Cisco 200-201 Dumps

Full packet captures are essential for troubleshooting security and performance issues as they provide detailed information on network traffic (option B). They also allow for reassembling fragmented traffic from raw data, enabling analysts to review complete transactions or sessions (option C). References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 3: Network Data and Event Analysis

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

Ping of Death involves sending oversized or malformed pings to crash the target system, while UDP flooding overwhelms the target with UDP packets to consume its resources and disrupt services. These are both examples of denial of service attacks, which aim to prevent legitimate users from accessing a system or service. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 4: Network Intrusion Analysis

 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.

References: Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certification materials

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts the victim’s data and demands a ransom for the decryption key. The attacker may also threaten to publish or delete the data if the ransom is not paid. In this case, the Egregor malware is distributed through a Cobalt Strike, which is a penetration testing tool that can be used to deploy payloads on compromised systems. The malware exfiltrates the victim’s data to a command and control server and uses it as leverage to extort money from the victim. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.3: Common Network Application Operations and Attacks, Topic 1.3.3: Malware Attacks

The packet capture shows that IP address 192.168.88.149, using source port 80 (common for HTTP traffic), initiated communication with IP address 192.168.88.12 at destination port 49098, using the TCP protocol, indicating a typical client-server interaction over the web.

References: = These explanations are based on general cybersecurity principles as outlined in Cisco’s training and certification content, such as the Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) and other related Cisco resources.

• The image shows a piece of code within a bordered rectangular area.
• It is a string of HTML code that appears to be an example of an attack, specifically “”.
• The code suggests an attempt to execute JavaScript within an image source attribute, indicative of a cross-site scripting attack.

FAT is a file system that organizes and stores data on a disk. However, FAT has a limitation of 4 GB for the maximum file size, which means that any file larger than that will be corrupted. To resolve this issue, the engineer can use FAT32, which is an improved version of FAT that supports files up to 32 GB. Alternatively, the engineer can use other file systems that have higher file size limits, such as Ext4 or NTFS. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 5: Security Policies and Procedures, Lesson 5.1: Data Retention, Topic 5.1.1: Data Retention Policies and Procedures

An SSL certificate enables the establishment of a secure connection between the client and the server using the TLS protocol. The client and the server exchange keys and agree on a cipher suite to encrypt and decrypt the data transmitted over the network. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Source Documents

 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

• 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

In this scenario, the threat actor refers to the individuals or entities responsible for the attack that resulted in a breach of assets and sensitive information. The receptionist received a threatening call but did not take action, leading to an actual breach within 48 hours. References: The explanation is inferred from general cybersecurity knowledge as specific details are not provided in the Cisco Cybersecurity documents linked.

Host-based firewalls are designed to protect individual workstations from unwanted traffic by filtering incoming and outgoing network communications based on predefined security rules. They can block unauthorized access attempts and prevent potentially harmful traffic from reaching the system.

• A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack involves multiple compromised devices (botnet) sending a large number of requests to a target server to overwhelm it.
• In a specific type of DDoS attack known as an NTP amplification attack, the attacker exploits the Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers by sending small queries with a spoofed source IP address (the target’s IP).
• The NTP server responds with a much larger reply to the target’s IP address, thereby amplifying the traffic directed at the target.
• This reflection and amplification technique significantly increases the volume of traffic sent to the target, causing denial of service.

References

• OWASP DDoS Attack Overview
• NTP Amplification Attack Explained
• Understanding Botnets and Distributed Attacks

 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.

• The regular expression provided is: .\.(pd][Oo][Cc)|[Xx][LI][Ss]|[Pp][Pp][Tt]) HTTP/1 .[01]
• This regular expression is designed to match file extensions for Word (.doc), Excel (.xls), and PowerPoint (.ppt) files in HTTP network sessions.
• The regular expression uses character classes and alternatives to match different case variations of these file extensions.
• The part .\.(pd][Oo][Cc)|[Xx][LI][Ss]|[Pp][Pp][Tt]) matches the file extensions, and HTTP/1 .[01] ensures that the match is in the context of HTTP version 1.0 or 1.1.

References

• Cisco ASA Regular Expressions Documentation
• Understanding Regular Expressions in Network Security
• Filtering and Capturing HTTP Traffic with Regex

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.

A phishing attack often involves sending emails that appear to be from reputable sources with the goal of inducing individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. In this case, the email with the subject “price deduction” containing a malicious attachment is designed to trick the recipient into opening the attachment, which can then execute harmful software on their device

Agent-based monitoring: With agent-based monitoring, software agents are installed on the monitored systems or devices. These agents collect data locally, perform filtering or preprocessing of the data, and then transmit the relevant or valuable information to the monitoring system. Agent-based monitoring allows for local processing and filtering, which can reduce network utilization by only transmitting essential data. Agentless monitoring: Agentless monitoring, on the other hand, does not require software agents to be installed on the monitored systems or devices. Instead, it relies on leveraging existing protocols and interfaces, such as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) or SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), to remotely access and retrieve monitoring data from the target systems. Agentless monitoring generally involves higher network utilization as the monitoring system needs to gather data from remote systems over the network.

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

This type of analysis is deterministic because it assigns fixed values to the scenario and calculates the expected outcomes based on those values. Deterministic analysis does not account for uncertainty or randomness in the scenario. References: (Module 3, Lesson 3.1.2)

 DNS amplification is a type of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack where an attacker uses publicly accessible open DNS servers to flood a target with DNS response traffic. The goal is to overwhelm the target with traffic, causing a denial of service.

Port scanning is a technique that an attacker uses to discover which network ports are open, closed, or filtered on a target device. By sending packets to different ports and observing the responses, an attacker can identify the services and applications running on the device, as well as potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Port scanning is a common reconnaissance activity that precedes an attack. References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 2-6; 200-201 CBROPS - Cisco, exam topic 1.1.a

User interaction is any event that requires the user to perform an action that enables or facilitates a cyberattack. Opening a malicious file is an example of user interaction, as it can trigger the execution of malicious code or malware that can compromise the system or network. Gaining root access, executing remote code, and reading and writing file permissions are not user interactions, but rather actions that can be performed by an attacker after exploiting a vulnerability or bypassing security controls. References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, More than 99% of cyberattacks rely on human interaction

• Wireshark is a widely used network protocol analyzer that supports various capture file formats, including those generated by tcpdump.
• The .pcap extension 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 the sandboxmatware2022-12-22.pcaps file 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

 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

To isolate the suspicious host that is performing intensive network scanning, the analyst should collect the traffic by most active source IP. This will help to identify the IP address of the host that is generating the most traffic and sending the most packets or bytes. The analyst can then apply filters or queries to analyze the traffic from that source IP and determine the nature and scope of the scanning activity. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 72; [Cisco CyberOps Associate CBROPS 200-201 Official Cert Guide], page 468

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

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

 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

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 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.

 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

Digital certificates are electronic documents that use public key cryptography to verify the identity and authenticity of the sender and the receiver of encrypted communications. Digital certificates are issued and signed by trusted entities called certificate authorities (CAs), and they contain information such as the public key, the name, and the expiration date of the certificate. Digital certificates enable network security devices to decrypt perimeter traffic and inspect it for command and control communications or other malicious activity. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 51.

• The event where a breached workstation is trying to connect to a known malicious domain suggests that the attacker is moving towards their end goals, which typically involves actions on objectives.
• In the Cyber Kill Chain framework, "Action on objectives" refers to the steps taken by an attacker to achieve their intended outcomes, such as data exfiltration, destruction, or ransom demands.
• This phase involves the attacker executing their final mission within the target environment, leveraging access gained in earlier stages of the attack.

References

• Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill Chain
• Understanding the Stages of Cyber Attacks
• Incident Response and the Cyber Kill Chain

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 packet capture exhibit shows that the source IP address is 192.168.122.100 and it is sending a packet from source port 50272 to destination port 80 of destination IP address 81.179.179.69 using TCP protocol. The TCP protocol is indicated by the Protocol field which has the value 6. The source and destination ports are indicated by the SrcPort and DstPort fields respectively. The source and destination IP addresses are indicated by the SrcAddr and DstAddr fields respectively. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 3: Network Data and Event Analysis

The screenshot shows multiple POP requests with the command PASS, which is typically used for password entry. The rapid succession and variation of these requests suggest an attempt to guess the password, characteristic of a brute-force attack. Remember, always verify with additional data or context when possible, as packet captures can contain vast amounts of information and may require thorough analysis for accurate interpretation.

A command and control server (C2 or C&C) is a server that is used by attackers to communicate with and control compromised systems, such as bots, zombies, or backdoors. The C2 server can send instructions to the compromised systems, such as executing commands, downloading files, uploading data, or launching attacks. The C2 server can also receive information from the compromised systems, such as system information, keystrokes, screenshots, or credentials. References:

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 3: Network Intrusion Analysis, Lesson 3.4: Malware
• Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview, Exam Topics, 3.4 Compare and contrast types of malware

The log in the exhibit is generated by a firewall. It shows a deny action taken on TCP traffic, specifying the source and destination addresses and ports, which is characteristic of firewall logs. Firewalls are designed to control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules, and this log entry reflects the enforcement of such a rule.

References :=

• Cisco’s official documentation on firewall technologies and their log formats.

 For high availability and responsiveness, especially where milliseconds of latency are critical, an engineer must analyze the network’s performance in detail. Total throughput on the interface of the router will provide information on the bandwidth and traffic load, which is essential for understanding if the network can handle the current and projected traffic without delays. NetFlow records are crucial for this analysis as they provide data about the traffic flow across the network, which helps in identifying patterns, peak usage times, and types of traffic. This information is vital for making informed decisions to optimize traffic movement and minimize latency123.

References :=

• Cisco’s guide on Network Traffic Analysis1.
• Cisco’s white paper on Network Security Policy: Best Practices2.
• Cisco’s documentation on Implementation of High Availability

Packet number 2318 is the one that contains a file that is extractable within Wireshark. This can be determined by the information provided in the packet details, which typically includes an HTTP GET request indicating the retrieval of a file, such as an image or document1.

Data integrity verification involves using tools to compute the message digest of data. A message digest is a cryptographic hash function containing a string of digits created by a one-way hashing formula. This digest, which serves as a unique identifier, can be used to verify the integrity of copied data by comparing it to the original data’s digest. If the digests match, it means the data has not been altered, ensuring its integrity.

References: The concept of data integrity and the use of message digests are fundamental security concepts taught in the Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course. This course covers the essential skills and knowledge needed to monitor alerts and breaches, and to understand and follow established procedures for response to alerts converted to incidents

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)

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.

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

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

Symmetric encryption is a type of encryption that uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data. Asymmetric encryption is a type of encryption that uses a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. The public key can be used to encrypt data, but only the private key can decrypt it, and vice versa. An advantage of symmetric encryption over asymmetric encryption is that it is faster and more efficient for encrypting large amounts of data, such as in sessions or bulk transfers. Asymmetric encryption is slower and more computationally intensive, but it is more secure and suitable for key exchange or digital signatures. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 2: Security Monitoring, Lesson 2.3: Cryptography and PKI, Topic 2.3.1: Cryptography

 In the context of incident response, the detection step involves identifying potential security incidents. The Security Operation Center (SOC) Analyst, which in this case is Employee 4, is typically responsible for monitoring and analyzing security alerts to detect suspicious activities such as brute-force attempts. Therefore, Employee 4 would be the stakeholder responsible for the incident response detection step. References: The role of a SOC Analyst in incident response is outlined in cybersecurity frameworks and best practices, which describe the responsibilities of various stakeholders in detecting and responding to security incidents.

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

ws-registry-advanced-users

 Vulnerability refers to a weakness or flaw in a system that can be exploited by threats. Risk, on the other hand, is the potential for loss or damage when a threat exploits a vulnerability. The risk is essentially the impact or consequence of a vulnerability being exploited

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

Network Address Translation (NAT) is the technology that allows a single IP address to send and receive traffic for multiple devices by modifying the IP header. NAT remaps one IP address space into another, enabling multiple devices to use a single public IP address to send and receive packets through the Internet2.

References := The concept of NAT and its role in network traffic management is detailed in networking resources and documentation, including those provided by network solution providers2.

 During the collection phase of the forensic process, data related to a specific event is labeled and recorded to preserve its integrity. This step ensures that the data remains unaltered and authentic from the time of collection until it is presented as evidence, maintaining the chain of custody. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals - Module 6: Security Incident Investigations

The Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is used to identify specific resources on the internet, including files. In the context of HTTP GET requests, the URI specifies the path to the file being requested.

References: This explanation is based on standard web protocols and practices, as the current page does not provide specific Cisco documentation.

 CIA stands for confidentiality, integrity, and availability, which are the three main objectives of information security. Confidentiality means protecting the information from unauthorized access or disclosure. Integrity means ensuring the information is accurate and consistent, and preventing unauthorized modification or deletion. Availability means ensuring the information and systems are accessible and usable by authorized users when needed. References: (Module 2: Security Concepts, Lesson 2.1: Security Principles)

The exhibit shows an event log file with fields like date time action protocol src-ip dst-ip src-port dst-port etc., which are typical in Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). These systems monitor network traffic for suspicious activity or violations of policies and produce reports as seen in the exhibit. References: Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview

A buffer overflow attack occurs when more data is written to a buffer than it is designed to hold. This excess data can overwrite adjacent memory locations, leading to the execution of malicious code or crashing the system. Buffer overflows are a common vulnerability that attackers exploit to gain unauthorized access to systems.

References: Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)

The regular expression c(rgr)+e matches strings where “rgr” occurs one or more times between “c” and “e”. The string “crgrrgre” fits this pattern as it has the sequence “rgr” repeated twice between “c” and “e”. The plus sign (+) in the regular expression indicates that the preceding element must appear one or more times for a match to occur

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. This header 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

 SOC metrics in relation to security incidents typically refer to the time it takes to detect the incident. These metrics are crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of incident response and remediation efforts by SOC teams. For example, metrics like the Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) enable organizations to assess how quickly they can identify a security incident, which is essential for reducing the impact of the incident on the organization. 

The principle of least privilege states that users and processes should be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their specific role or function within an organization. This reduces the attack surface and limits the potential damage of a compromised account or process. References:

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.2: Security Principles
• Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview, Exam Topics, 1.1 Explain the CIA triad

In a PCAP file, which is used to capture network packets, each packet contains various pieces of information that can be analyzed. The source and destination addresses refer to the IP addresses of the sender and receiver of the packets. The source and destination ports refer to the port numbers used for the communication, with common ports like 443 indicating HTTPS traffic. The network protocol here is TCP, which is responsible for establishing a connection and ensuring the delivery of packets. The transport protocol is IPv4, which is the underlying protocol for routing packets across the network. Lastly, the application protocol is TLS v1.2, which is used for secure communication over the internet.

References := The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course material covers the analysis of network traffic and the interpretation of PCAP files, which includes identifying the different elements within a packet capture1.

• The image shows a piece of code within a bordered rectangular area.
• It is a string of HTML code that appears to be an example of an attack, specifically “”.
• The code suggests an attempt to execute JavaScript within an image source attribute, indicative of a cross-site scripting attack.

 The average time taken by a Security Operations Center (SOC) to detect and resolve incidents is a critical metric for evaluating its effectiveness and scope. This metric reflects the SOC’s efficiency in identifying security threats and its ability to respond and mitigate those threats promptly. It encompasses the entire incident lifecycle, from initial detection to final resolution, providing a comprehensive measure of the SOC’s performance1.

References :=

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS)

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 certificate that 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 InfrastructureReference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_authority

 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 on objectives’ being the final step where attackers achieve their primary goal, such as data theft

 SYN flood and teardrop are two types of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, which aim to disrupt the availability of a service or a system by overwhelming it with malicious traffic or requests. A SYN flood attack exploits the TCP three-way handshake process by sending a large number of SYN packets to the target’s port, without completing the connection. This causes the target to allocate resources for half-open connections, eventually exhausting its memory or bandwidth. A teardrop attack exploits the IP fragmentation process by sending malformed or overlapping IP fragments to the target, causing it to crash or reboot when trying to reassemble them. References := Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.3: Common Network Application Operations and Attacks, Topic 1.3.4: Denial-of-Service Attacks

 A TCP handshake is a three-way exchange of messages between a client and a server to establish a TCP connection. The client initiates the handshake by sending a SYN packet with a sequence number to the server. The server responds with a SYN-ACK packet with its own sequence number and an acknowledgment number that is the client’s sequence number plus one. The client completes the handshake by sending an ACK packet with an acknowledgment number that is the server’s sequence number plus one. If the remote server is not receiving an SYN-ACK packet from the local server, it means that the TCP handshake is not completed and the connection is not established. This could be caused by various factors, such as network congestion, firewall rules, packet filtering, or misconfiguration of the TCP parameters on either end. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 177; TCP 3-Way Handshake Process - GeeksforGeeks

Protected data refers to any information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. In the scenario described, the engineer must identify data that is considered protected under privacy laws and regulations. Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) are two types of data that are considered protected. PII includes any data that could potentially identify a specific individual, such as addresses and gender. PHI refers to any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to an individual. This is what makes both PII and PHI crucial to be identified and protected in compliance with data protection regulations.

References: The Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) course provides insights into identifying protected data and the importance of safeguarding it within a network1.

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

The exhibit shows a network diagram with a switch, a router, and two hosts. The switch has a MAC address table that maps the MAC addresses of the connected devices to the corresponding ports. A MAC flooding attack is a type of attack that aims to overload the switch’s MAC address table by sending a large number of frames with spoofed source MAC addresses. This causes the switch to enter a fail-open mode, where it broadcasts all incoming frames to all ports, effectively turning it into a hub. This allows the attacker to sniff the traffic between the hosts and the router, or launch other attacks such as ARP spoofing or man-in-the-middle

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

Digital certificates are essential for decrypting ingress and egress perimeter traffic, as they provide the necessary encryption keys for secure communications. By using digital certificates, network security devices can inspect the decrypted traffic to detect any malicious outbound communications that may indicate command-and-control activity.

A threat actor is a person or entity that is responsible for an incident that impacts or has the potential to impact an organization’s security. A threat actor can have various motivations, such as financial gain, espionage, sabotage, or activism. A threat actor can use various methods, such as malware, phishing, denial-of-service, or social engineering, to perform an attack. A threat actor is not the same as a malware author, a bug bounty hunter, or a direct competitor, although they may be related or associated. A malware author is someone who creates malicious software that can be used by threat actors. A bug bounty hunter is someone who finds and reports vulnerabilities in software or systems for a reward. A direct competitor is someone who offers similar products or services as the organization and may seek to gain an advantage over it. References := Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) - Cisco, page 87; CNSSI 4009-2015, page 77

 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.

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

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.

 Event Code 4625 in Windows logs indicates a failed logon attempt. This could be a sign of someone trying to guess the credentials of a valid user account by repeatedly trying different passwords or usernames. This is known as a brute force attack and can be used to gain unauthorized access to a system or network. References:

Encryption is an evasion technique that is a function of ransomware, which is a type of malware that encrypts the victim’s files or system and demands a ransom for the decryption key. Encryption is used by ransomware to prevent the victim from accessing their data and to avoid detection by antivirus or other security tools. Encryption can also be used by other types of malware to hide their communication, configuration, or payload from analysis. References:

• Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals (CBROPS) v1.0, Module 3: Network Intrusion Analysis, Lesson 3.4: Malware
• Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate Overview, Exam Topics, 3.4 Compare and contrast types of malware

 In TCP/IP networking, the ACK flag is used to acknowledge the receipt of a packet. It’s a way to confirm that the previous packets have been received and that the connection is proceeding as expected. The RST flag, on the other hand, is used to reset the connection. It is sent if a segment arrives which is not intended for the current connection, or if a connection request is to be denied. Essentially, the ACK flag is about maintaining the established connection, while the RST flag is about aborting connections that are not valid or are no longer needed123.

References: The information provided is based on standard TCP/IP protocol behavior as described in networking resources and Cisco’s cybersecurity documentation

 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” is visible, 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 data shown in the exhibit is typical of what can be captured and displayed using tcpdump, a command-line packet analyzer that allows users to display TCP/IP and other packets being transmitted or received over a network.

 When a server is experiencing high CPU and memory load, the first step is to identify the processes that are consuming the most resources. The command “ps -ef” is used to display information about all the running processes, including their IDs, memory and CPU usage, and the commands that started them. This allows the engineer to pinpoint which processes are responsible for the high load and take appropriate action, such as terminating unnecessary processes or optimizing resource usage345. References: Various resources on server management and troubleshooting recommend using the “ps -ef” command as a starting point for investigating high resource usage on servers

 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:

In cybersecurity, a threat is any potential malicious attack or event that can harm an organization, while a risk is the potential damage or loss that could occur if a threat exploits a vulnerability. Therefore, risk is considered the intersection of threats and vulnerabilities, representing the likelihood and impact of a threat materializing.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is an approach to restricting system access to authorized users based on their roles within an organization. It depends on the job functions that individual users have as part of their responsibilities and is designed to reduce administrative work by assigning roles based on job competency, authority, and responsibility. References: Cisco Cybersecurity Operations Fundamentals, Module 1: Security Concepts, Lesson 1.2: Data Protection, Topic 1.2.2: Access Control Models

When a server is experiencing heavy CPU and memory load, the initial step is to identify the processes consuming the most resources. The command “ps -ef” provides a detailed view of all running processes, including their IDs, CPU, and memory usage, which helps in pinpointing the resource-intensive processes1234. References: This approach is supported by various resources on server management and troubleshooting, which recommend using the “ps -ef” command as a starting point for investigating high resource usage on servers

 The unauthorized usage of “Tcpdump” tool indicates that the malicious insider was attempting to obtain all information within datagrams passing through a specific interface on the network. Tcpdump allows users to capture packet data from a live network or read packets from a previously saved capture file. References := Cisco CyberOps - Module 3: Network Data and Event Analysis

 The category of the Cyber Kill Chain model that this event belongs to is weaponization. This stage occurs after reconnaissance has taken place and the attacker has discovered all necessary information about potential targets, such as vulnerabilities. In the weaponization stage, the attacker’s preparatory work culminates in the creation of malware to be used against an identified target, which in this case is a specific worm tailored to exploit a software flaw and extract saved passwords. References: The Cyber Kill Chain framework, developed by Lockheed Martin, explains the weaponization stage as the process where attackers create or modify cyber weapons based on the intelligence gathered during reconnaissance

The exhibit displays a sys log which is used in computer systems for messaging logs. It provides messaging tracking services from different devices like routers, switches etc., which helps in tracking and identifying potential issues. References := Cisco Cybersecurity source documents or study guide 

The command in the exhibit is a Snort rule that is configured to alert on TCP packets with the SYN flag set, where the source is not the home network (!$HOME_NET) and the destination is within the home network ($HOME_NET) on port 80. This rule is designed to detect potential SYN flood attacks targeting the internal network’s web server on port 80.