Practitioner Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Practitioner (PCCP) Questions and Answers

Dynamic analysis is a method of malware analysis that executes the malware in a controlled environment and observes its behavior and effects. Dynamic analysis can reveal the malware’s network activity, file system changes, registry modifications, and other indicators of compromise. Dynamic analysis is performed by Palo Alto Networks WildFire, a cloud-based service that analyzes unknown files and links from various sources, such as email attachments, web downloads, and firewall traffic. WildFire uses a custom-built, evasion-resistant virtual environment to detonate the submissions and generate detailed reports and verdicts. WildFire can also share the threat intelligence with other Palo Alto Networks products and partners to prevent future attacks. References: WildFire Overview, WildFire Features, WildFire Dynamic Analysis

Static routing is a form of routing that occurs when a router uses a manually-configured routing entry, rather than information from dynamic routing traffic 1. Static routing has some advantages, such as simplicity, low overhead, and full control, but it also has some disadvantages, such as:

•Manual reconfiguration: Static routes require manual effort to configure and maintain. This can be time-consuming and error-prone, especially in large networks with many routes. If there is a change in the network topology or a link failure, the static routes need to be updated manually by the network administrator 23.

•Single point of failure: Static routing is not fault tolerant. This means that if the path used by the static route stops working, the traffic will not be rerouted automatically. The network will be unreachable until the failure is repaired or the static route is changed manually. Dynamic routing, on the other hand, can adapt to network changes and find alternative paths 23.

 A local area network (LAN) is a network that connects end-user devices such as personal computers, printers, scanners, and phones within a small geographic area, such as an office, school, or home. LANs allow users to share resources, such as files, applications, and internet access, among the connected devices. LANs typically use Ethernet or Wi-Fi as the communication medium and operate at high speeds with low error rates. LANs are usually owned and managed by a single person or organization. References: LANs, WANs, and Other Area Networks Explained, What is a LAN? Local Area Network, Types of area networks - LAN, MAN and WAN

Multiple policies, no policy reconciliation tools: Sequential traffic analysis (stateful inspection, application control, intrusion prevention system (IPS), anti-malware, etc.) in traditional data center security solutions requires a corresponding security policy or profile, often using multiple management tools. The result is that your security policies become convoluted as you build and manage a firewall policy with source, destination, user, port, and action; an application control policy with similar rules; and any other threat prevention rules required. Multiple security policies that mix positive (firewall) and negative (application control, IPS, and anti-malware) control models can cause security holes by missing traffic and/or not identifying

SOAR tools ingest aggregated alerts from detection sources (such as SIEMs, network security tools, and mailboxes) before executing automatable, process-driven playbooks to enrich and respond to these alerts.

https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/security-operations-automation

SSL/TLS decryption allows security tools to inspect encrypted traffic, enabling them to detect hidden malware, command-and-control communication, or data exfiltration that would otherwise bypass inspection if left encrypted.

A container-based NGFW is specifically designed to integrate with Kubernetes environments, providing full application visibility and control within containerized workloads. It operates at the pod level, making it ideal for securing dynamic microservices architectures.

SecOps is the organizational function that is responsible for security automation and eventual vetting of the solution to help ensure consistency through machine-driven responses to security issues. SecOps is a collaboration between security and operations teams that aims to align their goals, processes, and tools to improve security posture and efficiency. SecOps can leverage automation to simplify and accelerate security tasks, such as threat detection, incident response, vulnerability management, compliance enforcement, and more. Security automation can also reduce human errors, enhance scalability, and free up resources for more strategic initiatives. References:

SecOps from Palo Alto Networks

What is security automation? from Red Hat

What is Security Automation? from Check Point Software

In a host-based architecture, the server (host) handles all processing tasks, while the client mainly provides input/output. This centralizes control, processing, and data storage on the server, reducing the client’s role to that of a terminal.

Full-disk encryption is a method of protecting data on a laptop that has been stolen by encrypting the entire hard drive, making it unreadable without the correct password or key. This prevents unauthorized access to the proprietary data stored on the laptop, even if the thief removes the hard drive and connects it to another device. Full-disk encryption can be enabled using built-in features such as BitLocker on Windows or FileVault on macOS, or using third-party software such as Absolute Home & Office12. References: How to Protect your Data if a Laptop is Lost or Stolen, What to do when your laptop is stolen, Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician

A stateless firewall is a network firewall that primarily filters traffic based on source and destination IP address, as well as port numbers and protocols. A stateless firewall does not keep track of the state or context of network connections, and only inspects packet headers. A stateless firewall is faster and simpler than a stateful firewall, but it is less secure and flexible. A stateless firewall cannot block complex attacks or inspect packet contents for malicious payloads. References: What Is a Packet Filtering Firewall? - Palo Alto Networks, Common IP Filtering Techniques – APNIC, What is IP filtering? - Secure Network Traffic Management

A serverless function is an event-driven snippet of code that runs on managed infrastructure, typically as part of a Function as a Service (FaaS) model. It is executed in response to events such as HTTP requests or database changes, and the cloud provider handles the underlying infrastructure.

Code security focuses on identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations early in the development process. It uses tools like static code analysis and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) scanning to ensure secure coding and configuration before deployment.

A worm is a type of malware that replicates itself to spread rapidly through a computer network. Unlike a virus, a worm does not need a host program or human interaction to infect other devices. A worm can consume network bandwidth, slow down the system performance, or deliver a malicious payload, such as ransomware or a backdoor123. References: Types of Malware & Malware Examples - Kaspersky, 10 types of malware + how to prevent malware from the start, Computer worm - Wikipedia

A worm replicates through the network while a virus replicates, not necessarily to spread through the network.

Attack communication traffic is usually hidden with various techniques and

tools, including:

● Encryption with SSL, SSH (Secure Shell), or some other custom or proprietary encryption

● Circumvention via proxies, remote access tools, or tunneling. In some instances, use of

cellular networks enables complete circumvention of the target network for attack C2 traffic.

● Port evasion using network anonymizers or port hopping to traverse over any available open

ports

● Fast Flux (or Dynamic DNS) to proxy through multiple infected endpoints or multiple,

ever-changing C2 servers to reroute traffic and make determination of the true destination

or attack source difficult

● DNS tunneling is used for C2 communications and data infiltration

Heap spray attacks exploit memory management vulnerabilities by injecting malicious code into a program’s heap to manipulate execution flow. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) platforms monitor memory and process behavior on endpoints, enabling the detection of such memory-based exploits through anomaly and behavior analysis. Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex XDR equips SOC teams with the tools to detect, analyze, and respond to heap spray and other in-memory attacks on company laptops in real time. EDR’s endpoint-centric visibility is crucial since heap spray attacks operate below network layers and often bypass traditional perimeter defenses.

The IP stack adds source (sender) and destination (receiver) IP addresses to the TCP segment (which now is called an IP packet) and notifies the server operating system that it has an outgoing message ready to be sent across the network.

"Or split tunneling can be configured to allow internet traffic from the device to go directly to the internet, while other specific types of traffic route through the IPsec tunnel, for acceptable protection with much less performance degradation."

Host Intrusion Prevention Systems (HIPS) operate on endpoints to enforce security policies by monitoring system calls, file integrity, and configuration settings. HIPS can validate device compliance, including operating system versions and patch levels, before permitting network access. This capability prevents vulnerable or outdated devices from becoming attack vectors. Palo Alto Networks integrates HIPS functionalities in its endpoint security solutions, providing granular control to enforce organizational security standards and reduce risk from non-compliant endpoints. Unlike network-based inspection, HIPS works locally on hosts to stop threats at their origin.

To find the subnet that the host 192.168.19.36/27 belongs to, we need to convert the IP address and the subnet mask to binary form and perform a logical AND operation. The /27 notation means that the subnet mask has 27 bits of ones and 5 bits of zeros. In decimal form, the subnet mask is 255.255.255.224. The binary form of the IP address and the subnet mask are:

IP address: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00100100 Subnet mask: 11111111.11111111.11111111.11100000

The logical AND operation gives us the network prefix:

Network prefix: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00100000

To get the subnet address, we convert the network prefix back to decimal form:

Subnet address: 192.168.19.32

The subnet address is the first address in the subnet range. To find the last address in the subnet range, we flip the bits of the subnet mask and perform a logical OR operation with the network prefix:

Flipped subnet mask: 00000000.00000000.00000000.00011111 Logical OR: 11000000.10101000.00010011.00111111

The last address in the subnet range is:

Last address: 192.168.19.63

The subnet range is from 192.168.19.32 to 192.168.19.63. The host 192.168.19.36 belongs to this subnet. Therefore, the correct answer is B. 192.168.19.16, which is the second address in the subnet range.

IP Subnet Calculator

Subnet Calculator - IP and CIDR

Which subnet does the host 192.168.19.36/27 belong? - VCEguide.com

Sanctioned SaaS applications are those that are approved and supported by the organization’s IT department. They provide business benefits such as increased productivity, collaboration, and efficiency. They are fast to deploy because they do not require installation or maintenance on the user’s device. They require minimal cost because they are usually paid on a subscription or usage basis, and they do not incur hardware or software expenses. They are infinitely scalable because they can adjust to the changing needs and demands of the organization without affecting performance or availability12. References: 8 Types of SaaS Solutions You Must Know About in 2024, What is SaaS (Software as a Service)? | SaaS Types | CDW, Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician

NAT stands for Network Address Translation, which is a process that allows devices on a private network to communicate with devices on a public network, such as the Internet. NAT translates the private IP addresses of the devices on the private network to public IP addresses that can be routed on the public network. This way, multiple devices on the private network can share a single public IP address and access the Internet. NAT also provides security benefits, as it hides the internal network structure and IP addresses from the outside world. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET), Fundamentals of Network Security, Network Address Translation (NAT)

Cloud-native security is the integration of security strategies into applications and systems designed to be deployed and to run in cloud environments. It involves a layered approach that considers security at every level of the cloud-native application architecture. The four C’s of cloud-native security are123:

Code: This layer refers to the application code and its dependencies. Security at this layer involves ensuring the code is free of vulnerabilities, using secure coding practices, and implementing encryption, authentication, and authorization mechanisms.

Container: This layer refers to the lightweight, isolated units that encapsulate the application and its dependencies. Security at this layer involves scanning and verifying the container images, enforcing policies and rules for container deployment and runtime, and isolating and protecting the containers from unauthorized access.

Cluster: This layer refers to the group of nodes that host the containers and provide orchestration and management capabilities. Security at this layer involves securing the communication between the nodes and the containers, monitoring and auditing the cluster activity, and applying security patches and updates to the cluster components.

Cloud: This layer refers to the underlying infrastructure and services that support the cloud-native applications. Security at this layer involves configuring and hardening the cloud resources, implementing identity and access management, and complying with the cloud provider’s security standards and best practices.

The correct order of the four C’s from the top (surface) layer to the bottom (base) layer is code, container, cluster, cloud, as each layer depends on the security of the next outermost layer. References: What Is Cloud-Native Security? - Palo Alto Networks, What is Cloud-Native Security? An Introduction | Splunk, The 4C’s of Cloud Native Kubernetes security - Medium

802.11ax, also known as Wi-Fi 6, is an internet of things (IoT) connectivity technology that operates on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, as well as all bands between 1 and 6GHz when they become available for 802.11 use, at ranges up to 11 Gbit/s. 802.11ax is designed to improve the performance, efficiency, and capacity of wireless networks, especially in high-density environments such as smart homes, smart cities, and industrial IoT. 802.11ax uses various techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO), target wake time (TWT), and 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to achieve higher data rates, lower latency, longer battery life, and reduced interference for IoT devices. References:

•Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) - Palo Alto Networks

•What is Wi-Fi 6? | Wi-Fi 6 Features and Benefits | Cisco

•What is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

 In SecOps, the identify stage is the first step in the security operations lifecycle. It involves gaining knowledge and understanding of the possible security threats and establishing methods to detect, respond and proactively prevent them from occurring1. Two of the components included in the identify stage are:

Initial Research: This component involves gathering information about the organization’s assets, vulnerabilities, risks, and compliance requirements. It also involves identifying the key stakeholders, objectives, and metrics for the SecOps project2.

Content Engineering: This component involves developing and maintaining the security content, such as rules, policies, signatures, and alerts, that will be used by the SecOps tools and processes. It also involves testing and validating the security content for accuracy and effectiveness3.

 What is SecOps? (and what are the benefits and best practices?), SecOps - definition & overview, The Six Pillars of Effective Security Operations

HTTPS is a protocol that encrypts and secures the communication between web browsers and servers. HTTPS uses SSL or TLS certificates to establish a secure connection and prevent unauthorized access or tampering of data. HTTPS typically uses port 443, which is the default port for HTTPS connections. Port 443 is different from port 80, which is the default port for HTTP connections. HTTP is an unencrypted and insecure protocol that can expose sensitive information or allow malicious attacks. Port 443 is also different from port 5050, which is a common port for some applications or services, such as Yahoo Messenger or SIP. Port 5050 is not associated with HTTPS and does not provide any encryption or security. Port 443 is also different from port 25, which is the default port for SMTP, the protocol used for sending and receiving emails. Port 25 is not associated with HTTPS and does not encrypt the email content or headers. References:

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

•HTTPS Protocol: What is the Default Port for SSL & Common TCP Ports

•What is HTTPS? | Cloudflare

•Can I use another port other than 443 for HTTPS/SSL communication?

Xpanse is a tool from Palo Alto Networks that provides attack surface management by analyzing exposed services and internet-facing assets, giving security operations teams visibility into environmental risks and helping prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities.

TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol, and it is one of the main protocols used in the internet. TCP provides reliable, ordered, and error-free delivery of data between applications 1. In terms of the OSI model, TCP is a transport-layer protocol. The transport layer is the fourth layer of the OSI model, and it is responsible for establishing end-to-end connections, segmenting data into packets, and ensuring reliable and efficient data transfer 2. The transport layer also provides flow control, congestion control, and error detection and correction mechanisms 2. TCP is not the only transport-layer protocol; another common one is UDP (User Datagram Protocol), which is faster but less reliable than TCP 3. References: 1: TCP/IP TCP, UDP, and IP protocols - IBM 2: Transport Layer | Layer 4 | The OSI-Model 3: TCP/IP Model vs. OSI Model | Similarities and Differences - Fortinet

Multitenancy is a key characteristic of the public cloud, and an important risk. Although public cloud providers strive to ensure isolation between their various customers, the infrastructure and resources in the public cloud are shared. Inherent risks in a shared environment include misconfigurations, inadequate or ineffective processes and controls, and the “noisy neighbor” problem (excessive network traffic, disk I/O, or processor use can negatively impact other customers sharing the same resource). In hybrid and multicloud environments that connect numerous public and/or private clouds, the delineation becomes blurred, complexity increases, and security risks become more challenging to address.

A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) secures SaaS applications and network data by providing visibility, data security, threat protection, and compliance enforcement. It acts as a control point between users and cloud service providers to enforce security policies.

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.

Code security in cloud environments involves using tools like Static Application Security Testing (SAST) to automatically analyze source code for vulnerabilities before deployment. This helps identify and remediate potential threats early in the software development lifecycle.

Pharming is an attack that redirects traffic from a legitimate website to a malicious fake website, typically by corrupting the DNS system or modifying host files, with the intent of stealing user credentials or sensitive data.

Serverless architecture is primarily implemented through Function as a Service (FaaS), where developers write and deploy individual functions without managing the underlying infrastructure. The cloud provider handles scaling, resource allocation, and execution on demand.

 A routed protocol is a protocol by which data can be routed. It provides appropriate addressing information in its internet layer or network layer to allow a packet to be forwarded from one network to another network. Examples of routed protocols are the Internet Protocol (IP) and Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX). IP is the most widely used routed protocol on the Internet and other networks. It assigns a unique logical address to each device and enables data to be fragmented, reassembled, and routed across multiple networks. References:

Routing v/s Routed Protocols in Computer Network

Routing protocol - Wikipedia

CCNA Certification: Routed Protocols vs Routing Protocols

What is the difference between Routing Protocols and Routed Protocols

Assessing severity levels – UEBA data helps prioritize incidents by evaluating the risk and severity based on user and entity behavior.

Detecting and correlating anomalies – UEBA continuously analyzes activity to identify abnormal behavior and correlate anomalies that may indicate insider threats or compromised accounts.

SOAR tools ingest aggregated alerts from detection sources (such as SIEMs, network security tools, and mailboxes) before executing automatable, process-driven playbooks to enrich and respond to these alerts.

SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) differs from SIEM by adding automated incident response and workflow orchestration to the detection and alerting capabilities found in SIEM. This enables faster and more efficient handling of security incidents.

● Benign: Safe and does not exhibit malicious behavior

● Grayware: No security risk but might display obtrusive behavior (for example, adware,

spyware, and browser helper objects)

● Malware: Malicious in nature and intent and can pose a security threat (for example,

viruses, worms, trojans, root kits, botnets, and remote-access toolkits)

● Phishing: Malicious attempt to trick the recipient into revealing sensitive data

An encoded string is a common technique used by attackers to obfuscate their malicious code or data. By decoding the string, a security operations engineer can reveal the true nature and intent of the attacker, and potentially discover indicators of compromise (IOCs) such as IP addresses, domain names, file names, etc. Decoding the string can also help the engineer to determine the type and severity of the incident, and the appropriate response actions. Therefore, decoding the string and continuing the investigation is the best option among the given choices. Saving the string to a new file and running it in a sandbox may be risky, as it could execute the malicious code and cause further damage. Running the string against VirusTotal may not yield any useful results, as the string may not be recognized by any antivirus engines. Appending the string to the investigation notes but not altering it may not provide any additional insight into the incident, and may delay the response process. References:

1: SANS Digital Forensics and Incident Response Blog | Strings, Strings, Are Wonderful Things

2: 5 Minute Forensics: Decoding PowerShell Payloads - Tevora

3: Known plaintext analysis of encoded strings - SANS Institute

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

5: 10 Palo Alto Networks PCCET Exam Practice Questions - CBT Nuggets

 A rootkit is a type of malware that enables cyber criminals to gain access to and infiltrate data from machines without being detected. It covers software toolboxes designed to infect computers, give the attacker remote control, and remain hidden for a long period of time1 One of the most prominent characteristics of a rootkit is that it cannot be detected by antivirus because of its masking techniques. A rootkit may be able to subvert the software that is intended to find it, such as by hooking system calls, modifying kernel objects, or tampering with the registry2 Another prominent characteristic of a rootkit is that it takes control of the operating system. A rootkit may install itself in the kernel or the firmware of the device, giving it the highest level of privilege and access. A rootkit may also replace the bootloader or the BIOS of the machine, making it difficult to remove. A rootkit can use its control over the operating system to launch other malware, such as ransomware, bots, keyloggers, or trojans34 References:

1: What Is a Rootkit? How to Defend and Stop Them? | Fortinet

2: Rootkit - Wikipedia

3: What Is a Rootkit? – Microsoft 365

4: What is Rootkit? Attack Definition & Examples - CrowdStrike

SSL/TLS encrypts and authenticates web-based communication to ensure secure data transmission over networks. It ensures privacy by encrypting the data exchanged between a client and a server, protecting it from interception or tampering. It doesn’t handle user input like passwords directly.

 A sanctioned application is an application that is approved by the IT department and meets the security and compliance requirements of the organization. Sanctioned applications are allowed to access the organization’s network and data and are monitored and protected by the IT department. Examples of sanctioned applications are Office 365, Salesforce, and Zoom. Sanctioned applications are different from unsanctioned, prohibited, and tolerated applications, which are not approved by the IT department and may pose security risks to the organization. Unsanctioned applications are applications that are used by the employees without the IT department’s knowledge or consent, such as Dropbox, Gmail, or Facebook. Prohibited applications are applications that are explicitly forbidden by the IT department, such as BitTorrent, Tor, or malware. Tolerated applications are applications that are not approved by the IT department, but are not blocked or restricted, such as Skype, Spotify, or YouTube. References: Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET), Cloud Security Fundamentals - Module 4: Cloud Security Best Practices, Application Visibility and Control

Web 2.0 applications provide the type of service known as Software as a Service (SaaS). SaaS is a cloud computing model that allows users to access and use web-based applications over the internet, without having to install or maintain any software on their own devices. SaaS applications are hosted and managed by a third-party provider, who is responsible for the security, performance, availability, and updates of the software. SaaS applications are typically accessed through a web browser or a mobile app, and offer features such as user-generated content, social networking, collaboration, and interoperability. Examples of Web 2.0 SaaS applications include Facebook, X, Wikipedia, Gmail, and Salesforce. References:

What Is Web 2.0? Definition, Impact, and Examples - Investopedia

Web 2.0 - Wikipedia

[What is SaaS? Software as a service (SaaS) definition - Salesforce.com]

An Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is a long-term, targeted cyberattack where data exfiltration is often the primary objective. Attackers maintain a covert presence in the network to steal sensitive information over time.

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), including Prisma Cloud’s offering, continuously monitors all cloud resources — such as compute instances, storage, network configurations, and identities — to detect misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and potential threats in near real time.

A meddler-in-the-middle (MITM) attack is a type of Wi-Fi attack where the attacker intercepts and redirects the victim’s web traffic to serve content from a web server it controls. The attacker can use various techniques, such as ARP spoofing, DNS spoofing, or SSL stripping, to trick the victim into connecting to a rogue access point or a proxy server that acts as a middleman between the victim and the legitimate website. The attacker can then modify, inject, or drop the packets that are exchanged between the victim and the website, and perform malicious actions, such as stealing credentials, injecting malware, or displaying fake or misleading content. A MITM attack can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the victim’s web traffic and expose them to various risks and threats. References:

What is a man-in-the-middle attack?

The 5 most dangerous Wi-Fi attacks, and how to fight them

What Are Sniffing Attacks, and How Can You Protect Yourself?

Advanced malware is designed to evade detection and persist within a system, often using stealthy techniques to spread laterally across multiple hosts in a network without triggering alerts, making it especially dangerous and difficult to remove.

SaaS financial botnets are often sold as kits, enabling attackers to license and reuse the malicious code easily.

These kits allow attackers to build and operate their own botnets, often targeting financial data or systems.

Financial botnets are typically smaller but more targeted than spamming or DDoS botnets. Botnets are not a defense mechanism, but rather a threat.

SOAR stands for security orchestration, automation and response. It is a software solution that enables security teams to integrate and coordinate separate tools into streamlined threat response workflows. SOAR systems allow for accelerated incident response through the execution of standardized and automated playbooks that work upon inputs from security technology and other data flows. SOAR systems can also help ensure consistency, reduce human errors, and improve efficiency and scalability of security operations. References:

Security Operations Infrastructure from Palo Alto Networks

What is SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response)? from IBM

Security Operations Fundamentals (SOF) Flashcards from Quizlet

Phishing is a type of email attack where the attacker sends a lot of malicious emails in an untargeted way, pretending to be a trusted source, such as a bank or an online retailer, to trick users into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers. Attackers use the information to steal money or to launch other attacks. A fake email from a bank asking you to click a link and verify your account details is an example of phishing1 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: Types of Email Attacks - Examples and Consequences - Tessian

4: What Is a Phishing Attack? Definition and Types - Cisco

DevOps is not:

● A combination of the Dev and Ops teams: There still are two teams; they just operate

in a communicative, collaborative way.

● Its own separate team: There is no such thing as a “DevOps engineer.” Although some

companies may appoint a “DevOps team” as a pilot when trying to transition to a

DevOps culture, DevOps refers to a culture where developers, testers, and operations

personnel cooperate throughout the entire software delivery lifecycle.

● A tool or set of tools: Although there are tools that work well with a DevOps model or

help promote DevOps culture, DevOps ultimately is a strategy, not a tool.

● Automation: Although automation is very important for a DevOps culture, it alone does

not define DevOps.

Advanced malware employs sophisticated techniques such as polymorphism, encryption, and stealth to evade detection by traditional signature-based tools. It adapts to different environments, modifies its code to avoid static analysis, and maintains persistence through obfuscation and anti-forensic measures. Palo Alto Networks’ threat prevention technologies use machine learning, behavior analysis, and sandboxing to detect these evasive malware strains. Such adaptive capabilities distinguish advanced malware from simpler threats that are easily identified and removed, underscoring the need for modern, layered security controls capable of dynamic threat detection.

Cortex XDR is a detection and response platform that natively integrates network, endpoint, and cloud data to stop sophisticated attacks. A key benefit of Cortex XDR is that it acts as a safety net during an attack while patches are developed. Cortex XDR uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to detect and validate threats, and automatically reveals the root cause of alerts to speed up investigations. Cortex XDR also enables flexible and rapid response actions to contain and remediate threats across the environment. References: Cortex XDR- Extended Detection and Response - Palo Alto Networks, What is Cortex XDR | Palo Alto Networks, Cortex XDR Datasheet - Palo Alto Networks

DNS tunneling is an attack technique where data packets are disguised as DNS queries and sent to a remote server. That server, often under the attacker's control, responds with additional data or instructions, effectively creating a covert command-and-control (C2) channel over DNS.

A credit card number is an example of PII that you need to prevent from leaving your enterprise network. PII, or personally identifiable information, is any information that can be used to identify an individual, either alone or in combination with other data. PII can be sensitive or non-sensitive, depending on the level of protection required and the potential harm if exposed. Sensitive PII includes data that can directly identify an individual and cause significant harm if leaked or stolen, such as financial information, medical records, or government-issued ID numbers. Non-sensitive PII includes data that is easily accessible from public sources and does not pose a high risk of identity theft, such as zip code, race, or gender. A credit card number is a sensitive PII because it can be used to access the cardholder’s account, make fraudulent transactions, or steal their identity. Therefore, it is important to prevent credit card numbers from leaving the enterprise network, where they could be intercepted by hackers, malicious insiders, or third parties. To protect credit card numbers and other sensitive PII, enterprises should implement data security measures such as encryption, tokenization, masking, access control, auditing, and monitoring. Additionally, enterprises should comply with data privacy laws and standards that regulate the collection, use, and protection of PII, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). References:

What is PII? Examples, laws, and standards | CSO Online

What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? | IBM

What Is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? Types and Examples

What is PII (personally identifiable information)? - Cloudflare

What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? - Data Privacy Manager

Cloud-hosted refers to the deployment of traditional on-premises software on cloud-based servers. This approach allows organizations to run their applications in the cloud without re-architecting them for cloud-native environments.

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.

 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

A TLS handshake occurs after the TCP handshake is complete. The TLS handshake is responsible for establishing a secure, encrypted session between client and server, including the negotiation of encryption algorithms and exchange of keys.

MITRE is a not-for-profit organization that operates research and development centers sponsored by the federal government. MITRE maintains the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) catalog, which is a dictionary of common names for publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities. CVE’s common identifiers, called CVE Identifiers, make it easier to share data across separate network security databases and tools, and provide a baseline for evaluating the coverage of an organization’s security tools12. References:

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE®)

CVE - CVE

Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is an example of a distance-vector routing protocol that uses hop count as its routing metric. To prevent routing loops, in which packets effectively get stuck bouncing between various router nodes, RIP implements a hop limit of 15, which limits the size of networks that RIP can support. After a data packet crosses 15 router nodes (hops) between a source and a destination, the destination is considered unreachable.

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is a cloud computing model that delivers on-demand infrastructure resources to organizations via the cloud, such as compute, storage, networking, and virtualization1. Customers do not have to manage, maintain, or update their own data center infrastructure, but are responsible for the operating system, middleware, virtual machines, and any apps or data1. Therefore, IaaS gives customers full control over the operating system(s) running on their cloud computing platform, as well as the flexibility to customize and configure their infrastructure according to their needs2. References: What are the different types of cloud computing? | Google Cloud, PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS: What’s the difference? | Google Cloud

IoT devices often have constant internet connectivity and increased data sharing, making them more vulnerable to command-and-control (C2) attacks. Their limited security features and exposure to external networks provide attackers more opportunities to compromise and control them remotely.