Cisco 200-201 Dumps

Protocol 41 is used to encapsulate IPv6 packets in IPv4 headers for transmission over an IPv4 network. This is one of the methods to implement IPv6 transition mechanisms for hosts and routers that are located on IPv4 networks. An increase in IPv4 traffic carrying protocol 41 may indicate that some hosts or routers are trying to tunnel IPv6 traffic through an IPv4 network, which could be a legitimate or malicious activity depending on the network policy. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 177; [IPv6 Transition Mechanisms for IPv4 Domains]

 Indicators of attack (IoAs) are signs that an attack may be in progress or imminent. Malware reinfection within a few minutes of removal (D) is a strong IoA because it suggests that the attacker has a persistent mechanism to redeploy malware, indicating an active compromise of the system.

Cisco’s Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals documents

A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack occurs when an attacker secretly intercepts and possibly alters the communication between two parties who believe they are directly communicating with each other. In this scenario, an attacker can observe network traffic exchanged between two users by placing themselves in between their communication channel. References := Cisco Blogs - New Cybersecurity and Cloud Skills to Protect Companies from Cybersecurity Attacks of the Future

The Stealthwatch dashboard indicates that there is an active policy violation associated with host 10.201.3.149. Stealthwatch is a security analytics tool that uses network telemetry to detect and respond to threats. In this case, the dashboard has flagged a policy violation, which means that activity from this host has been detected that goes against the defined security policies, potentially indicating a security threat or unauthorized access.

References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) training material, which includes information on how to use tools like Stealthwatch to monitor network traffic and identify potential security threats1.

False-positive alerts are alerts that are triggered by benign or normal network traffic and are mistakenly identified as malicious. False positives can have a negative impact on business as they may consume the resources and time of the security team that need to analyze and verify them. True-positive alerts are alerts that correctly identify malicious traffic or activity and require proper incident response procedures. True positives can help the security team to quickly detect and mitigate threats and minimize the damage to the organization. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 92; [Cisco CyberOps Associate CBROPS 200-201 Official Cert Guide], page 98

Application whitelisting/blacklisting is a technology used to control which applications are allowed to execute on a company’s corporate PCs. Whitelisting allows only approved applications to run, while blacklisting prevents specific applications from running. This approach is effective for managing application usage across an enterprise.

A Certificate Authority (CA) is responsible for issuing digital certificates to validate the identity of the certificate holder and provide a means to establish secure communications over networks like the Internet. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

 Encryption ensures that data is secure and unreadable to unauthorized individuals without the proper decryption key. It is a critical aspect of maintaining data confidentiality and security, especially in the transmission of sensitive information over potentially insecure networks1.

References := What Is Encryption? Explanation and Types - Cisco

In the NetFlow flow-record format, a dataflow set is a collection of data records that follow the template FlowSet in an export packet. Each data record corresponds to a flow and contains values for the fields defined in the template FlowSet. This allows for efficient organization and retrieval of flow information by NetFlow collectors.

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)

NetFlow Version 9 Flow-Record Format Documentation

Exploitation - The targeted Environment is taken advantage of triggering the threat actor's code

Installation - Backdoor is placed on the victim system allowing the threat actor to maintain the persistence.

Command and Control - An outbound connection is established to an Internet-based controller server.

Actions and Objectives - The threat actor takes actions to violate data integrity and availability

The ‘detection and analysis’ phase of incident response includes identifying all hosts affected by an attack. This step involves analyzing the scope of the incident, determining which systems and data are impacted, and understanding the nature of the attack to inform subsequent containment and eradication efforts45.

References :=

CrowdStrike’s overview of incident response frameworks and steps4.

VCEGuide’s explanation of incident response steps

A regular expression (regex) is a sequence of characters that defines a search pattern for text. A regex can be used to extract custom properties from log messages or events in a SIEM platform. In this case, the regex that matches the phrase “File: Clean” exactly is ^File: Clean$. The ^ symbol indicates the beginning of the line and the $ symbol indicates the end of the line. The regex ensures that no other characters are before or after the phrase. References:

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures, Lesson 5.3: Data and Event Analysis

200-201 CBROPS - Cisco, Exam Topics, 5.0 Security Policies and Procedures, 5.3 Analyze data as part of security monitoring activities

Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview - Cisco Learning Network, Videos, 5.3 Analyze data as part of security monitoring activities

The executable file is identified in the “name” section of the exhibit, which lists the file name “VAC-Bypass-Loader.exe”. This indicates that the file is an executable, as denoted by the “.exe” extension commonly associated with executable files in Windows operating systems.

The information provided is based on standard practices for identifying executable files within cybersecurity analysis reports and is consistent with Cisco’s cybersecurity documentation.

Graphical user interface, application Description automatically generated

When a system is overwhelmed with alerts, designing criteria for reviewing alerts can help prioritize and manage them more effectively. This approach allows for a structured review process that can distinguish between false positives, false negatives, and legitimate alerts, reducing the overall number of alerts that require attention3.

References := The strategy of designing criteria for reviewing alerts is recommended in cybersecurity best practices to manage alert fatigue and improve the efficiency of security operations3.

Vishing is an attack where fraudsters impersonate legitimate entities via phone calls to deceive individuals into providing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

Security operations teams must balance visibility, storage efficiency, and investigative speed when selecting long-term monitoring data sources. NetFlow is specifically designed to meet these requirements by providing summarized metadata about network traffic rather than capturing full packet contents.

NetFlow records information such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, byte counts, and timestamps. This allows analysts to quickly identify communication patterns, unusual data transfers, and the scope of an incident without storing large volumes of raw packet data. Because NetFlow stores metadata instead of payloads, it consumes significantly less storage space, making it suitable for long-term retention over periods such as 12 months.

SPAN ports and traffic mirroring continuously copy raw network traffic, which generates massive data volumes and requires substantial storage and processing resources. These methods are effective for short-term deep packet analysis but are not practical for long-term retention. Packet capture (.pcap) files provide the most detailed visibility but consume the most storage and are typically used only for targeted, short-duration investigations.

Cybersecurity operations documentation emphasizes NetFlow as a foundational telemetry source for incident scoping, threat hunting, and anomaly detection. It enables rapid identification of compromised hosts, data exfiltration paths, and lateral movement while maintaining storage efficiency.

Therefore, NetFlow is the most appropriate source of information given the stated requirements.

The improper use or disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) falls under the category of compliance because organizations are required to adhere to laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of PII. This includes following guidelines set forth by privacy laws such as GDPR, HIPAA, and others that mandate the proper handling of personal data to prevent misuse and unauthorized access123.

References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS), Personally identifiable information (PII): What it is, how it’s used, and how to protect it, What is PII? Examples, laws, and standards, Overview of the Privacy Act: 2020 Edition

The 5-tuple refers to the five different values that are used to define a specific communication session in a network. These values include the source IP address, destination IP address, source port, destination port, and the protocol in use. In this case, option D (Source Port) and option E (Initiator IP) are parts of the 5-tuple. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals

According to NIST SP800-61, the incident response lifecycle consists of four phases: Preparation, Detection and Analysis, Containment, Eradication and Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity.

When a SOC team member checks the Cisco Firepower Manager dashboard for further isolation actions, they are working within the Eradication and Recovery phase.

This phase focuses on removing the threat from the environment and recovering affected systems to normal operations.

References

NIST SP800-61 Computer Security Incident Handling Guide

Incident Response Phases Explained

Role of SOC in Incident Response

 Scareware is a type of malware attack that tricks users into believing their computer is infected with a virus, prompting them to download and pay for fake antivirus software. The attack often uses popup windows with flashing colors (D) to create a sense of urgency and scare the user into taking immediate action.

Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certification materials

 A host-based firewall is a utility that can block unauthorized access to a computer system, including port scans. It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and permits or blocks data packets based on a set of security rules.

The presence of a default user agent in the headers of requests and data being transmitted suggests a cache bypassing attack. In this scenario, the attacker is likely requesting noncacheable content to avoid detection by caching mechanisms that could otherwise identify and block malicious traffic.

The -sP option in Nmap is used for host discovery without port scanning, which helps in identifying live hosts without triggering portscan alerts on IDS devices. It sends an ICMP echo request, a TCP SYN packet to port 443, a TCP ACK packet to port 80, and an ICMP timestamp request to each target IP address and waits for a response. Any responses are considered as indications of a live host. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 5: Endpoint Threat Analysis and Computer Forensics

Wireshark is a widely used network protocol analyzer that supports various capture file formats, including those generated by tcpdump.

The.pcapextension is a standard format for packet capture files and is fully supported by Wireshark.

The file extension or the inclusion of characters such as "-" in the file name does not impact Wireshark's ability to open and read the file.

When the engineer opens thesandboxmatware2022-12-22.pcapsfile in Wireshark, the tool will read the packet capture data, allowing for detailed analysis of network traffic.

References

Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals

Wireshark User Guide

tcpdump and libpcap Documentation

An Nmap scan can provide detailed information about a network including the functionality and purpose of servers on that network as well as any services that are currently running on those servers. This information can be used by an attacker to identify potential vulnerabilities or targets for exploitation during a cyber attack. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Training

According to NIST SP800-61, the incident response phase called “Containment, Eradication, and Recovery” involves containing the incident, eradicating the threat, and recovering from the incident2. In the scenario described, the engineer worked on containing the DDoS attack by identifying the attacker and the technique used, which is part of the containment process. The recommendation to implement Blackhole filtering is part of the eradication process, where measures are taken to prevent the attack from happening again. Finally, restoring the server is part of the recovery process, where normal operations are resumed. Therefore, the engineer finished work during the “Containment, Eradication, and Recovery” phase. References: NIST SP800-61 Computer Security Incident Handling Guide2.

 The regex [a−z]+ matches one or more lowercase letters from a to z. The plus sign (+) indicates that the preceding character set [a−z] can appear one or more times, thus matching strings of only lowercase letters1.

References := This explanation is consistent with standard regex syntax as described in various programming and scripting languages documentation

Rule-based detection systems operate using predefined patterns and signatures to identify known threats. These patterns are based on prior knowledge of attack methods and vulnerabilities.

Behavioral detection systems, on the other hand, analyze the normal behavior of a network or system to establish a baseline. They thenmonitor for deviations from this baseline, which may indicate potential threats.

Rule-based systems are effective at detecting known threats but may struggle with novel or zero-day attacks that do not match existing signatures.

Behavioral systems can detect unknown threats by recognizing abnormal activities, making them useful in identifying zero-day exploits and other sophisticated attacks.

References

Comparison of Rule-based and Behavioral Detection Methods in IDS

Advantages of Behavioral Analysis in Network Security

Cybersecurity Detection Techniques

Delivery is the fourth phase of the cyber kill chain, which is a model to describe the stages of a cyberattack. Delivery refers to the transmission of the weaponized payload to the target system, such as via email attachments, web links, USB drives, or network connections. Delivery does not necessarily imply successful installation or execution of the payload, which are subsequent phases of the kill chain. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 31.

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

The source IP address from an audit log that indicates a session which may have exploited a vulnerability is considered corroborative evidence. This type of evidence supports other evidence that suggests a security breach occurred. In the context of cybersecurity, corroborative evidence can help establish that an attack was carried out and can be used in conjunction with other data points to build a case during an investigation.

References := The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) training material discusses the types of data needed to investigate security incidents, which includes understanding the role of different types of evidence in building a security incident case1.

A rootkit is a type of malicious software specifically designed to maintain persistent, unauthorized control over a compromised system while evading detection. Rootkits operate by embedding themselves deep within the operating system, often at the kernel level, allowing attackers to hide processes, files, network connections, and registry entries.

Once installed, a rootkit enables long-term access even after system reboots, making it a powerful persistence mechanism. Attackers use rootkits to maintain control, execute commands, capture credentials, and install additional malware without alerting security tools or administrators.

Option B, ARP spoofing, is a network-level attack used for traffic interception, not persistence. Option C, DDoS, is an availability attack and does not provide control over a device. Option D, encryption, is a defensive technology and does not grant persistence.

Cybersecurity operations and incident response documentation consistently identify rootkits as high-severity threats because of their stealth, durability, and ability to undermine trust in the operating system. Detecting rootkits often requires specialized tools, integrity checks, and sometimes full system reimaging.

Therefore, the technology used to maintain persistent control of an exploited device is a rootkit, making Option A the correct answer.

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provides a unified way for users to request system information, including hardware and software inventory data. The Common Information Model (CIM) is an open standard that defines how managed elements in an IT environment are represented as a common set of objects and relationships between them. References:

The engineer engaged with the service component by enabling “Audiosrv,” which is the Windows Audio Service responsible for managing audio for Windows-based programs. By setting it to auto-start, the engineer ensured that the service would run automatically upon system startup. Additionally, the engineer interacted with process and thread management by using the Task Manager to modify the behavior of the “Audiosrv” service.

The information is based on standard operating procedures for troubleshooting audio issues in Windows OS, which involves services and processes management.

In the context of NIST SP800-61, a precursor is an event that indicates the potential occurrence of an incident. When an organization adjusts its security stance in response to online threats made by a known hacktivist group, the initial event—the threats—would be considered a precursor. It is an indication of a potential future attack or security incident34.

References :=

NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide3.

Computer Security Incident Handling Guide - NIST

 Separation of duties is a security principle that requires more than one person to perform a critical task, such as authorizing a transaction, approving a budget, or granting access to sensitive data. Separation of duties reduces the risk of fraud, error, abuse, or conflict of interest by preventing any single person from having too much power or privilege. Least privilege, need to know, and due diligence are other security principles, but they do not require more than one person to perform a critical task. References: Separation of Duty (SOD) - Glossary | CSRC - NIST Computer Security …, Separation of Duties | Imperva

A sandbox is a technology on a host that is used to isolate a running application from other applications. A sandbox creates a controlled and restricted environment for the application to execute, limiting its access to system resources and data. A sandbox can prevent the application from spreading malware, stealing information, or causing damage to the host or the network. A sandbox can also be used to test and analyze the behavior of unknown or suspicious applications without risking the security of the host. Application allow list, application block list, and host-based firewall are other technologies on a host that can be used to control or restrict the execution of applications, but they do not isolate them from other applications. References:

How can I best isolate a particular program (game)

App isolation in Windows 10

Types of Endpoint Application Isolation and Containment Technology

In a Security Operations Center (SOC) environment, a vulnerability management metric is a quantifiable measure used to assess the effectiveness of the vulnerability management program. A full assets scan is a metric that can be used to determine the coverage and frequency of vulnerability scans across all assets. This helps in identifying unscanned assets and ensuring that all parts of the network are regularly checked for vulnerabilities1.

References :=

SOC Metrics: Security Metrics & KPIs for Measuring SOC Success

Vulnerability Management Metrics: 5 Metrics to Start Measuring in Your Vulnerability Management Program

Top 10 Vulnerability Management Metrics & KPIs To Measure Success

The file that is extractable via TCP stream within Wireshark is the one that has the Content-Type header set to application/octet-stream, which indicates binary data. Thisheader is present in frames 7, 14, and 21, which are part of the same TCP stream. The other frames have different Content-Type headers, such as text/html or image/jpeg, which are not extractable as binary files. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 3: Network Intrusion Analysis, Lesson 3.2: Analyze Data from Common TCP/IP Protocols, Topic 3.2.3: HTTP

A greylist in endpoint applications refers to a list of items that are not yet classified as either good (whitelisted) or bad (blacklisted).

The primary function of a greylist is to hold applications, processes, or files that are under observation due to their unknown status.

These items are neither trusted nor immediately flagged as harmful, allowing security teams to monitor them closely for any suspicious behavior.

By placing items on a greylist, security operations can prevent potential threats without disrupting legitimate processes, awaiting further analysis to determine their true nature.

References

Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals

Endpoint Security Best Practices

Greylisting Concepts in Cybersecurity

In the context of cybersecurity, an asset is anything that has value to the organization, its business operations and their continuity, including data and physical devices. In the role of attribution in an investigation, which is the process of associating an action or event with a particular individual or entity, certain assets are particularly relevant. A laptop © can be an asset because it may contain data or clues that can help trace the origin of a cyber attack. Similarly, identifying the threat actor (E) is crucial for attribution, as it involves understanding who is behind the attack and their motives, which can be essential for preventing future attacks and for legal proceedings.

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)1.

A: Stateful inspection tracks the state of network connections, such as TCP streams, to determine if a packet is part of an established connection.

B: Deep packet inspection examines the data part (payload) of a packet and can identify, block, or reroute packets with specific types of malware. Stateful inspection does not inspect the payload for malware.

 A denial-of-service attack represents the evasion technique of resource exhaustion, where the attacker overwhelms a system’s resources, making the system unusable and unable to handle legitimate requests. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

 The communication channel established from a compromised machine back to the attacker is known as a command and control (C2) channel. This channel allows attackers to maintain communication with the compromised system, issue commands, and potentially exfiltrate data. The C2 channel can be established using various protocols and methods to evade detection and maintain persistence.

The containment phase of the incident response lifecycle is focused on limiting the impact of an active incident and preventing it from continuing or spreading further. In this scenario, the organization is experiencing a suspected Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, as indicated by high-volume traffic and degraded application performance.

During containment, the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) takes immediate actions such as rate limiting, blocking malicious IP addresses, diverting traffic through scrubbing services, or engaging DDoS mitigation providers. The goal is to stabilize services and ensure that the attack no longer affects business operations. This phase also includes confirming that defensive measures have been successfully applied.

Preparation occurs before an incident and involves planning and readiness activities. Eradication focuses on removing the root cause of the incident, such as disabling attacker infrastructure or removing malware, which is not applicable to most DDoS scenarios. Recovery occurs after containment and involves restoring systems to normal operation and monitoring for recurrence.

Cybersecurity operations documentation clearly defines containment as the phase where ongoing attacks are stopped or controlled. Therefore, containment is the correct answer.

The attack vector score in the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) reflects how a vulnerability can be exploited. A higher score is given when the attack can be conducted remotely, making it easier for an attacker to exploit the vulnerability without physical access to the vulnerable component3. References: The CVSS specification document provides a detailed explanation of how the attack vector score is determined, emphasizing the impact of the ease of exploitation on the score

In digital forensics and incident response, disk imaging is a critical process used to create an exact copy of a storage device for analysis. An untampered disk image—also referred to as a forensically sound image—preserves the original data exactly as it existed at the time of acquisition. This includes file contents, metadata, deleted files, and unallocated space. Untampered images are verified using cryptographic hash values to ensure integrity and admissibility.

A tampered disk image, on the other hand, is one that has been altered after acquisition or intentionally manipulated to conceal or insert data. Tampering may involve modifying files, altering metadata, injecting hidden data, or using steganographic techniques to store hidden items within the image. Such changes invalidate the integrity of the evidence and compromise forensic analysis.

Options A and B are incorrect because security is not defined by whether an image is tampered or untampered; rather, integrity and authenticity are the determining factors. Option C is incorrect because untampered images do not intentionally store hidden items—they preserve data as-is.

Cybersecurity operations documentation emphasizes that maintaining untampered disk images is essential for reliable investigation, legal proceedings, and accurate root-cause analysis. Any modification to an image must be documented and performed on a working copy, never the original.

Therefore, the correct distinction is that tampered disk images may store hidden or altered items, making Option D the correct answer.

Indirect evidence is evidence that does not directly prove a fact, but rather implies or infers it from other facts or circumstances. Indirect evidence is also known as circumstantial evidence or corroborating evidence. A video of a suspect entering a data center that was captured on the same day that files in the same data center were transferred to a competitor is an example of indirect evidence, because it does not directly show that the suspect was involved in the file transfer, but rather suggests a possible connection or correlation between the two events. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures, Lesson 5.3: Digital Forensics, Topic 5.3.1: Evidence, page 5-24.

The situation where endpoint logs show a machine receiving an unusual gateway address and DNS servers via DHCP is indicative of a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack, specificallya DHCP spoofing attack. In this type of attack, an adversary can set up a rogue DHCP server or manipulate the DHCP communication to provide false gateway and DNS information to clients. This allows the attacker to intercept, monitor, or manipulate traffic between the client and the intended gateway or DNS servers2.

Cisco’s best practices for network protections and attack identification3, and additional insights on securing networks from DHCP attacks

 To investigate the callouts made post infection, it’s essential to know where the callouts were made to (domain names) and from which host IP addresses they originated. This information can help trace back the source and destination, aiding in understanding the nature of the callouts. References:

Transaction data consists of connection level, application-specific records generated from network traffic. It provides information about the source, destination, protocol, and application of each network connection. Transaction data can be used to identify anomalies, malicious activities, and user behaviors on the network. References := Cisco CyberOps Engineer

Statistical detection involves collecting data over time to define what is considered normal behavior or legitimate data for users or systems. It then uses statistical analysis to identify abnormal behavior that could indicate a security incident. Rule-based detection uses predefined rules or patterns that are based on known threats or vulnerabilities - it operates on an IF/THEN basis where if certain conditions are met then an alert is triggered. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals

When a company workstation is compromised, the stakeholders that must be involved are the ones who are responsible for the security incident response process. According to the table, these are Employee 4 (Security Operation Center Analyst), Employee 6 (Head of Network and Security Infrastructure Services), and Employee 7 (Technical Director). The other employees have different roles that are not directly related to the incident response process, such as accounting, financial management, or system administration. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.4: Security Monitoring, Topic 1.4.1: Security Operations Center

Deep packet inspection (DPI) is a sophisticated method of examining the content of data packets as they pass through a network checkpoint, including both the header and the data payload. DPI is typically performed at the application layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. This allows the inspection process to evaluate the actual content of the packets, not just the header information, enabling the identification of various types of threats and the enforcement of network policies1.

References := The explanation aligns with the information provided by Digital Guardian, which details how DPI works and at which layer it is applied1.

The weaponization step in the Cyber Kill Chain model involves creating or repurposing malware based on the information gathered during reconnaissance to exploit vulnerabilities in the target’s system. This step culminates in the preparation of the malware to be delivered to the victim2.

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)

Cyber Kill Chain

The /var/log/auth.log file contains information about authentication and authorization events on a Linux system, such as successful and failed logins, sudo commands, and SSH sessions. The output in the exhibit shows a failed login attempt from a user named “root” using SSH. References:

 A web proxy is the technology used to block a user’s HTTP connection to a malicious site according to configured policy. It acts as an intermediary between users and the internet, enforcing security policies and preventing access to harmful sites by inspecting and managing web traffic.

Threat intelligence is crucial for organizations to understand the threats they are currently facing. It involves collecting, evaluating, and disseminating information about current or potential attacks that could affect an organization. This intelligence can help organizations prioritize their security measures based on the likelihood and potential impact of different threats. By using threat intelligence, organizations can be more proactive in their defense strategies and respond more effectively to cyber threats.

The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course emphasizes the importance of threat intelligence in monitoring security incidents and responding to them

Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC) provides features like metrics collection and exporting (D) for visibility on TCP bandwidth usage, response time, and latency. Application recognition (E) combined with deep packet inspection helps in identifying unknown software by its network traffic flow. References := Cisco CyberOps Associate - Module 2: Security Concepts

The exhibit shows a log that contains information such as the date, flow start, duration, protocol used, source and destination IP addresses and ports, packets, bytes, and flows. This type of detailed metadata is typically associated with NetFlow logs which are used for collecting IP traffic information and monitoring network traffic. References := Cisco CyberOps Associate

 The PCAP file in the exhibit shows a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) communication between two IP addresses. In the data section of the packet capture, “pdy/3.1… http/1” isvisible, indicating that HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is being used as the application protocol for this communication.

References := The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course material covers the analysis of network traffic using tools like packet analyzers to identify application protocols in use1.

The security scenario involves protecting the company from known issues that trigger adware and addressing a recent incident that could harm the system.

This scenario involves identifying vulnerabilities (weaknesses in the system that can be exploited) and threats (potential harm that can exploit these vulnerabilities).

A vulnerability is an inherent flaw in the system, while a threat is an event or condition that has the potential to exploit the vulnerability.

The security engineer needs to assess both the vulnerabilities present and the threats that could exploit these vulnerabilities to implement effective protection measures.

References

Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals

Concepts of Vulnerability and Threat in Cybersecurity

Best Practices in Vulnerability Management

 In the incident response process, detection and analysis involve researching an attacking host through logs in a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system. This step helps in identifying, validating, and managing potential security incidents. References := Cisco CyberOps Associate - Module 3: Security Monitoring

 In the context of Linux systems, each active program is tracked using a process identification number (PID). The PID is a unique number that the system uses to refer to a specific process, which is an instance of an executed program. This allows the system and the SOC analyst to monitor and manage different processes, including those initiated by users, the system itself, or by applications.

References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) training material provides insights into how a Security Operations Center (SOC) operates and the tools and data used by analysts to monitor and investigate security incidents, including the tracking of active programs on system

 Full packet capture requires the largest amount of storage space because it involves recording all packets that pass through a network, including all headers and payloads. This type of data collection is comprehensive and allows for detailed analysis, but due to the volume of data it encompasses, it demands significant storage capacity1.

References := The Cisco Secure Network Analytics Data Store Design Guide discusses the storage requirements for different types of network data collection, highlighting the substantial storage needs for full packet captures1.

The logs indicating multiple local TCP connection events are typically provided by a firewall. Firewalls are responsible for monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules, and they generate logs that detail such events, which can be used for further analysis and incident response. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals

 The event described falls under the ‘action on objectives’ category of the Cyber Kill Chain. This stage occurs after the attacker has established a foothold within the network and begins to execute their intended actions, such as data exfiltration. References: The Cyber Kill Chain framework outlines the stages of a cyberattack, with ‘action onobjectives’ being the final step where attackers achieve their primary goal, such as data theft

 Secure boot and restricting USB ports are two components that can reduce the attack surface on an endpoint. The attack surface is the sum of all paths for data into and out of the environment. Reducing the attack surface means minimizing the number and complexity of these paths, and thus reducing the opportunities for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities or gain unauthorized access. Secure boot is a feature that ensures that only trusted and verified code can run during the boot process, preventing malware or unauthorized software from compromising the system. Restricting USB ports is a policy that limits the use of USB devices, such as flash drives or external hard drives, that can introduce malware or exfiltrate data from the endpoint.

[Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Module 4: Network Intrusion Analysis], [Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures]

 Vulnerability management is a proactive approach to securing systems by identifying and fixing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers. It involves scanning systems for known weaknesses, prioritizing and assessing the risks of those vulnerabilities, and applying patches or other remediation measures to mitigate them. Vulnerability management helps reduce the attack surface and prevent potential breaches. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 11.

Defense-in-depth is a security strategy where multiple layers of defense are placed throughout an information technology (IT) system. It addresses physical, technical, and administrative controls to provide redundancy and ensure that if one layer fails, others will be in place to thwart an attack. References: Cisco Tech Roles - CyberOps Engineer

 tcpdump is an open-source packet capture tool that uses the libpcap library to capture network traffic on Linux and Mac OS X operating systems. It can display the contents of packets in various formats, filter packets based on criteria, and save packets to a file. tcpdump is a command-line tool that can be run on a terminal or a remote shell1 References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Module 2: Security Monitoring

The analyst is in the detection and analysis phase of the incident response process according to NIST SP800-61. In this phase, events are detected and analyzed to determine whether they constitute incidents that require a response. It involves monitoring security events or data collection, correlation, and analysis of log entries and network flow data, among others. The goal is to identify incidents quickly so that appropriate actions can be taken. References := NIST SP800-61, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide, Section 3.2: Detection and Analysis

The #netstat -an command output typically displays a list of all open ports and associated connections. If the web application is slowed down, the engineer would look for unusual patterns such as an excessive number of connections to the web server which could indicate a denial-of-service attack. However, without specific details from the #netstat -an output, it’s not possible to determine the exact cause of the issue. Therefore, the engineer would need to gather more data, possibly including checking server logs, resource usage, and network traffic patterns to diagnose the problem accurately.

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) provides knowledge on network monitoring tools and interpreting their output to identify potential security incidents.

The difference between tampered and untampered disk images is:

Tampered Images: These are disk images that have been altered or modified in some way after their initial creation. The stored hash and the computed hash will not match if the image has been tampered with.

Untampered Images: These are disk images that have not been altered since their creation. They are considered authentic and reliable for forensic investigations. The stored hash and the computed hash will match, confirming that the image has remained unchanged.

Therefore, the correct answer is: D. Untampered images are used for forensic investigations.

Corroborative evidence is the type of evidence that supports a theory or an assumption that results from initial evidence. It provides additional support to the initial findings, strengthening the theory or assumption by confirming the same facts or pointing towards the same conclusion with independent pieces of evidence4567.

References := Types of evidence (article) | Lessons | Khan Academy, Evidence: Fundamental Concepts and the Phenomenal Conception, Navigating Scientific Evidence: Types and Definitions, How Courts Work - American Bar Association

The output indicates that several ports are open on the server with IP address 172.18.104.139, including port 22/tcp for SSH, port 25/tcp for SMTP, port 110/tcp for POP3, and port 143/tcp for IMAP - these are typically associated with a web server. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

Application-level allow list refers to the practice of specifying an index of approved applications that are permitted to be executed in a system environment or network, which means only specific files are allowed while everything else is denied by default, enhancing security.

 During the negotiation phase of the TLS handshake, the client sends a “ClientHello” message to the server which includes information about TLS versions it supports, cipher-suites it supports and suggested compression methods. This initiates communication protocols for secure connection. References := Cisco Cybersecurity source documents or study guide

Stealthwatch is the technology that an engineer should use to fetch logs from a proxy server and generate actual events based on the data received. Cisco Secure Network Analytics, formerly known as Stealthwatch, provides the capability to configure proxy server logs so that the Flow Collector can receive the information. The Stealthwatch Management Console then displays this information on the Flow Proxy Records page, which includes URLs and application names of the traffic inside a network going through the proxy server1.

References :=

Cisco Secure Network Analytics Proxy Log Configuration Guide

Social engineering attacks involve manipulating individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security. The fake offer for a free music download is a classic example of social engineering, where attackers lure users with a tempting offer to trick them into providing personal information or downloading malware.

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)

Integrity is a metric in CVSS that measures the impact of a vulnerability on the trustworthiness and veracity of the data or information in a system. A vulnerability that affects the integrity of a system can allow an attacker to modify, delete, or corrupt the data or information without authorization. An example of such a vulnerability is a bank account number tampering attack, where an attacker changes the destination bank account number of a transaction to redirect the funds to their own account. References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 2-17; 200-201 CBROPS - Cisco, exam topic 1.3.c

Encryption allows the user to make the data incomprehensible without a specific key, certificate, or password. Encryption is a method of transforming data into a format that only authorized parties can access. Encryption can be used to protect data in transit or at rest from unauthorized access or modification. References: (Module 4, Lesson 4.1.1)

 Cyber attribution identifies the threat actors of an attack in an investigation. Threat actors are the individuals, groups, organizations, or states that are responsible for conducting or sponsoring a cyberattack. Threat actors can have different motives, such as financial gain, espionage, sabotage, activism, or warfare. Cyber attribution can help investigators to determine the identity, location, affiliation, and motivation of the threat actors, as well as to hold them accountable and impose sanctions or legal actions. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures, Lesson 5.2: Incident Response, Topic 5.2.3: Cyber Attribution, page 5-14.

 Indicators of Compromise (IoC) are pieces of forensic data, such as system log entries or files, that suggest an intrusion may have occurred. Indicators of Attack (IoA) are signs that an attack may be underway, allowing organizations to take action before any potential breach occurs.

The CBROPS course materials cover the concepts of IoC and IoA, explaining how they are used in cybersecurity operations to detect and prevent security incidents.

The 5-tuple approach consists of protocol, source IP address, source port number, destination IP address, and destination port number to uniquely identify sessions between endpoints on a network. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

The exhibit shows “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,” which is a Windows Registry hive. The registry is a database used to store low-level settings for the operating system and for applications that opt to use the registry. The other options are not related to the exhibit, as they are either a part of the Windows Certificate Manager, a naming convention for Windows PowerShell commands, or a component of the Windows Services Manager. References := Cisco Cybersecurity

Social engineering is a tactic used by attackers to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential information, such as passwords. In this scenario, the attacker is impersonating a colleague by using a similar email address with a missing letter, attempting to trick the employee into revealing sensitive information.

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course and materials provide insights into various types of cybersecurity threats, including social engineering, and how to recognize and respond to them.

The user-agent HTTP header field is used in forensics to identify the type of browser used. It contains a characteristic string that allows network protocol peers to identify the operating system and browser of the web-server. This information is crucial in forensic analysis as it can provide insights into the client’s environment1.

References := The importance of the user-agent string in identifying the browser type is discussed in various technical resources, including the Wikipedia page on HTTP header fields2 and articles on GeeksforGeeks1.

The weaponization step in the Cyber Kill Chain Model involves the creation or use of a specific weapon (malware, exploit) designed to leverage a vulnerability.

This phase follows the reconnaissance phase where the attacker gathers information and precedes the delivery phase where the weapon is delivered to the target.

Developing specific malware to exploit a vulnerable server is a precise example of weaponization.

References

Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill Chain Model

Understanding the Weaponization Phase in Cyber Attacks

Steps in the Cyber Kill Chain

Encryption is challenging to security monitoring because it can be used by threat actors as a method of evasion and obfuscation. Encryption can prevent security devices from inspecting the content or payload of the network traffic, making it difficult to detect malicious activity or signatures. Encryption can also hide the source and destination of the traffic, making it hard to trace the origin or destination of the attack. References: (Module 4, Lesson 4.1.1)

Resource exhaustion is an evasion technique where an attacker overwhelms a system with a high volume of requests from multiple sources. This can cause the system to become overloaded and unable to process legitimate traffic, potentially allowing the attacker to bypass security measures like intrusion detection systems.

References := The answers are based on the knowledge from the Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course material, which covers various cybersecurity concepts, including file identification methods, application control technologies, firewall utilities, and evasion techniques

HTTPS uses SSL/TLS encryption to secure data transmission over the internet. This encryption makes it difficult to monitor HTTPS traffic because the data packets are encrypted making them unreadable to anyone trying to intercept or monitor the data without proper decryption keys. References := Cisco CyberOps Associate

Lateral movement relies heavily on reconnaissance to identify systems, services, and attack paths inside a compromised network. The Nmap scan in the exhibit reveals open ports and associated services, which directly support this objective.

Option A is correct because identifying the function and service the server is providing allows the attacker to understand the system’s role. Services such as msrpc, netbios-ssn, and microsoft-ds strongly indicate a Windows host offering file sharing, remote procedure calls, and domain-related services. This information helps attackers select appropriate exploits, credential theft techniques, or privilege escalation paths.

Option C is also correct because running services and open ports are one of the most valuable outputs of a network scan. Open ports such as 135, 139, and 445 expose services that are commonly targeted for lateral movement using techniques like SMB relay attacks, Pass-the-Hash, or exploitation of known vulnerabilities.

Option B is incorrect because CPU details and vendor versions are not revealed in this scan output. Option D is incorrect because Nmap does not enumerate logged-in user security identifiers. Option E is incorrect because latency values are not used for command injection planning in lateral movement scenarios.

Therefore, the two scan elements that assist the attacker are the server’s function and its running services and ports.

The QR field in the DNS header specifies whether the message is a query (QR=0) or a response (QR=1). This bit is set to 0 for query messages and is set to 1 for response messages, allowing the recipient to distinguish between the two.

Patch management is the process of distributing and managing updates to software and systems. These updates can include patches for security vulnerabilities, bug fixes, andenhancements to improve performance or add new features. It ensures that systems are up-to-date, secure, and performing optimally. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Training

A certificate authority (CA) is a trusted entity that issues and manages digital certificates for secure communication over the internet. A digital certificate is a document that contains the public key and the identity of the owner of the key. A CA impacts security by validating the domain identity of the SSL certificate, which is a type of digital certificatethat enables encrypted communication between a web server and a web browser. The CA verifies that the domain name in the certificate matches the domain name of the web server, and signs the certificate with its own private key. The web browser can then verify the signature of the CA and trust the identity of the web server. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 2: Security Monitoring, Lesson 2.3: Cryptography and PKI, Topic 2.3.2: Public Key

 The attack surface is the sum of all paths for data into and out of the environment, such as network interfaces, applications, services, protocols, ports, and user accounts. The attack surface represents the exposure of the environment to potential threats and attacks. A vulnerability is an exploitable weakness in a system or its design that can allow an attacker to compromise the system or its data. A vulnerability is a subset of the attack surface, as not all paths for data are vulnerable. References: [Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Module 1: Security Concepts]

An incident response plan is a document that defines the roles and responsibilities, procedures, and processes for detecting, analyzing, containing, eradicating, recovering, and learning from security incidents. The purpose of an incident response plan is to minimize the impact of incidents on the organization’s assets, operations, and reputation, and to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. An incident response plan is not the same as a security management plan, a disaster recovery plan, or a backup and archiving plan, although they may be related or complementary. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 92; NIST SP 800-61 Rev. 2, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide, page 2-3

The ping of death is a type of attack that involves sending oversized or malformed packets using the ICMP protocol to crash, freeze, or reboot the target system1.

UDP flooding is an attack method that sends a large number of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets to random ports on a remote host, causing the host to repeatedly check for the application listening at that port, and (when no application is found) reply with an ICMP Destination Unreachable packet. This process can saturate the network and the resources of the host, leading to denial of service2.

Cloudflare’s explanation of common DoS attacks1.

Wikipedia’s description of denial-of-service attack methods

 Traffic fragmentation is an evasion technique where an attacker splits malicious payloads into smaller packets. This can help avoid detection since some security systems may not reassemble these packets to inspect the complete payload.

 To analyze both payload and header information, an engineer must capture the full packet data. This includes all protocol and payload information for the traffic, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the data being transmitted5678. References: Full packet capture is a common practice in network monitoring and security, as it provides detailed insights into the data transmitted over the network, including both payload and header information

Reflective XSS, also known as Non-Persistent XSS, occurs when an attacker sends a malicious script to a user through a web application, and the script is executed immediately in the user’s browser without being stored on the server. This type of attack is typically carried out by including the malicious script in a URL, which is then sent to the victim. When the victim clicks on the link, the script runs in their browser, reflecting the attacker’s actions without storing the payload for repeated use12. References: OWASP Foundation’s documentation on Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) provides detailed information on the different types of XSS attacks, including Reflective XSS