XDR-Analyst Exam Dumps - Paloalto Networks Security Operations Questions and Answers

 Cortex XDR supports Live Terminal for Android systems, which allows you to remotely access and manage Android endpoints using a command-line interface. You can use Live Terminal to run Android commands, such as adb shell, adb logcat, adb install, and adb uninstall. You can also use Live Terminal to view and modify files, directories, and permissions on the Android endpoints. Live Terminal for Android systems does not support stopping an app or running APK scripts. References:

Cortex XDR documentation portal

Initiate a Live Terminal Session

Live Terminal Commands

Cortex XDR Analytics is a feature of Cortex XDR that leverages machine learning and behavioral analytics to detect and alert on malicious activity across the network and endpoint layers. Cortex XDR Analytics can alert when detecting activity matching the following MITRE ATT&CKTM techniques: Exfiltration, Command and Control, Lateral Movement, Execution, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion, Credential Access, Discovery, and Collection. However, among the options given in the question, the correct answer is D, Exfiltration, Command and Control, Lateral Movement. These are three of the most critical techniques that indicate an advanced and persistent threat (APT) in the environment. Exfiltration refers to the technique of transferring data or information from the compromised system or network to an external location controlled by the adversary. Command and Control refers to the technique of communicating with the compromised system or network to provide instructions, receive data, or update malware. Lateral Movement refers to the technique of moving from one system or network to another within the same environment, usually to gain access to more resources or data. Cortex XDR Analytics can alert on these techniques by analyzing various data sources, such as network traffic, firewall logs, endpoint events, and threat intelligence, and applying behavioral models, anomaly detection, and correlation rules. Cortex XDR Analytics can also map the alerts to the corresponding MITRE ATT&CKTM techniques and provide additional context and visibility into the attack chain1234

The “Respond to Malicious Causality Chains” feature in a Cortex XDR Windows Malware profile allows the agent to take automatic actions against network connections and processes that are involved in malicious activity on the endpoint. The feature has two modes: Block IP Address and Kill Process1.

The two purposes of “Respond to Malicious Causality Chains” in a Cortex XDR Windows Malware profile are:

Automatically kill the processes involved in malicious activity. This can help to stop the malware from spreading or doing any further damage.

Automatically block the IP addresses involved in malicious traffic. This can help to prevent the malware from communicating with its command and control server or other malicious hosts.

The other two options, automatically close the connections involved in malicious traffic and automatically terminate the threads involved in malicious activity, are not specific to “Respond to Malicious Causality Chains”. They are general security measures that the agent can perform regardless of the feature.

 To prevent the Cortex XDR Agent from blocking execution of a file based on the digital signer in Windows and macOS, one way to add an exception for the signer is to add the signer to the allow list in the malware profile. A malware profile is a profile that defines the settings and actions for malware prevention and detection on the endpoints. A malware profile allows you to specify a list of files, folders, or signers that you want to exclude from malware scanning and blocking. By adding the signer to the allow list in the malware profile, you can prevent the Cortex XDR Agent from blocking any file that is signed by that signer1.

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

A. In the Restrictions Profile, add the file name and path to the Executable Files allow list: This is not the correct answer. Adding the file name and path to the Executable Files allow list in the Restrictions Profile will not prevent the Cortex XDR Agent from blocking execution of a file based on the digital signer. A Restrictions Profile is a profile that defines the settings and actions for restricting the execution of files or processes on the endpoints. A Restrictions Profile allows you to specify a list of executable files that you want to allow or block based on the file name and path. However, this method does not take into account the digital signer of the file, and it may not be effective if the file name or path changes2.

B. Create a new rule exception and use the signer as the characteristic: This is not the correct answer. Creating a new rule exception and using the signer as the characteristic will not prevent the Cortex XDR Agent from blocking execution of a file based on the digital signer. A rule exception is an exception that you can create to modify the behavior of a specific prevention rule or BIOC rule. A rule exception allows you to specify the characteristics and the actions that you want to apply to the exception, such as file hash, process name, IP address, or domain name. However, this method does not support using the signer as a characteristic, and it may not be applicable to all prevention rules or BIOC rules3.

D. Add the signer to the allow list under the action center page: This is not the correct answer. Adding the signer to the allow list under the action center page will not prevent the Cortex XDR Agent from blocking execution of a file based on the digital signer. The action center page is a page that allows you to create and manage actions that you can perform on your endpoints, such as isolating, scanning, collecting files, or executing scripts. The action center page does not have an option to add a signer to the allow list, and it is not related to the malware prevention or detection functionality4.

In conclusion, to prevent the Cortex XDR Agent from blocking execution of a file based on the digital signer in Windows and macOS, one way to add an exception for the signer is to add the signer to the allow list in the malware profile. By using this method, you can exclude the files that are signed by the trusted signer from the malware scanning and blocking.

A false positive is a situation where a file or activity is incorrectly identified as malicious by a security tool, when in fact it is benign or harmless. A false positive can cause unnecessary alerts, disruptions, or remediation actions, and reduce the confidence and efficiency of the security system. In this question, a file is identified as malware by the Local Analysis module, whereas WildFire verdict is Benign, assuming WildFire is accurate. This means that the Local Analysis module has made a mistake and flagged a legitimate file as malicious, while WildFire has correctly determined that the file is safe. Therefore, this is an example of a false positive. The Local Analysis module is a feature of the Cortex XDR agent that uses a static set of pattern-matching rules and a statistical model to determine if an unknown file is likely to be malware. The Local Analysis module can provide a fast and offline verdict for files that are not yet analyzed by WildFire, but it is not as accurate or comprehensive as WildFire, which uses dynamic analysis and machine learning to examine the behavior and characteristics of files in a sandbox environment. WildFire verdicts are considered more reliable and authoritative than Local Analysis verdicts, and can override them in case of a discrepancy. Therefore, if a file is identified as malware by the Local Analysis module, but as Benign by WildFire, the WildFire verdict should be trusted and the Local Analysis verdict should be disregarded123

JIT Mitigation is an Exploit Protection Module (EPM) that can be used to prevent attacks based on OS function. JIT Mitigation protects against exploits that use the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler of the OS to execute malicious code. JIT Mitigation monitors the memory pages that are allocated by the JIT compiler and blocks any attempts to execute code from those pages. This prevents attackers from using the JIT compiler as a way to bypass other security mechanisms such as Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR). References:

Palo Alto Networks. (2023). PCDRA Study Guide. PDF file. Retrieved from https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/assets/pdf/datasheets/education/pcdra-study-guide.pdf

Palo Alto Networks. (2021). Exploit Protection Modules. Web page. Retrieved from https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/traps/6-0/traps-endpoint-security-manager-admin/traps-endpoint-security-policies/exploit-protection-modules.html

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

 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.

The Broker VM for Cortex XDR is a virtual machine that serves as the central communication hub for all Cortex XDR agents deployed in your organization. It enables agents to communicate with the Cortex XDR cloud service and allows you to manage and monitor the agents’ activities from a centralized location. The system requirements for the Broker VM are as follows:

CPU: 4 cores

RAM: 8 GB

Disk space: 256 GB

Network: Internet access and connectivity to all Cortex XDR agents

The disk space requirement is based on the number of agents and the frequency of content updates. The Broker VM stores the content updates locally and distributes them to the agents. The disk space also depends on the retention period of the content updates, which can be configured in the Broker VM settings. The default retention period is 30 days.

 To automatically convert leads into alerts after investigating a lead, you should create IOC rules based on the set of the collected attribute-value pairs over the affected entities concluded during the lead hunting. IOC rules are used to detect known threats based on indicators of compromise (IOCs) such as file hashes, IP addresses, domain names, etc. By creating IOC rules from the leads, you can prevent future occurrences of the same threats and generate alerts for them. References:

PCDRA Study Guide, page 25

Cortex XDR 3: Handling Cortex XDR Alerts, section 3.2

Cortex XDR Documentation, section “Create IOC Rules”