312-39 Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) Questions and Answers

The Security Log Event ID 4624 in Windows 10 indicates that an account was successfully logged on. This event is generated when a logon session is created, which could be due to a user logging on to the system, a service starting, or a scheduled task running. It is a critical event for security monitoring as it can help in identifying unauthorized access to the system.

References This information is consistent with the official Microsoft documentation and security guidelines, which can be found in the EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) course materials and study guides, specifically in the sections discussing the auditing and monitoring of security log events.

CrowdStrike FalconTM Orchestrator is a tool designed to automate the response to security incidents, including those involving web applications. It integrates with the CrowdStrike Falcon platform to provide a range of capabilities such as real-time response, incident investigation, and remediation. This makes it suitable for recovering from web application incidents by allowing security teams to quickly identify, understand, and resolve threats.

References The EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) course materials and study guides discuss various tools and their applications in incident response. CrowdStrike FalconTM Orchestrator is recognized in the industry for its incident response capabilities, aligning with the learning resources provided by EC-Council for SOC Analysts.

Insecure deserialization often leads to critical vulnerabilities allowing attackers to perform various attacks, such as remote code execution. To mitigate these vulnerabilities, Wesley should avoid considering the serialization of security-sensitive classes because it can expose sensitive data to untrusted sources or lead to arbitrary code execution.

Here are the steps Wesley should follow:

• Avoid Serialization of Sensitive Data: Do not serialize sensitive information. If it’s essential to serialize, then ensure it’s encrypted and the process is secure.
• Implement Integrity Checks: Use digital signatures or checksums to verify that the serialized data has not been tampered with before deserializing it.
• Enforce Strict Type Constraints: When deserializing, ensure that the data adheres to strict type constraints to prevent the instantiation of unexpected types.
• Logging and Monitoring: Keep detailed logs of serialization and deserialization processes to monitor for any suspicious activities.
• Security Controls Review: Regularly review and update security controls related to serialization and deserialization to ensure they are effective against emerging threats.

References:

• EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) program provides extensive training on how to handle various cybersecurity threats, including insecure deserialization12.
• The CSA certification emphasizes the importance of understanding the security risks associated with serialization and deserialization and implementing best practices to mitigate these risks12.
• Additional resources and study guides from EC-Council’s official materials on the Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) program would provide more in-depth strategies and practices for handling insecure deserialization attacks12.

Disabling the allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include directives in the php.ini configuration file is a recommended security measure to mitigate the risk of File Injection Attacks in PHP applications. These settings, when enabled, allow PHP scripts to open and include files from remote locations through URL references. This capability can be exploited in File Injection Attacks, where attackers inject malicious files into the application by manipulating inputs to reference external resources. By disabling these directives, you limit PHP's ability to open or include files only to local resources, thus significantly reducing the risk associated with remote file inclusion vulnerabilities. This specific countermeasure is effective against File Injection Attacks but does not directly impact other types of injection attacks such as URL, LDAP, or Command Injection.

References:

• "PHP: Runtime Configuration," PHP Manual.
• "Preventing Web Attacks with Apache," by Ryan C. Barnett, which discusses various web application vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies.

)∗∗ComprehensiveDetailedStepbyStepExplanation:∗∗InWindowssecurityeventlogs,EventCode4688signifiesaprocesscreationevent.TheSplunkquery‘index=windowsLogName=SecurityEventCode=4688NOT(AccountN​ame=∗)is used to fetch logs related to process creation activities. This query filters the logs to only show events where a new process has been created, which is indicated by EventCode 4688. TheNOT (Account_Name=$)` part of the query excludes any events where the account name ends with a dollar sign, which typically represents a machine or service account.

References: The EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) program provides detailed knowledge on security operation center (SOC) operations, including log management and correlation, SIEM deployment, advanced incident detection, and incident response. The CSA course materials and study guides cover the use of Splunk for monitoring and analyzing security events, which would include the creation of such queries for process creation monitoring1

 TTPs in the context of cybersecurity and SOC (Security Operations Center) refer to the patterns of activities or methods associated with a specific threat actor or group of threat actors. Understanding TTPs is crucial for the SOC team as it allows them to identify, prepare, and respond to potential threats more effectively. Here’s a breakdown of the term:

• Tactics: The adversary’s overall strategy or the ‘what’ they are trying to accomplish.
• Techniques: The general methods the adversary uses to achieve their tactical goals.
• Procedures: The specific, detailed methods the adversary employs, which can include tools, scripts, commands, and sequences of actions.

By analyzing TTPs, SOC teams can develop a more proactive defense posture, anticipate likely attack methods, and implement appropriate countermeasures.

References: The EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) program covers the fundamentals of SOC operations, including the identification and validation of intrusion attempts, which would involve understanding TTPs12. This program is designed for current and aspiring Tier I and Tier II SOC analysts to achieve proficiency in performing entry-level and intermediate-level operations, where the knowledge of TTPs is essential12.

 For Internet Information Service (IIS) version 7.0, the default location for web server logs is in the directory %SystemDrive%\inetpub\logs\LogFiles. Within this directory, you will find subfolders named W3SVCN, where N is a number that corresponds to the site ID of the IIS instance. These folders contain the log files for each website hosted on the server. Harley, as a SOC analyst, can investigate these logs for any anomalies by accessing this path.

References: The information provided aligns with the standard practices and configurations for IIS 7.0 as outlined in Microsoft’s official documentation123. These references are part of the learning resources for understanding the management and structure of IIS logs, which are crucial for a SOC Analyst’s role in monitoring and analyzing web server activity for security purposes. The EC-Council’s SOC Analyst course and study guides also emphasize the importance of log file analysis in identifying and responding to security incidents.

SIEM Agents are primarily responsible for the initial stages of data processing within a SIEM system. Their duties include:

• Collecting data: SIEM Agents collect logs and other data from various devices across the network. This is a crucial step as it ensures that all relevant data is gathered for analysis.
• Normalizing data: Once the data is collected, SIEM Agents normalize it, which means they convert different log and data formats into a standardized format. This process is essential for the SIEM’s central engine to analyze and correlate the data effectively.

The responsibilities of SIEM Agents generally do not include correlating data (which is typically done by the central SIEM engine) or visualizing data (which is usually a function of the SIEM’s user interface or reporting tools).

References: The roles and responsibilities of SIEM Agents are outlined in EC-Council’s SOC Analyst course materials and official certification guides. These resources emphasize the importance of data collection and normalization as foundational tasks performed by SIEM Agents in a Security Operations Center (SOC)12.

URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) under certain circumstances. When characters are not allowed in a URI, they are replaced with a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits that represent the ASCII code of the character. For example, a space character is not allowed in a URI and is replaced with %20.

References:The answer is verified as per the EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) course materials and study guides, which discuss various encoding schemes used in cybersecurity practices. URL encoding is specifically mentioned as the method for replacing unusual ASCII characters with a percent sign followed by two hexadecimal digits123.

The Incident Response Procedures contain the performance measures and proper project and time management details. These procedures are designed to guide the incident response team through each phase of incident management, ensuring that all activities are performed efficiently and effectively. They include specific steps to follow, roles and responsibilities, timelines, and performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of the response.

References: The answer is verified as per the EC-Council’s SOC Analyst documents and learning resources, which outline the structure and content of incident response plans and procedures. For further study, refer to the EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) course material and study guides, which provide detailed information on the incident response lifecycle, including preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. These resources will offer a comprehensive understanding of the procedures involved in managing and responding to security incidents.

The /var/log/wtmp file in Linux systems is used to record all logins and logouts. The wtmp file is a binary file that can be read with tools like last, which can display the login history of all users or a specific user, as well as the times of system reboots and shutdowns. SOC analysts, like Chloe, would inspect this file to track user activities and investigate potential unauthorized access or other security incidents.

References: The EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) course provides extensive training and knowledge on SOC operations, including log management and correlation. The CSA certification emphasizes the importance of understanding various log files and their purposes within a Linux system as part of the SOC analyst’s role12. For more detailed information, the EC-Council’s official CSA study guides and resources should be consulted.

The role of finalizing strategy, policies, and procedures for a Security Operations Center (SOC) typically falls under the responsibilities of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The CISO is a senior-level executive within an organization who coordinates and manages the overall strategy and defense mechanisms to protect the organization’s information and technology assets. This role involves leadership and strategic decision-making, which includes establishing the SOC’s framework, defining its policies, and overseeing its procedures.

References: The EC-Council provides various resources and guides that outline the roles and responsibilities within a SOC. According to the information available, a Security Analyst, whether Level 1 or Level 2, is primarily responsible for monitoring and analyzing the organization’s security posture on a continuous basis. A Security Engineer focuses on the design and implementation of security systems. In contrast, the CISO role encompasses a broader scope of strategic leadership and management, which aligns with the responsibilities described for John in the scenario12.

 When an incident is escalated to the Incident Response Team (IRT), the first step they undertake is Incident Analysis and Validation. This step is crucial to ensure that the incident is genuine and to understand its nature and scope. The IRT will analyze the information provided by the SOC analyst, validate the incident against known patterns or indicators of compromise, and gather additional information if necessary. This initial analysis helps in determining the severity of the incident and guides the subsequent steps in the incident response process.

References:

• The Key Role of Incident Response Teams (IRTs) - Zenduty1
• A Practical Approach to Incident Management Escalation - Exigence2
• ITIL Incident Management: Best Practices for Escalation and Resolution - LinkedIn3

A Zero-Day Attack refers to the exploitation of a publicly known but still unpatched vulnerability. This type of attack occurs when attackers take advantage of a security weakness for which a fix or patch has not yet been released by the vendor. The term “zero-day” refers to the fact that the developers have “zero days” to fix the issue because it has already been exploited in the wild. These attacks are particularly dangerous because they occur before the vulnerability is widely known, giving attackers the opportunity to exploit systems while they are still vulnerable.

References: The EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (C|SA) program covers the concept of zero-day vulnerabilities and attacks as part of the training for security operations center analysts. Understanding these attacks is crucial for identifying and responding to incidents that involve unpatched software vulnerabilities. The information is consistent with industry standards and best practices for cybersecurity, as outlined in various EC-Council SOC Analyst study guides and courses1234.

The stage of incident handling that involves incident analysis and validation to determine if the incident is a true incident or a false positive is known as Incident Triage. This stage is critical as it helps in prioritizing incidents based on their severity, impact, and urgency. The process of triage typically includes an initial assessment to confirm the validity of an incident, categorize its type, and determine the appropriate response.

References: The EC-Council’s SOC Analyst course outlines the incident handling and response process, which includes the triage stage as a key component12. This is further supported by the NIST framework, which details the stages of incident response, including detection and analysis, where triage is a fundamental activity1. The Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) training also emphasizes the importance of incident triage in the overall security operations center (SOC) workflow3.

The attack described is a Directory Traversal Attack. This type of attack occurs when an attacker exploits vulnerabilities in a web application (or a web server’s software) to gain unauthorized access to files and directories that are stored outside of the web root folder. By manipulating variables that reference files with ../ sequences (also known as dot-dot-slash), the attacker can move up the directory hierarchy and access files or directories that should be restricted. This can lead to information disclosure, such as reading sensitive files like /etc/passwd, which contains user password details in Unix-based systems.

In the given URL http://www.terabytes.com/process.php./../../../../etc/passwd , the attacker uses the ../ pattern to navigate up from the current directory where process.php resides, aiming to reach the root directory and then descend into the /etc/ directory to access the passwd file. This is a classic example of a Directory Traversal Attack.

References: The EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst course covers various types of cyber attacks, including Directory Traversal Attacks. Specific references to this type of attack can be found in the EC-Council’s official training materials for the Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) program, such as the CSA study guide and related courses that discuss web application vulnerabilities and attacks123.

The Task Category in Windows logs is used to define the type of event that has occurred. It is a subcategory within the event itself that provides additional context about the event, such as whether it is a Correlation Hint, Response Time, SQM, WDI Context, etc. This categorization helps in filtering and identifying events based on their nature and type.

References: The information is verified as per the SOC Analyst documents and learning resources provided by EC-Council, which emphasize the importance of understanding log management and correlation within a SOC environment12. Additionally, the definition and role of the Task Category field in Windows logs are supported by technical documentation and resources that describe the structure and use of Windows event logs34.

A DHCP Starvation Attack is a type of network attack that aims to deplete the pool of available IP addresses on the DHCP server. The attacker floods the DHCP server with fake DHCP DISCOVER messages using spoofed MAC addresses. If successful, the server will exhaust its address space, denying IP configuration to legitimate clients. This can lead to a denial of service (DoS) for new devices attempting to join the network. Additionally, the attacker may set up a rogue DHCP server to issue malicious IP configurations to clients, potentially redirecting traffic or causing further disruption1.

References: The EC-Council SOC Analyst course and study materials cover various network attacks, including DHCP Starvation Attacks. These resources provide insights into the nature of these attacks, their potential impact, and strategies for prevention and mitigation213.

  ThreatConnect Complete (TC Complete) is a Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) designed to aggregate, analyze, and disseminate threat intelligence data. TIPs like TC Complete enable organizations to understand and act upon threats by providing a comprehensive view of the threat landscape, integrating with other security tools, and facilitating collaboration among security teams. Unlike general management systems like SolarWinds MS, note-taking applications like Keepnote, or threat intelligence APIs like Apility.io, TC Complete is specifically built to handle the lifecycle of threat intelligence, from collection and analysis to sharing and applying intelligence. This makes it a pivotal tool for organizations looking to enhance their security posture through informed decision-making based on timely and relevant threat intelligence.

References:

• "Threat Intelligence Platforms: Open Source and Commercial Options", by SANS Institute.
• "ThreatConnect Platform Overview", ThreatConnect Official Website.

Juliea, the SOC analyst, noticed large TXT and NULL payloads in the logs. This is indicative of a DNS exfiltration attempt. DNS exfiltration is a type of cyber attack where an attacker uses the DNS protocol to sneak data out of a network undetected. It typically involves the use of large TXT records, which can be used to carry data out of the network. NULL payloads can be used in this context to pad the DNS queries and make them less suspicious or to bypass security controls that inspect the content of DNS queries.

The steps involved in DNS exfiltration include:

• The attacker compromises a system within the target network.
• Malware on the compromised system encodes the data it wants to exfiltrate.
• The encoded data is split into chunks that fit into DNS query sizes.
• These chunks are sent as data in DNS queries or responses, often using TXT records.
• An external attacker-controlled server receives the DNS queries and decodes the data.

References:

• EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) course material and study guides provide detailed information on various types of cyber attacks, including DNS exfiltration.
• Online resources and practice questions for the Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) exam also cover this topic and can be used to verify the answer123.
• Additional information on DNS exfiltration techniques and detection methods can be found in security blogs and articles that discuss the subject in depth456.

 The correct flow of stages in an Incident Handling and Response (IH&R) process typically follows a structured approach that begins with Preparation, which is crucial for an effective response to incidents. This is followed by Incident Recording, where details of the incident are documented. Incident Triage is the next stage, where incidents are prioritized based on their impact. Containment strategies are then employed to limit the spread of the incident. Eradication involves removing the threat from the affected systems. Recovery is the process of restoring systems to normal operation. Finally, Post-Incident Activities involve learning from the incident and improving future response efforts.

References: The stages of the IH&R process are outlined in various EC-Council resources, including the EC-Council’s Certified Incident Handler (E|CIH) program and related training materials, which emphasize the importance of a structured and methodical approach to incident handling and response123.

The IIS log events indicate a SQL Injection Attack. This is evident from the complex SQL queries present in the log, which include functions like “UNICODE”, “SUBSTRING”, and “MAX”. These functions are being used in a manner that suggests manipulation of strings and extraction of data, which are common tactics in SQL injection attacks. The use of specific characters like CHAR(97) and CHAR(108) within the queries is a technique often employed to bypass security mechanisms during such attacks.

References: For further study and verification, the EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) course materials and study guides provide extensive information on identifying and responding to various types of cyber attacks, including SQL Injection. These resources are essential for any security analyst to understand the intricacies of log analysis and attack identification.

 In the context of a threat intelligence strategy plan, ‘threat trending’ is a critical component that should be included to make the plan effective. Threat trending involves analyzing data over time to identify patterns and trends in cyber threats. This allows an organization to anticipate potential future attacks and prepare accordingly. It is an essential part of a proactive threat intelligence program, enabling the organization to stay ahead of threats rather than just reacting to them.

The other options, while they may be relevant in certain contexts, are not as central to the development of a threat intelligence strategy plan as ‘threat trending’ is. ‘Threat pivoting’ refers to the process of using one piece of data to uncover more data (e.g., using an IP address to find related domains). ‘Threat buy-in’ is not a standard term in threat intelligence, but it could refer to gaining organizational support for threat intelligence efforts. ‘Threat boosting’ is not a recognized term in the field of cybersecurity.

References: The answer is derived from the components of a threat intelligence strategy as outlined in the EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) training and certification program, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and implementing a threat intelligence-driven SOC12. The CSA program also covers the use of threat intelligence for enhanced incident detection1. The EC-Council materials highlight the need for SOC analysts to understand various types of cyber threats and the importance of threat intelligence in detecting and responding to these threats2.

Black hole filtering is a network security measure used to prevent unwanted or malicious traffic from entering a network. It works by directing traffic to a null interface, a non-existent server, or a black hole IP address where the packets are dropped without acknowledgment. This process is typically used to protect against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, where an overwhelming amount of traffic is sent to a network with the intent to disrupt service.

In the context of a security operations center (SOC), black hole filtering can be an effective strategy for mitigating threats. When a threat is identified, such as a DoS attack, the SOC analyst can configure the network to redirect the suspicious traffic to a black hole, effectively neutralizing the attack by preventing the malicious data packets from reaching their intended target.

References: The EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (C|SA) program covers various defensive strategies, including black hole filtering, as part of its curriculum for Tier I and Tier II SOC analysts. The program emphasizes the importance of understanding and implementing network security measures to protect against cyber threats12.

The [-n] option in the Checkpoint firewall log syntax is used to speed up the process by not performing DNS resolution of the IP addresses in the log files. When this option is used, the log file will display IP addresses instead of resolving them to hostnames, which can significantly reduce the time taken to process the logs, especially when dealing with large volumes of data.

References: This information is consistent with the Check Point Software documentation, which details the use of the fw log command and its various options for managing and viewing firewall logs1. Understanding these options is crucial for a SOC Analyst, as it allows for more efficient monitoring and analysis of network traffic and potential security events.

To filter the output of the ‘show logging’ command to include entries related to a specific access control list, Peter should use the ‘include’ keyword followed by the access list number. The correct command would be ‘show logging | include 210’. This command will display all log entries that contain the string ‘210’, which is the number of the access control list he wants to monitor.

References: The use of the ‘include’ keyword in Cisco router commands is a standard method for filtering show command outputs to display only lines that contain a specified string or pattern. This is covered in Cisco’s documentation and training materials related to router commands and access control list management12.