Free Paloalto Networks XDR-Analyst Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 2

The Agent Auto Upgrade widget shows the status of the agent auto upgrade feature on the endpoints. The widget displays the number of agents that are up to date, in progress, pending, failed, and not configured. In this case, the widget shows that there are 450 agents that are up to date, 78 in progress, 15 pending, 18 failed, and 128 not configured. This means that the agent auto upgrade feature was enabled but not on all endpoints. References:

Cortex XDR Agent Auto Upgrade

PCDRA Study Guide

 Quarantine is a feature of Cortex XDR that allows you to isolate a malicious file from its original location and prevent it from being executed. Quarantine works by moving the file to a protected folder on the endpoint and changing its permissions and attributes. Quarantine can be applied to files detected by periodic scans or by behavioral threat protection (BTP) rules. Quarantine is only supported for portable executable (PE) and dynamic link library (DLL) files. Quarantine does not affect the network connectivity or the communication of the endpoint with Cortex XDR. References:

Quarantine Malicious Files

Manage Quarantined Files

 Palo Alto Networks provides a set of precanned scripts that you can use to perform various actions on your endpoints, such as deleting files, killing processes, or quarantining malware. The precanned scripts are written in Python and are available in the Agent Script Library in the Cortex XDR console. You can use the precanned scripts as they are, or you can customize them to suit your needs. The precanned scripts are:

delete_file: Deletes a specific file from a local or removable drive.

quarantine_file: Moves a specific file from its location on a local or removable drive to a protected folder and prevents it from being executed.

process_kill_name: Kills a process by its name on the endpoint.

process_kill_pid: Kills a process by its process ID (PID) on the endpoint.

process_kill_tree: Kills a process and all its child processes by its name on the endpoint.

process_kill_tree_pid: Kills a process and all its child processes by its PID on the endpoint.

process_list: Lists all the processes running on the endpoint, along with their names, PIDs, and command lines.

process_list_tree: Lists all the processes running on the endpoint, along with their names, PIDs, command lines, and parent processes.

process_start: Starts a process on the endpoint by its name or path.

registry_delete_key: Deletes a registry key and all its subkeys and values from the Windows registry.

registry_delete_value: Deletes a registry value from the Windows registry.

registry_list_key: Lists all the subkeys and values under a registry key in the Windows registry.

registry_list_value: Lists the value and data of a registry value in the Windows registry.

registry_set_value: Sets the value and data of a registry value in the Windows registry.

The script list_directories is not a precanned script provided by Palo Alto Networks. It is a custom script that you can write yourself using Python commands.

 A common sequence of cyber-attack tactics is based on the Cyber Kill Chain model, which describes the stages of a cyber intrusion from the perspective of the attacker. The Cyber Kill Chain model consists of seven phases: reconnaissance, weaponization, delivery, exploitation, installation, command and control, and actions on the objective. These phases are briefly explained below:

Reconnaissance: The attacker gathers information about the target, such as its network, systems, vulnerabilities, employees, and business operations. The attacker may use various methods, such as scanning, phishing, or searching open sources, to collect data that can help them plan the attack.

Weaponization: The attacker creates or obtains a malicious payload, such as malware, exploit, or script, that can be used to compromise the target. The attacker may also embed the payload into a delivery mechanism, such as an email attachment, a web link, or a removable media.

Delivery: The attacker sends or delivers the weaponized payload to the target, either directly or indirectly. The attacker may use various channels, such as email, web, or physical access, to reach the target’s network or system.

Exploitation: The attacker exploits a vulnerability or weakness in the target’s network or system to execute the payload. The vulnerability may be technical, such as a software flaw, or human, such as a social engineering trick.

Installation: The attacker installs or drops additional malware or tools on the target’s network or system to establish a foothold and maintain persistence. The attacker may use various techniques, such as registry modification, file manipulation, or process injection, to hide their presence and evade detection.

Command and Control: The attacker establishes a communication channel between the compromised target and a remote server or controller. The attacker may use various protocols, such as HTTP, DNS, or IRC, to send commands and receive data from the target.

Actions on the objective: The attacker performs the final actions that achieve their goal, such as stealing data, destroying files, encrypting systems, or disrupting services. The attacker may also try to move laterally within the target’s network or system to access more resources or data.

The engine that determines the most relevant artifacts in each alert and aggregates all alerts related to an event into an incident is the Causality Analysis Engine. The Causality Analysis Engine is one of the core components of Cortex XDR that performs advanced analytics on the data collected from various sources, such as endpoints, networks, and clouds. The Causality Analysis Engine uses machine learning and behavioral analysis to identify the root cause, the attack chain, and the impact of each alert. It also groups related alerts into incidents based on the temporal and logical relationships among the alerts. The Causality Analysis Engine helps to reduce the noise and complexity of alerts and incidents, and provides a clear and concise view of the attack story12.

Let’s briefly discuss the other options to provide a comprehensive explanation:

A. Sensor Engine: This is not the correct answer. The Sensor Engine is not responsible for determining the most relevant artifacts in each alert and aggregating all alerts related to an event into an incident. The Sensor Engine is the component that runs on the Cortex XDR agents installed on the endpoints. The Sensor Engine collects and analyzes endpoint data, such as processes, files, registry keys, network connections, and user activities. The Sensor Engine also enforces the endpoint security policies and performs prevention and response actions3.

C. Log Stitching Engine: This is not the correct answer. The Log Stitching Engine is not responsible for determining the most relevant artifacts in each alert and aggregating all alerts related to an event into an incident. The Log Stitching Engine is the component that runs on the Cortex Data Lake, which is the cloud-based data storage and processing platform for Cortex XDR. The Log Stitching Engine normalizes and stitches together the data from different sources, such as firewalls, proxies, endpoints, and clouds. The Log Stitching Engine enables Cortex XDR to correlate and analyze data from multiple sources and provide a unified view of the network activity and threat landscape4.

D. Causality Chain Engine: This is not the correct answer. Causality Chain Engine is not a valid name for any of the Cortex XDR engines. There is no such engine in Cortex XDR that performs the function of determining the most relevant artifacts in each alert and aggregating all alerts related to an event into an incident.

In conclusion, the Causality Analysis Engine is the engine that determines the most relevant artifacts in each alert and aggregates all alerts related to an event into an incident. By using the Causality Analysis Engine, Cortex XDR can provide a comprehensive and accurate detection and response capability for security analysts.

 To add an exception to exclude a specific file hash from examination by the Malware profile for a Windows endpoint, you need to use the Action Center in Cortex XDR. The Action Center allows you to create and manage actions that apply to endpoints, such as adding files or processes to the allow list or block list, isolating or unisolating endpoints, or initiating live terminal sessions. To add a file hash to the allow list, you need to choose Allow list, select new action, select add to allow list, add your hash to the list, and apply it. This will prevent the Malware profile from scanning or blocking the file on the endpoints that match the scope of the action. References: Cortex XDR 3: Responding to Attacks1, Action Center2

Encrypting a hypervisor or a multiple number of virtual machines running on a server is a form of ransomware attack, which is a type of cyberattack that involves locking or encrypting the victim’s data or system and demanding a ransom for its release. The attacker may threaten to encrypt the hypervisor or the virtual machines to extort a payment from the victim or potentially embarrass the owners by exposing their sensitive or confidential information. Encrypting a hypervisor or a multiple number of virtual machines can have a severe impact on the victim’s business operations, as it can affect the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of their data and applications. The attacker may also use the encryption as a leverage to negotiate a higher ransom or to coerce the victim into complying with their demands. References:

Encrypt an Existing Virtual Machine or Virtual Disk: This document explains how to encrypt an existing virtual machine or virtual disk using the vSphere Client.

How to Encrypt an Existing or New Virtual Machine: This article provides a guide on how to encrypt an existing or new virtual machine using AOMEI Backupper.

Ransomware: This document provides an overview of ransomware, its types, impacts, and prevention methods.

The File Search and Destroy feature is a capability of Cortex XDR that allows you to search for and delete malicious or unwanted files across your endpoints. You can use this feature to quickly respond to incidents, remediate threats, and enforce compliance policies. To use the File Search and Destroy feature, you need to specify the file name and the file hash of the file you want to search for and delete. The file hash is a unique identifier of the file that is generated by a cryptographic hash function. The file hash ensures that you are targeting the exact file you want, and not a file with a similar name or a different version. The File Search and Destroy feature supports the SHA256 hash type, which is a secure hash algorithm that produces a 256-bit (32-byte) hash value. The SHA256 hash type is widely used for file integrity verification and digital signatures. The File Search and Destroy feature does not support other hash types, such as AES256, MD5, or SHA1, which are either encryption algorithms or less secure hash algorithms. Therefore, the correct answer is A, SHA256 hash of the file1234

If you have an isolated network that is prevented from connecting to the Cortex Data Lake, you can use the Local Agent Proxy setup to facilitate the communication. The Local Agent Proxy is a type of Broker VM that acts as a proxy server for the Cortex XDR agents that are deployed on the isolated network. The Local Agent Proxy enables the Cortex XDR agents to communicate securely with the Cortex Data Lake and the Cortex XDR management console over the internet, without requiring direct access to the internet from the isolated network. The Local Agent Proxy also allows the Cortex XDR agents to download installation packages and content updates from the Cortex XDR management console. To use the Local Agent Proxy setup, you need to deploy a Broker VM on the isolated network and configure it as a Local Agent Proxy. You also need to deploy another Broker VM on a network that has internet access and configure it as a Remote Agent Proxy. The Remote Agent Proxy acts as a relay between the Local Agent Proxy and the Cortex Data Lake. You also need to install a strong cipher SHA256-based SSL certificate on both the Local Agent Proxy and the Remote Agent Proxy to ensure secure communication. You can read more about the Local Agent Proxy setup and how to configure it here1 and here2. References:

Local Agent Proxy

Configure the Local Agent Proxy Setup

 A global exception is a rule that allows you to exclude specific files, processes, or behaviors from being blocked or detected by Cortex XDR. A global exception applies to all endpoints in your organization that are protected by Cortex XDR. Creating a global exception for a vitally important piece of software that is known to be benign would prevent Cortex XDR from blocking this software in the future, for all endpoints in your organization.

To create a global exception, you need to follow these steps:

In the Cortex XDR management console, go to Policy Management > Exceptions and click Add Exception.

Select the Global Exception option and click Next.

Enter a name and description for the exception and click Next.

Select the type of exception you want to create, such as file, process, or behavior, and click Next.

Specify the criteria for the exception, such as file name, hash, path, process name, command line, or behavior name, and click Next.

Review the summary of the exception and click Finish.