Palo Alto Networks Certified Detection and Remediation Analyst PCDRA Exam Practice Test

Answer : D

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

Cortex XDR Analytics

MITRE ATT&CKTM

Cortex XDR Analytics MITRE ATT&CKTM Techniques

Cortex XDR Analytics Alert Categories

Answer : B

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.Reference:

PCDRA Study Guide, page 25

Cortex XDR 3: Handling Cortex XDR Alerts, section 3.2

Cortex XDR Documentation, section ''Create IOC Rules''

Answer : A

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

File Search and Destroy

What is a File Hash?

SHA-2 - Wikipedia

When using the ''File Search and Destroy'' feature, which of the following search hash type is supported?

Answer : C

The ''assigned to'' field value of a new incident that was just reported to Cortex is ''Unassigned''. This means that the incident has not been assigned to any analyst or group yet, and it is waiting for someone to take ownership of it. The ''assigned to'' field is one of the default fields that are displayed in the incident layout, and it can be used to filter and sort incidents in the incident list.The ''assigned to'' field can be changed manually by an analyst, or automatically by a playbook or a rule12.

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

A) Pending: This is not the correct answer. Pending is not a valid value for the ''assigned to'' field. Pending is a possible value for the ''status'' field, which indicates the current state of the incident.The status field can have values such as ''New'', ''Active'', ''Done'', ''Closed'', or 'Pending'3.

B) It is blank: This is not the correct answer. The ''assigned to'' field is never blank for any incident.It always has a default value of ''Unassigned'' for new incidents, unless a playbook or a rule assigns it to a specific analyst or group12.

D) New: This is not the correct answer. New is not a valid value for the ''assigned to'' field. New is a possible value for the ''status'' field, which indicates the current state of the incident.The status field can have values such as ''New'', ''Active'', ''Done'', ''Closed'', or 'Pending'3.

In conclusion, the ''assigned to'' field value of a new incident that was just reported to Cortex is ''Unassigned''. This field can be used to manage the ownership and responsibility of incidents, and it can be changed manually or automatically.

Cortex XDR Pro Admin Guide: Manage Incidents

Cortex XDR Pro Admin Guide: Assign Incidents

Cortex XDR Pro Admin Guide: Update Incident Status

Answer : D

The Incident Management Dashboard provides a high-level overview of the incident response process, including the Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) metric. This metric measures the average time it takes to resolve an incident from the moment it is created to the moment it is closed. The dashboard also shows the number of incidents by status, severity, and assigned analyst, as well as the top alerts by category, source, and destination. The Incident Management Dashboard is designed for executives and managers who want to monitor the performance and efficiency of their security teams.Reference: [PCDRA Study Guide], page 18.

Answer : C

An example of an attack vector for ransomware is phishing emails containing malicious attachments. Phishing is a technique that involves sending fraudulent emails that appear to come from a legitimate source, such as a bank, a company, or a government agency. The emails typically contain a malicious attachment, such as a PDF document, a ZIP archive, or a Microsoft Office document, that contains ransomware or a ransomware downloader. When the recipient opens or downloads the attachment, the ransomware is executed and encrypts the files or data on the victim's system. The attacker then demands a ransom for the decryption key, usually in cryptocurrency.

Phishing emails are one of the most common and effective ways of delivering ransomware, as they can bypass security measures such as firewalls, antivirus software, or URL filtering. Phishing emails can also exploit the human factor, as they can trick the recipient into opening the attachment by using social engineering techniques, such as impersonating a trusted sender, creating a sense of urgency, or appealing to curiosity or greed. Phishing emails can also target specific individuals or organizations, such as executives, employees, or customers, in a technique called spear phishing, which increases the chances of success.

According to various sources, phishing emails are the main vector of ransomware attacks, accounting for more than 90% of all ransomware infections12.Some of the most notorious ransomware campaigns, such as CryptoLocker, Locky, and WannaCry, have used phishing emails as their primary delivery method3. Therefore, it is essential to educate users on how to recognize and avoid phishing emails, as well as to implement security solutions that can detect and block malicious attachments.Reference:

Top 7 Ransomware Attack Vectors & How to Avoid Becoming a Victim - Bitsight

What Is the Main Vector of Ransomware Attacks? A Definitive Guide

CryptoLocker Ransomware Information Guide and FAQ

[Locky Ransomware Information, Help Guide, and FAQ]

[WannaCry ransomware attack]

Answer : B

A BIOC rule is a custom detection rule that uses the Cortex Query Language (XQL) to define the behavior or actions that indicate a potential threat. A BIOC rule can use the xdr_data and cloud_audit_log datasets and presets for these datasets. A BIOC rule can also use the filter stage, alter stage, and functions without any aggregations in the XQL query. The query must return a single field named action_process_image, which is the process image name of the suspicious process. The query must also include the event_type and event_sub_type fields in the filter stage to specify the type and sub-type of the event that triggers the rule.

Option B is the correct answer because it meets all the requirements for a valid BIOC rule query. It uses the xdr_data dataset, the filter stage, the event_type and event_sub_type fields, and the action_process_image_name field with a regular expression to match any process image name that ends with .pdf.exe or .docx.exe, which are common indicators of malicious files.

Option A is incorrect because it does not include the event_type field in the filter stage, which is mandatory for a BIOC rule query.

Option C is incorrect because it does not include the event_type and event_sub_type fields in the filter stage, and it uses the fields stage, which is not supported for a BIOC rule query. It also returns the action_process_image field instead of the action_process_image_name field, which is the expected output for a BIOC rule query.

Option D is incorrect because it uses the event_behavior field, which is not supported for a BIOC rule query. It also does not include the event_type field in the filter stage, and it uses the event_sub_type field incorrectly. The event_sub_type field should be equal to PROCESS_START, not true.

Working with BIOCs

Cortex Query Language (XQL) Reference