Practitioner Sample Questions Answers

A User Entity Behavior Analysis (UEBA) tool performs active monitoring by continuously analyzing the behavior of users and entities to detect anomalies that may indicate insider threats, compromised accounts, or malicious activity. It uses machine learning and analytics to identify unusual patterns in real time.

A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system collects data from various sources (logs, events, etc.) and uses correlation rules to analyze this data and trigger alarms when suspicious or predefined patterns are detected.

Xpanse is a tool from Palo Alto Networks that provides attack surface management by analyzing exposed services and internet-facing assets, giving security operations teams visibility into environmental risks and helping prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities.

A credit card number is an example of PII that you need to prevent from leaving your enterprise network. PII, or personally identifiable information, is any information that can be used to identify an individual, either alone or in combination with other data. PII can be sensitive or non-sensitive, depending on the level of protection required and the potential harm if exposed. Sensitive PII includes data that can directly identify an individual and cause significant harm if leaked or stolen, such as financial information, medical records, or government-issued ID numbers. Non-sensitive PII includes data that is easily accessible from public sources and does not pose a high risk of identity theft, such as zip code, race, or gender. A credit card number is a sensitive PII because it can be used to access the cardholder’s account, make fraudulent transactions, or steal their identity. Therefore, it is important to prevent credit card numbers from leaving the enterprise network, where they could be intercepted by hackers, malicious insiders, or third parties. To protect credit card numbers and other sensitive PII, enterprises should implement data security measures such as encryption, tokenization, masking, access control, auditing, and monitoring. Additionally, enterprises should comply with data privacy laws and standards that regulate the collection, use, and protection of PII, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). References:

What is PII? Examples, laws, and standards | CSO Online

What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? | IBM

What Is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? Types and Examples

What is PII (personally identifiable information)? - Cloudflare

What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? - Data Privacy Manager

"The WildFire cloud-based malware analysis environment is a cyber threat prevention service that identifies unknown malware, zero-day exploits, and advanced persistent threats (APTs) through static and dynamic analysis in a scalable, virtual environment. WildFire automatically disseminates updated protections in near-real time to immediately prevent threats from spreading; this occurs without manual intervention"

Security Operations (SecOps) is the process of coordinating and aligning security teams and IT teams to improve the security posture of an organization. SecOps involves implementing and maintaining security controls, technologies, policies, and procedures to protect the organization from cyber threats and incidents. When dealing with a known attack, SecOps must take the following action: document, monitor, and track the incident. This action is important because it helps SecOps to:

•Record the details of the attack, such as the source, target, impact, timeline, and response actions.

•Monitor the status and progress of the incident response and recovery efforts, as well as the ongoing threat activity and indicators of compromise.

•Track the performance and effectiveness of the security controls and technologies, as well as the lessons learned and improvement opportunities. References:

•Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET)

•6 Incident Response Steps to Take After a Security Event - Exabeam

•Dealing with Cyber Attacks–Steps You Need to Know | NIST

The six pillars include:

1. Business (goals and outcomes)

2. People (who will perform the work)

3. Interfaces (external functions to help achieve goals)

4. Visibility (information needed to accomplish goals)

5. Technology (capabilities needed to provide visibility and enable people)

6. Processes (tactical steps required to execute on goals)

All elements must tie back to the business itself and the goals of the security operations

Phishing is a type of attack that involves sending fraudulent emails that appear to be from legitimate sources, such as banks, companies, or individuals, in order to trick recipients into clicking on malicious links, opening malicious attachments, or providing sensitive information12. The link to a malware website in the email is an example of a malicious link, which may lead to the installation of malware, ransomware, spyware, or other malicious software on the user’s device, or the redirection to a fake website that mimics a legitimate one, where the user may be asked to enter their credentials, personal information, or financial details34. Phishing emails often use social engineering techniques, such as creating a sense of urgency, curiosity, or fear, to persuade the user to click on the link or attachment, or to reply to the email5. Phishing emails may also spoof the sender’s address, domain, or logo, to make them look more authentic and trustworthy6.

Whaling, pharming, and spam are not the correct answers for this question. Whaling is a specific type of phishing that targets high-profile individuals, such as executives, celebrities, or politicians, with the aim of stealing their confidential information or influencing their decisions7. Pharming is a type of attack that involves redirecting the user’s web browser to a fake website, even if they enter the correct URL, by modifying the DNS server or the user’s hosts file. Spam is the unsolicited or unwanted electronic messages, such as emails, texts, or instant messages, that are sent in bulk to a large number of recipients, usually for advertising, marketing, or scamming purposes. References:

What is phishing? | Malwarebytes

Phishing - Wikipedia

Don’t Panic! Here’s What To Do If You Clicked On A Phishing Link

How can Malware spread through Email and How to Protect

What is phishing? How this cyber attack works and how to prevent it …

Identifying Illegitimate Email Links | Division of Information Technology

What is whaling? | NortonLifeLock

[What is pharming? | NortonLifeLock]

[What is spam? | NortonLifeLock]

A stateless firewall is a network firewall that primarily filters traffic based on source and destination IP address, as well as port numbers and protocols. A stateless firewall does not keep track of the state or context of network connections, and only inspects packet headers. A stateless firewall is faster and simpler than a stateful firewall, but it is less secure and flexible. A stateless firewall cannot block complex attacks or inspect packet contents for malicious payloads. References: What Is a Packet Filtering Firewall? - Palo Alto Networks, Common IP Filtering Techniques – APNIC, What is IP filtering? - Secure Network Traffic Management

A TLS handshake occurs after the TCP handshake is complete. The TLS handshake is responsible for establishing a secure, encrypted session between client and server, including the negotiation of encryption algorithms and exchange of keys.

According to the NIST definition of cloud computing, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud service model that provides “the capability to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications” 1. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, and deployed applications; and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls) 1. In other words, IaaS gives the user access to cloud-hosted physical and virtual servers, storage, and networking, as stated in the question. References: 1: SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing | CSRC 2

CaaS, or Containers-as-a-Service, is a cloud service that allows users to manage and deploy applications using containers and clusters. CaaS can be situated between IaaS and PaaS in the spread of cloud computing services, based on how much is managed by the vendor. IaaS, or Infrastructure-as-a-Service, provides the lowest level of abstraction, where users have to manage the servers, storage, network, and operating system. PaaS, or Platform-as-a-Service, provides a higher level of abstraction, where users only have to manage the application code and data. FaaS, or Function-as-a-Service, provides the highest level of abstraction, where users only have to manage the functions or logic of the application. CaaS falls in between IaaS and PaaS, as it provides users with more control over the container orchestration and configuration than PaaS, but also simplifies the infrastructure management and scaling than IaaS123. References:

What is CaaS? from Red Hat

Containers as a Service from Atlassian

Container as a Service (CaaS) from GeeksforGeeks

Local systems can eliminate vulnerabilities by patching systems and software effectively and continuously. Patching is the process of applying updates or fixes to software or hardware components that have known vulnerabilities or bugs. Patching can prevent attackers from exploiting these vulnerabilities and compromising the security or functionality of the systems. Patching should be done regularly and promptly, as new vulnerabilities are constantly discovered and exploited by cybercriminals. Patching should also be done effectively, meaning that the patches are tested and verified before deployment, and that they do not introduce new vulnerabilities or issues. Patching should also be done continuously, meaning that the systems are monitored for new vulnerabilities and patches are applied as soon as they are available. Continuous patching can reduce the window of opportunity for attackers to exploit unpatched vulnerabilities and cause damage or data breaches. References:

•1: What is Patch Management? | Palo Alto Networks

•2: Patch Management Best Practices: How to Keep Your Systems Secure | Snyk

•3: Vulnerability Remediation Process - 4 Steps to Remediation | Snyk

"Weaponization: Next, attackers determine which methods to use to compromise a target endpoint. They may choose to embed intruder code within seemingly innocuous files such as a PDF or Microsoft Word document or email message."

A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) secures SaaS applications and network data by providing visibility, data security, threat protection, and compliance enforcement. It acts as a control point between users and cloud service providers to enforce security policies.

A physical firewall is ideal for environments like a company headquarters that require redundant power, high throughput, and dedicated hardware for maximum reliability and performance. It supports more robust failover and scalability compared to virtual or containerized options.

Tunneling is a method of transporting data across a network using protocols that are not supported by that network. Tunneling works by encapsulating packets: wrapping packets inside of other packets. Tunneling within commonly used services is a technique that uses file sharing or an instant messenger client such as Meebo running over HTTP to bypass firewalls or other network restrictions. The data packets are encapsulated within HTTP packets and sent as normal web traffic. This way, the data packets can reach their destination without being blocked or detected by the network. References: What is tunneling? | Tunneling in networking | Cloudflare, What Is Network Tunneling & How Is It Used? | Traefik Labs, networking - What is HTTP tunneling? - Stack Overflow

 A routed protocol is a protocol by which data can be routed. It provides appropriate addressing information in its internet layer or network layer to allow a packet to be forwarded from one network to another network. Examples of routed protocols are the Internet Protocol (IP) and Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX). IP is the most widely used routed protocol on the Internet and other networks. It assigns a unique logical address to each device and enables data to be fragmented, reassembled, and routed across multiple networks. References:

Routing v/s Routed Protocols in Computer Network

Routing protocol - Wikipedia

CCNA Certification: Routed Protocols vs Routing Protocols

What is the difference between Routing Protocols and Routed Protocols

Routing protocols are defined at the network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model. The network layer is responsible for routing packets across different networks using logical addresses (IP addresses). Routing protocols are used to exchange routing information between routers and to determine the best path for data delivery. Some examples of routing protocols are BGP, OSPF, RIP, and EIGRP. Palo Alto Networks devices support advanced routing features using the Advanced Routing Engine1. References: Advanced Routing - Palo Alto Networks | TechDocs, What Is Layer 7? - Palo Alto Networks, How to Configure Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

A worm is a type of malware that replicates itself to spread rapidly through a computer network. Unlike a virus, a worm does not need a host program or human interaction to infect other devices. A worm can consume network bandwidth, slow down the system performance, or deliver a malicious payload, such as ransomware or a backdoor123. References: Types of Malware & Malware Examples - Kaspersky, 10 types of malware + how to prevent malware from the start, Computer worm - Wikipedia

A worm replicates through the network while a virus replicates, not necessarily to spread through the network.

North-South traffic refers to the data packets that move between the virtualized environment and the external network, such as the internet or a traditional data center. This traffic typically involves requests from clients to access applications or services hosted on virtual machines (VMs) or containers, or responses from those VMs or containers to the clients. North-South traffic can also include management or monitoring traffic from external devices to the virtualized environment. References: Fundamentals of Cloud Security, East-West and North-South Traffic Security, What is the meaning / origin of the terms north-south and east-west traffic?

Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data that can be used to identify someone. All information that directly or indirectly links to a person is considered PII1. Among PII, some pieces of information are more sensitive than others. Sensitive PII is sensitive information that directly identifies an individual and could cause significant harm if leaked or stolen2. Birthplace and name are examples of sensitive PII, as they can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other information3. Login 10 and profession are not considered sensitive PII, as they are not unique to a person and do not reveal their identity. Login 10 is a non-sensitive PII that is easily accessible from public sources, while profession is not a PII at all, as it does not link to a specific individual4. References:

1: What is PII (personally identifiable information)? - Cloudflare

2: What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? | IBM

3: personally identifiable information - Glossary | CSRC

4: What Is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? Types and Examples

According to the NIST definition, cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction1. One of the essential characteristics of cloud computing is on-demand self-service, which means that users can request and obtain computing resources as needed, without requiring human intervention from the service provider2. On-demand network services are an example of this characteristic, as they allow users to access network resources such as bandwidth, routing, firewall, or load balancing, on demand and in a scalable manner3. References:

The NIST definition of cloud computing

SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing | CSRC

On-Demand Network Services - Palo Alto Networks

"Remember that a trust zone is not intended to be a “pocket of trust” where systems (and therefore threats) within the zone can communicate freely and directly with each other. For a full Zero Trust implementation, the network would be configured to ensure that all communications traffic, including traffic between devices in the same zone, is intermediated by the corresponding Zero Trust Segmentation Platform."

A static routing protocol requires that routes be created and updated manually on a router or other network device. If a static route is down, traffic can’t be automatically rerouted unless an alternate route has been configured. Also, if the route is congested, traffic can’t be automatically rerouted over the less congested alternate route. Static routing is practical only in very small networks or for very limited, special-case routing scenarios (for example, a destination that’s used as a backup route or is reachable only via a single router). However, static routing has low bandwidth requirements (routing information isn’t broadcast across the network) and some built-in security (users can route only to destinations that are specified in statically defined routes).

An Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is a long-term, targeted cyberattack where data exfiltration is often the primary objective. Attackers maintain a covert presence in the network to steal sensitive information over time.

 A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is a system that collects, analyzes, and correlates security logs from multiple sources, such as endpoints, firewalls, servers, etc. A SIEM can provide a centralized and comprehensive view of the security posture of an organization, as well as detect and respond to threats. Configuring endpoints to forward logs to a SIEM is the recommended method for collecting security logs from multiple endpoints, as it reduces the network bandwidth and storage requirements, simplifies the log management process, and enables faster and more effective security analysis. Leveraging an EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) solution to request the logs from endpoints is not recommended, as it may cause performance issues on the endpoints, increase the network traffic, and create a dependency on the EDR solution. Connecting to the endpoints remotely and downloading the logs is not recommended, as it is a manual and time-consuming process, prone to errors and inconsistencies, and may expose the endpoints to unauthorized access. Building a script that pulls down the logs from all endpoints is not recommended, as it requires technical skills and maintenance, may not be compatible with different endpoint platforms, and may introduce security risks if the script is compromised or misconfigured. References:

Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET) - Palo Alto Networks

Fundamentals of Security Operations Center (SOC)

10 Palo Alto Networks PCCET Exam Practice Questions - CBT Nuggets

Containers encapsulate applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable units that can run consistently across multiple environments. This abstraction supports cloud-native development by enabling microservices architectures, rapid deployment, and scaling within orchestration platforms like Kubernetes. Containers accelerate cloud migration by decoupling applications from infrastructure, facilitating automation, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) workflows. Palo Alto Networks addresses container security by integrating runtime protection, vulnerability scanning, and compliance enforcement within its Prisma Cloud platform, ensuring safe adoption of cloud-native tools and methodologies.

URL categories classify websites based on content type or risk, enabling dynamic policy enforcement such as blocking or allowing access. Administrators can create custom URL categories to group sites like gambling domains and apply blocking rules across the firewall infrastructure. Palo Alto Networks firewalls leverage URL categorization combined with threat intelligence to provide granular web filtering, reducing exposure to malicious or unwanted sites. This dynamic grouping approach is more manageable and scalable than creating individual signatures or static lists and allows for automated policy application aligned with organizational compliance requirements.

Command and Control: Attackers establish encrypted communication channels back to command-and-control (C2) servers across the internet so that they can modify their attack objectives and methods as additional targets of opportunity are identified within the victim network, or to evade any new security countermeasures that the organization may attempt to deploy if attack artifacts are discovered.

Whaling is a targeted phishing attack aimed at high-profile individuals, such as executives. The attacker impersonates a trusted entity (e.g., IT department) to trick the executive into revealing sensitive credentials. This is a form of spear phishing specifically focused on “big fish” targets.

Software patches are updates that fix bugs, vulnerabilities, or performance issues in applications. Applying software patches regularly is one of the best practices to secure applications against exploits, as it prevents attackers from taking advantage of known flaws in the software. Software patches can also improve the functionality and compatibility of applications, as well as address any security gaps that may arise from changes in the operating system or other software components. Endpoint security solutions, such as Cortex XDR, can help organizations automate and streamline the patch management process, ensuring that all endpoints are up to date and protected from exploits. References:

Endpoint Protection - Palo Alto Networks

Endpoint Security - Palo Alto Networks

Patch Management - Palo Alto Networks

Workload security in a Cloud-Native Security Platform (CNSP) focuses on protecting VMs, containers, and serverless deployments against application-level attacks during runtime. It ensures that workloads remain secure by monitoring behavior, enforcing policies, and detecting threats in real time.

Simplicity: Because each device is centrally managed, with routing based on application policies, WAN managers can create and update security rules in real time as network requirements change. Also, when SD-WAN is combined with zero-touch provisioning, a feature that helps automate the deployment and configuration processes, organizations can further reduce the complexity, resources, and operating expenses required to spin up new sites. ● Improved performance: By allowing efficient access to cloud-based resources without the need to backhaul traffic to centralized locations, organizations can provide a better user experience.

A SASE solution converges networking and security services into one unified, cloud-delivered solution (see Figure 3-12) that includes the following:

● Networking

○ Software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WANs)

○ Virtual private networks (VPNs)

○ Zero Trust network access (ZTNA)

○ Quality of Service (QoS)

● Security

○ Firewall as a service (FWaaS)

○ Domain Name System (DNS) security

○ Threat prevention

○ Secure web gateway (SWG)

○ Data loss prevention (DLP)

○ Cloud access security broker (CASB)

A directory service is a database that contains information about users, resources, and services in a network.

Determining system health using unaltered system data – Active monitoring collects real-time data to assess the current health and performance of systems.

Using probes to establish potential load issues – Active monitoring uses synthetic transactions or probes to simulate user interactions and identify performance or load-related issues before they affect users.

A Type 1 hypervisor, also known as a bare-metal hypervisor, is a software layer that runs directly on the hardware of a physical host computer, without requiring an underlying operating system. A Type 1 hypervisor can create and manage multiple isolated virtual machines (VMs), each with its own virtual (or guest) operating system and applications. A Type 1 hypervisor is hardened against cyber attacks, as it has a smaller attack surface and fewer vulnerabilities than a Type 2 hypervisor, which runs within an operating system. A Type 1 hypervisor also offers better performance, scalability, and resource utilization than a Type 2 hypervisor. References: 10 Palo Alto Networks PCCET Exam Practice Questions, Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician v1.0, FREE Cybersecurity Education Courses.

Attack Surface Management (ASM) platforms focus on continuous discovery and monitoring of all internet-facing assets, both internal and external, to identify attack vectors, vulnerabilities, and exposures that could be exploited by threat actors.

North-south refers to data packets that move in and out of the virtualized environment from the host network or a corresponding traditional data center. North-south traffic is secured by one or more physical form factor perimeter edge firewalls.

Layer 4 of the TCP/IP model is the transport layer, which is responsible for providing reliable and efficient data transmission between hosts. The transport layer can use different protocols, such as TCP or UDP, depending on the requirements of the application. The transport layer also performs functions such as segmentation, acknowledgement, flow control, and error recovery. 1

The transport layer of the TCP/IP model corresponds to three layers of the OSI model: the transport layer, the session layer, and the presentation layer. The session layer of the OSI model manages the establishment, maintenance, and termination of sessions between applications. The session layer also provides services such as synchronization, dialogue control, and security. The presentation layer of the OSI model handles the representation, encoding, and formatting of data for the application layer. The presentation layer also performs functions such as compression, encryption, and translation. 23

SOAR tools ingest aggregated alerts from detection sources (such as SIEMs, network security tools, and mailboxes) before executing automatable, process-driven playbooks to enrich and respond to these alerts.

 A switch is a network device that connects multiple devices on a local area network (LAN) and forwards data packets between them. A switch can be identified by its icon, which is a rectangle with four curved lines on each side. In the attached network diagram, device D is the switch, as it matches the icon and connects three computers to device A, which is another network device. References:

[What is a Network Switch and How Does it Work?]

[Network Diagram Symbols and Icons | Lucidchart]

Identity and access management (IAM) is a software service or framework that allows organizations to define user or group identities within software environments, then associate permissions with them. The identities and permissions are usually spelled out in a text file, which is referred to as an IAM policy.

In cloud computing, there are three main service models: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Each model defines the level of responsibility and control that the cloud provider and the cloud customer have over the cloud resources and services. The cloud provider is responsible for vulnerability and patch management of the underlying operating system in SaaS and PaaS models, while the cloud customer is responsible for it in IaaS model. In SaaS, the cloud provider delivers software applications over the internet and manages all aspects of the cloud infrastructure, platform, and application. The cloud customer only needs to access the software through a web browser or an API. In PaaS, the cloud provider offers a platform for developing, testing, and deploying applications and manages the cloud infrastructure and operating system. The cloud customer can use the platform tools and services to create and run their own applications. In IaaS, the cloud provider supplies the basic cloud infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking, and the cloud customer can provision and configure their own operating system, middleware, and applications. References: Cloud Computing Service Models, Cloud Security Fundamentals - Module 2: Cloud Computing Models, Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET)

Application allow listing is a security practice that permits only pre-approved (trusted) applications, files, and processes to run on a system. This approach helps prevent unauthorized or malicious software from executing, thereby reducing the attack surface.

Micro-segmentation is a VM-Series virtual firewall cloud deployment use case that reduces your environment’s attack surface. Micro-segmentation is the process of dividing a network into smaller segments, each with its own security policies and controls. This helps to isolate and protect workloads from lateral movement and unauthorized access, as well as to enforce granular trust zones and application dependencies. Micro-segmentation can be applied to virtualized data centers, private clouds, and public clouds, using software-defined solutions such as VMware NSX, Cisco ACI, and Azure Virtual WAN. References: Micro-Segmentation - Palo Alto Networks, VM-Series Deployment Guide - Palo Alto Networks, VM-Series on VMware NSX - Palo Alto Networks, VM-Series on Cisco ACI - Palo Alto Networks, VM-Series on Azure Virtual WAN - Palo Alto Networks

Host Intrusion Prevention Systems (HIPS) operate on endpoints to enforce security policies by monitoring system calls, file integrity, and configuration settings. HIPS can validate device compliance, including operating system versions and patch levels, before permitting network access. This capability prevents vulnerable or outdated devices from becoming attack vectors. Palo Alto Networks integrates HIPS functionalities in its endpoint security solutions, providing granular control to enforce organizational security standards and reduce risk from non-compliant endpoints. Unlike network-based inspection, HIPS works locally on hosts to stop threats at their origin.

A botnet is a network of computers or devices that are infected by malware and controlled by a malicious actor, known as the botmaster or bot-herder. The botmaster uses a command and control (C2) server or channel to send instructions to the bots and receive information from them. The C2 communication is essential for the botmaster to maintain control over the botnet and use it for various malicious purposes, such as launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, stealing data, sending spam, or mining cryptocurrency. Therefore, the key to “taking down” a botnet is to prevent the bots from communicating with the C2 server or channel. This can be done by disrupting, blocking, or hijacking the C2 communication, which can render the botnet ineffective, unstable, or inaccessible. For example, security researchers or law enforcement agencies can use techniques such as sinkholing, domain name system (DNS) poisoning, or domain seizure to redirect the bot traffic to a benign server or a dead end, cutting off the connection between the bots and the botmaster. Alternatively, they can use techniques such as reverse engineering, decryption, or impersonation to infiltrate the C2 server or channel and take over the botnet, either to disable it, monitor it, or use it for good purposes. References:

What is a Botnet? - Palo Alto Networks

Botnet Detection and Prevention Techniques | A Quick Guide - XenonStack

Botnet Mitigation: How to Prevent Botnet Attacks in 2024 - DataDome

What is a Botnet? Definition and Prevention | Varonis

Forensics in a Security Operations process refers to collecting raw data needed to complete the detailed analysis of an investigation. Forensic analysis is a crucial step in identifying, investigating, and documenting the cause, course, and consequences of a security incident or violation. Forensic analysis involves various techniques and tools to extract, preserve, analyze, and present evidence in a structured and acceptable format. Forensic analysis can be used for legal compliance, auditing, incident response, and threat intelligence purposes. References:

Cyber Forensics Explained: Reasons, Phases & Challenges of Cyber Forensics

SOC Processes, Operations, Challenges, and Best Practices

What is Digital Forensics | Phases of Digital Forensics | EC-Council

An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a sophisticated, sustained cyberattack in which an intruder establishes an undetected presence in a network in order to steal sensitive data over a prolonged period of time. APTs are usually carried out by well-funded, experienced teams of cybercriminals that target high-value organizations, such as governments, military, or corporations. APTs have the skills and resources to launch additional attacks, as they often use advanced techniques to evade detection, move laterally within the network, and establish multiple entry points and backdoors. APTs are not interested in causing immediate damage or disruption, but rather in achieving long-term goals, such as espionage, sabotage, or theft of intellectual property. Therefore, option B is the correct answer among the given choices123 References:

1: Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician - Palo Alto Networks

2: 10 Palo Alto Networks PCCET Exam Practice Questions - CBT Nuggets

3: What Is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - Cisco

4: What is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - CrowdStrike

5: What Is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - Kaspersky

App-ID™ technology leverages the power of the broad global community to provide continuous identification, categorization, and granular risk-based control of known and previously unknown SaaS applications, ensuring new applications are discovered automatically as they become popular.

Prisma Access is a cloud-delivered security platform that provides policy enforcement, secure access, and threat prevention for mobile users and remote networks, ensuring consistent security regardless of location.

An evil twin is a type of Wi-Fi attack that involves setting up a fake malicious Wi-Fi hotspot with the same name as a legitimate network to trick users into connecting to it. The attacker can then intercept the user’s data, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal information. The victim initiates the connection by choosing the fake network from the list of available Wi-Fi networks, thinking it is the real one. The attacker can also use a deauthentication attack to disconnect the user from the legitimate network and force them to reconnect to the fake one. References:

Types of Wi-Fi Attacks You Need to Guard Your Business Against - TechGenix

Types of Wireless and Mobile Device Attacks - GeeksforGeeks

The 5 most dangerous Wi-Fi attacks, and how to fight them

What are Wi-Fi Attacks & How to Fight - Tech Resider

In addition to local analysis, Cortex XDR can send unknown files to WildFire for discovery and deeper analysis to rapidly detect.

When you enable URL Filtering, all web traffic is compared against the URL Filtering database, PAN-DB, which contains millions of URLs that have been grouped into about 65 categories.

To find the subnet that the host 192.168.19.36/27 belongs to, we need to convert the IP address and the subnet mask to binary form and perform a logical AND operation. The /27 notation means that the subnet mask has 27 bits of ones and 5 bits of zeros. In decimal form, the subnet mask is 255.255.255.224. The binary form of the IP address and the subnet mask are:

IP address: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00100100 Subnet mask: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000

The logical AND operation gives us the network prefix:

Network prefix: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00100000

To get the subnet address, we convert the network prefix back to decimal form:

Subnet address: 192.168.19.32

The subnet address is the first address in the subnet range. To find the last address in the subnet range, we flip the bits of the subnet mask and perform a logical OR operation with the network prefix:

Flipped subnet mask: 00000000.00000000.00000000.00011111 Logical OR: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00111111

The last address in the subnet range is:

Last address: 192.168.19.63

The subnet range is from 192.168.19.32 to 192.168.19.63. The host 192.168.19.36 belongs to this subnet. Therefore, the correct answer is B. 192.168.19.16, which is the second address in the subnet range.

IP Subnet Calculator

Subnet Calculator - IP and CIDR

Which subnet does the host 192.168.19.36/27 belong? - VCEguide.com

In anti-malware, a false positive incorrectly identifies a legitimate file or application as malware. A false negative incorrectly identifies malware as a legitimate file or application. In intrusion detection, a false positive incorrectly identifies legitimate traffic as a threat, and a false negative incorrectly identifies a threat as legitimate traffic.

OSPF is a link-state routing protocol that requires all routers in the same domain to maintain a map of the network. This map is called the link-state database (LSDB) and it contains information about the topology and the state of each link. Each router independently calculates the shortest path to every destination in the network using the Dijkstra algorithm. OSPF routers exchange routing information by flooding link-state advertisements (LSAs) to their neighbors. LSAs are acknowledged by the receivers to ensure reliable delivery12. References:

What Is OSPF? Understanding Network Protocols By WireX Systems

Routing Protocols Overview - Global Knowledge

Cloud-native security is the integration of security strategies into applications and systems designed to be deployed and to run in cloud environments. It involves a layered approach that considers security at every level of the cloud-native application architecture. The four C’s of cloud-native security are123:

Code: This layer refers to the application code and its dependencies. Security at this layer involves ensuring the code is free of vulnerabilities, using secure coding practices, and implementing encryption, authentication, and authorization mechanisms.

Container: This layer refers to the lightweight, isolated units that encapsulate the application and its dependencies. Security at this layer involves scanning and verifying the container images, enforcing policies and rules for container deployment and runtime, and isolating and protecting the containers from unauthorized access.

Cluster: This layer refers to the group of nodes that host the containers and provide orchestration and management capabilities. Security at this layer involves securing the communication between the nodes and the containers, monitoring and auditing the cluster activity, and applying security patches and updates to the cluster components.

Cloud: This layer refers to the underlying infrastructure and services that support the cloud-native applications. Security at this layer involves configuring and hardening the cloud resources, implementing identity and access management, and complying with the cloud provider’s security standards and best practices.

The correct order of the four C’s from the top (surface) layer to the bottom (base) layer is code, container, cluster, cloud, as each layer depends on the security of the next outermost layer. References: What Is Cloud-Native Security? - Palo Alto Networks, What is Cloud-Native Security? An Introduction | Splunk, The 4C’s of Cloud Native Kubernetes security - Medium

A container-based NGFW is specifically designed to integrate with Kubernetes environments, providing full application visibility and control within containerized workloads. It operates at the pod level, making it ideal for securing dynamic microservices architectures.

Prisma SaaS connects directly to the applications themselves, therefore providing continuous silent monitoring of the risks within the sanctioned SaaS applications, with detailed visibility that is not possible with traditional security solutions.

Authorization is the component of the AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) framework that regulates user access and permissions to resources after identity has been verified. It determines what actions or resources a user is allowed to access.

Elastic scalability is the feature of the VM-Series firewalls that allows them to fully integrate into the DevOps workflows and CI/CD pipelines without slowing the pace of business. Elastic scalability means that the VM-Series firewalls can automatically adjust their capacity and performance based on the changing demand and workload of the applications they protect. This enables the VM-Series firewalls to provide consistent and optimal security across multiple cloud environments, while also reducing operational costs and complexity. Elastic scalability also allows the VM-Series firewalls to seamlessly integrate with automation and orchestration tools, such as Terraform, Ansible, and AWS CloudFormation, that are commonly used in DevOps processes. This way, the VM-Series firewalls can be deployed and managed as part of the application development lifecycle and CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that security is always aligned with the business needs and objectives. References: VM-Series Virtual Next-Generation Firewall - Palo Alto Networks, Securing Multi-Cloud Environments with VM-Series Virtual Firewalls, Terraform Modules for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series on AWS.