Practitioner Exam Dumps - Paloalto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate Questions and Answers

An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a sophisticated, sustained cyberattack in which an intruder establishes an undetected presence in a network in order to steal sensitive data over a prolonged period of time. APTs are usually carried out by well-funded, experienced teams of cybercriminals that target high-value organizations, such as governments, military, or corporations. APTs have the skills and resources to launch additional attacks, as they often use advanced techniques to evade detection, move laterally within the network, and establish multiple entry points and backdoors. APTs are not interested in causing immediate damage or disruption, but rather in achieving long-term goals, such as espionage, sabotage, or theft of intellectual property. Therefore, option B is the correct answer among the given choices123 References:

1: Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician - Palo Alto Networks

2: 10 Palo Alto Networks PCCET Exam Practice Questions - CBT Nuggets

3: What Is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - Cisco

4: What is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - CrowdStrike

5: What Is an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)? - Kaspersky

A knowledge-based system uses a database of known vulnerabilities and attack profiles

to identify intrusion attempts. These types of systems have lower false-alarm rates than

behavior-based systems but must be continually updated with new attack signatures to

be effective.

● A behavior-based system uses a baseline of normal network activity to identify unusual

patterns or levels of network activity that may be indicative of an intrusion attempt.

These types of systems are more adaptive than knowledge-based systems and therefore

may be more effective in detecting previously unknown vulnerabilities and attacks, but

they have a much higher false-positive rate than knowledge-based systems.

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) leverages behavior analysis to identify suspicious or anomalous activities associated with user identities. This methodology involves continuously monitoring user authentication patterns, access events, and privilege escalations to build a baseline of “normal” behavior. By detecting deviations—such as unusual login locations, timeframes, or excessive access attempts—ITDR can flag potential identity compromises or insider threats that traditional signature or rule-based systems often miss. Palo Alto Networks’ ITDR integrates behavioral analytics with threat intelligence to deliver real-time alerts and automated response capabilities, essential in mitigating credential abuse and lateral movement within networks. This behavioral approach is crucial for adapting to sophisticated identity attacks that evolve constantly.

East-West traffic is the lateral movement of data packets between servers within a data center, or across private and public clouds1. This type of traffic has grown substantially with the proliferation of data centers and cloud adoption, and it now surpasses the conventional North-South traffic that goes in or out of the network2. Therefore, it is important to protect East-West traffic from potential malicious actors and breaches, as threats can arise internally and move laterally without ever touching the traditional network perimeter12. By inspecting and monitoring all East-West traffic, organizations can effectively block the lateral movement of threat actors, increase network visibility, protect vital applications and data, and lower costs and risks for distributed operations23. References:

East-West Traffic: Everything You Need to Know | Gigamon Blog

What is East-West Security? | VMware Glossary

How to Harness East-West Visibility for a Stronger Defensive Security …

Whaling is a targeted phishing attack aimed at high-profile individuals, such as executives. The attacker impersonates a trusted entity (e.g., IT department) to trick the executive into revealing sensitive credentials. This is a form of spear phishing specifically focused on “big fish” targets.

Advanced WildFire is a Cloud-Delivered Security Service (CDSS) that detects zero-day malware using inline cloud machine learning (ML) and sandboxing techniques. It analyzes unknown files in real-time to identify and block new threats before they can cause harm.

 A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is a system that collects, analyzes, and correlates security logs from multiple sources, such as endpoints, firewalls, servers, etc. A SIEM can provide a centralized and comprehensive view of the security posture of an organization, as well as detect and respond to threats. Configuring endpoints to forward logs to a SIEM is the recommended method for collecting security logs from multiple endpoints, as it reduces the network bandwidth and storage requirements, simplifies the log management process, and enables faster and more effective security analysis. Leveraging an EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) solution to request the logs from endpoints is not recommended, as it may cause performance issues on the endpoints, increase the network traffic, and create a dependency on the EDR solution. Connecting to the endpoints remotely and downloading the logs is not recommended, as it is a manual and time-consuming process, prone to errors and inconsistencies, and may expose the endpoints to unauthorized access. Building a script that pulls down the logs from all endpoints is not recommended, as it requires technical skills and maintenance, may not be compatible with different endpoint platforms, and may introduce security risks if the script is compromised or misconfigured. References:

Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET) - Palo Alto Networks

Fundamentals of Security Operations Center (SOC)

10 Palo Alto Networks PCCET Exam Practice Questions - CBT Nuggets

Application allow listing is a security practice that permits only pre-approved (trusted) applications, files, and processes to run on a system. This approach helps prevent unauthorized or malicious software from executing, thereby reducing the attack surface.

 Connectors and interfaces are the components that enable a SIEM to collect, process, and analyze data from various sources, such as Microsoft 365 services and applications1, cloud platforms, network devices, and security solutions. Connectors are responsible for extracting and transforming data from the source systems, while interfaces are responsible for sending and receiving data to and from the SIEM server. Without connectors and interfaces, a SIEM cannot operate correctly and ensure a translated flow from the system of interest to the SIEM data lake. References:

SIEM server integration with Microsoft 365 services and applications

What Is SIEM Integration? 2024 Comprehensive Guide - SelectHub

SIEM Connector - docs.metallic.io

SIEM Connector

Cybercriminals are attackers who act independently or as part of an unlawful organization, such as a crime syndicate or a hacker group. Their main motivation is to make money by exploiting vulnerabilities in systems, networks, or applications. They use various methods, such as ransomware, phishing, identity theft, fraud, or botnets, to steal data, extort victims, or disrupt services. Cybercriminals often target individuals, businesses, or institutions that have valuable or sensitive information, such as financial, personal, or health data. Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their techniques and tools to evade detection and countermeasures. They may also collaborate with other cybercriminals or hire hackers to perform specific tasks. References:

Cybersecurity Threats: Cybercriminals

Attackers Profile