An analyst is investigating a network alert for suspected lateral movement from one Windows host to another Windows host. According to Splunk CIM documentation, the IP address of the host from which the attacker is moving would be in which field?
Correct Answer:
D
According to Splunk??s Common Information Model (CIM) documentation, when investigating network alerts, the IP address of the host from which an attacker is moving (source) is typically stored in thesrc_ipfield. Thehostfield generally refers to the name of the host that logged the event,destrefers to the destination IP, andsrc_nt_hostrefers to the NetBIOS name of the source host. Thesrc_ipfield is specifically used to denote the source IP address in the context of network communication, which is critical for tracing lateral movement.
Which of the following data sources can be used to discover unusual communication within an organization??s network?
Correct Answer:
B
NetFlow data is a powerful data source for monitoring and analyzing network traffic patterns within an organization. It provides detailed information about the flow of data between devices on a network, including source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. By analyzing NetFlow data, security analysts can detect unusual communication patterns that may indicate malicious activity, such as lateral movement, data exfiltration, or communication with command and control servers. Other options like EDS (Endpoint Detection Systems), Email, and IAM (Identity and Access Management) are also valuable, but NetFlow is specifically designed for network traffic analysis.
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Which Enterprise Security framework provides a mechanism for running preconfigured actions within the Splunk platform or integrating with external applications?
Correct Answer:
D
Adaptive Response is a feature in Splunk's Enterprise Security (ES) framework that allows security teams to automate actions and responses based on alerts or notable events. This feature is pivotal for orchestrating automated incident response processes, reducing the time between detection and response, and integrating Splunk with external systems to trigger appropriate actions.
✑ Purpose:Adaptive Response enables the automation of specific tasks or workflows
based on security events detected by Splunk ES. For instance, it can trigger actions such as isolating a compromised host, blocking IP addresses, or enriching data by querying additional sources when a notable event occurs.
✑ Mechanism:When a notable event is identified within the Splunk platform, Adaptive
Response can execute a series of predefined actions. These actions can be configured within the Splunk interface, allowing them to run automatically or with manual approval depending on the organization's needs. This capability is essential for streamlining security operations, especially in environments where quick response is critical.
✑ Integration with External Applications:One of the key features of Adaptive
Response is its ability to integrate with third-party security tools and solutions. This integrationextends the capabilities of Splunk by allowing it to interact with other systems like firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, and ticketing systems. This ensures a coordinated and comprehensive defense mechanism.
✑ Usage in Security Operations:Security analysts often rely on Adaptive Response
for managing and automating common security tasks, such as:
✑ Splunk Documentation:Splunk Enterprise Security has detailed guides and resources explaining how Adaptive Response functions within the platform and how to configure and use it effectively. You can access the official documentation for more in-depth technical instructions and examples.
✑ Splunk Education:Splunk offers training courses specifically for Splunk ES, where Adaptive Response is covered as a key topic. These resources provide practical insights and best practices from experienced Splunk users.
✑ Security Analyst Community Discussions:Forums and community discussions are excellent resources where analysts share their experiences and configurations using Adaptive Response, often with detailed examples and troubleshooting tips.
References:Adaptive Response is a powerful tool for any Security Operations Center (SOC) aiming to enhance their incident response capabilities, making it a critical feature within Splunk's Enterprise Security framework.
During their shift, an analyst receives an alert about an executable being run from C:WindowsTemp. Why should this be investigated further?
Correct Answer:
D
An executable running from theC:\Windows\Tempdirectory is a significant red flag because temporary directories are often world writable, meaning any user or process can write files to them. This characteristic makes these directories an attractive
target for attackers who want to drop, stage, and execute malware without worrying about restrictive file permissions.
✑ Temp Directories Characteristics:
✑ Security Risks:
✑ Investigation Importance:The fact that an executable is running fromC:\Windows\Tempwarrants further investigation to determine whether it is malicious. Analysts should check:
✑ Windows Security Best Practices:Documentation on how to secure temp directories and monitor for suspicious activity is available from both Microsoft and various security communities.
✑ Incident Response Playbooks:Many playbooks include steps for investigating suspicious activity in temp directories as part of broader malware detection and response strategies.
✑ MITRE ATT&CK Framework:Techniques involving the use of temporary directories are well-documented in the framework, offering insights into how adversaries leverage these locations during an attack.
When searching in Splunk, which of the following SPL commands can be used to run a subsearch across every field in a wildcard field list?
Correct Answer:
A
Theforeachcommand in Splunk is used to iterate over a list of fields that match a wildcard expression and apply a subsearch or function to each of them. This is particularly useful when you need to perform an operation across multiple fields dynamically identified by a wildcard pattern. None of the other options (rex,makeresults, ortransaction) are designed for this specific purpose. Theforeachcommand allows for flexible and efficient processing of multiple fields without having to explicitly name them all.
