report for miscategorization. You will see the current category assigned by Netskope for that URL and you can submit a request to change it if you think it is incorrect. The second method allows you to use the URL Lookup page in the dashboard of your Netskope platform tenant and enter any URL that you want to check or report for miscategorization. You will see the current category assigned by Netskope for that URL and you can submit a request to change it if you think it is incorrect. Emailing support@netskope.com or tagging Netskope on Twitter are not preferred methods to report a URL miscategorization, as they are not designed for this purpose and may not be as efficient or effective as using the dedicated tools provided by Netskope.  References: [Netskope URL Lookup], Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 8: Skope IT, Lesson 2: Page Events.

To protect your users from malicious scripts that may be downloaded from websites, you need to use technologies that can detect and prevent malware, ransomware, phishing, and other advanced threats in web traffic. Two technologies that form a part of Netskope’s Threat Protection module, which is a feature in the Netskope platform that provides these capabilities, are sandbox and heuristics. Sandbox is a technology that allows Netskope to analyze suspicious files or URLs in a virtual environment isolated from the rest of the network. It simulates the execution of the files or URLs and observes their behavior and impact on the system. It then generates a verdict based on the analysis and blocks any malicious files or URLs from reaching your users or devices. Heuristics is a technology that allows Netskope to identify unknown or emerging threats based on their characteristics or patterns, rather than relying on predefined signatures or rules. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze various attributes of files or URLs, such as file type, size, entropy, metadata, code structure, etc., and assigns a risk score based on the analysis. It then blocks any files or URLs that exceed a certain risk threshold from reaching your users or devices. A log parser or DLP are not technologies that form a part of Netskope’s Threat Protection module, as they are more related to discovering cloud applications or protecting sensitive data. References: [Netskope Threat Protection], Netskope Security Cloud Operation & Administration (NSCO&A) - Classroom Course, Module 9: Threat Protection.

SaaS API-enabled Protection is a primary function in the Netskope platform that allows customers to connect their sanctioned SaaS applications to Netskope using out-of-band API connections. This enables customers to find sensitive content, enforce near real-time policy controls, and quarantine malware in their SaaS applications without affecting user experience or performance. If you want to use an out-of-band API connection into your sanctioned Microsoft 365 OneDrive for Business application to achieve these goals, you should use SaaS API-enabled Protection as the primary function in the Netskope platform. DLP forensics, Risk Insights, and IaaS API-enabled Protection are not primary functions in the Netskope platform that can be used to connect your application to Netskope. References: [Netskope SaaS API-enabled Protection].

Two primary advantages of Netskope’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture are: no on-premises hardware required for policy enforcement and single management console. Netskope’s SASE architecture delivers network and security services as cloud-based services that can be accessed from any location and device. This eliminates the need for on-premises hardware appliances such as firewalls, proxies, VPNs, etc., that are costly to maintain and scale. Netskope’s SASE architecture also provides a single management console that allows administrators to configure and monitor all the network and security services from one place. This simplifies IT operations and reduces complexity and overhead. References: Netskope SASEWhat is SASE?

To prevent Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks on an encrypted website or application, one method that you can use is certificate pinning. Certificate pinning is a technique that restricts which certificates are considered valid for a particular website or application, limiting risk. Instead of allowing any trusted certificate to be used, operators "pin" the certificate authority (CA) issuer(s), public keys or even end-entity certificates of their choice. Certificate pinning helps to prevent MITM attacks by validating the server certificates against a hardcoded list of certificates in the website or application. If an attacker tries to intercept or modify the traffic using a fraudulent or compromised certificate, it will be rejected by the website or application as invalid, even if it is signed by a trusted CA. References: Certificate pinning - IBMCertificate and Public Key Pinning | OWASP Foundation

The Building Security in Maturity Model (BSIMM) is a framework that measures and compares the security activities of different organizations. It helps organizations to assess their current security practices and identify areas for improvement. ISO 27001 is an international standard that specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving aninformation security management system. It helps organizations to manage their information security risks and demonstrate their compliance with best practices. Data Science Council of America (DASCA) is not a security framework, but a credentialing body for data science professionals. NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) is a security framework, but it is not commonly used to assess and validate a vendor’s security practices, as it is more focused on improving the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure sectors in the United States. References: [BSIMM], [ISO 27001], [DASCA], [NIST CSF].