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

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

The Agent Auto Upgrade widget shows the status of the agent auto upgrade feature on the endpoints. The widget displays the number of agents that are up to date, in progress, pending, failed, and not configured. In this case, the widget shows that there are 450 agents that are up to date, 78 in progress, 15 pending, 18 failed, and 128 not configured. This means that the agent auto upgrade feature was enabled but not on all endpoints.Reference:

Cortex XDR Agent Auto Upgrade

PCDRA Study Guide

Answer : D

To create a BIOC rule with XQL query, you must at a minimum filter on theevent_typefield in order for it to be a valid BIOC rule. The event_type field indicates the type of event that triggered the alert, such as PROCESS, FILE, REGISTRY, NETWORK, or USER_ACCOUNT. Filtering on this field helps you narrow down the scope of your query and focus on the relevant events for your use case. Other fields, such as causality_chain, endpoint_name, threat_event, are optional and can be used to further refine your query or display additional information in the alert.Reference:

Palo Alto Networks Certified Detection and Remediation Analyst (PCDRA) Study Guide, page 9

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Documentation, BIOC Rule Query Syntax

Answer : A, B

When selecting multiple incidents at a time, the options that are available from the menu when a user right-clicks the incidents are: Assign incidents to an analyst in bulk and Change the status of multiple incidents. These options allow the user to perform bulk actions on the selected incidents, such as assigning them to a specific analyst or changing their status to open, in progress, resolved, or closed. These options can help the user to manage and prioritize the incidents more efficiently and effectively. To use these options, the user needs to select the incidents from the incident table, right-click on them, and choose the desired option from the menu.The user can also use keyboard shortcuts to perform these actions, such as Ctrl+A to select all incidents, Ctrl+Shift+A to assign incidents to an analyst, and Ctrl+Shift+S to change the status of incidents12

Assign Incidents to an Analyst in Bulk

Change the Status of Multiple Incidents

Answer : B

Live Terminal uses theWebSocketprotocol to communicate with the agent on the endpoint. WebSocket is a full-duplex communication protocol that enables bidirectional data exchange between a client and a server over a single TCP connection. WebSocket is designed to be implemented in web browsers and web servers, but it can be used by any client or server application. WebSocket provides a persistent connection between the Cortex XDR console and the endpoint, allowing you to execute commands and receive responses in real time. Live Terminal uses port 443 for WebSocket communication, which is the same port used for HTTPS traffic.Reference:

Initiate a Live Terminal Session

WebSocket

Answer : C

The correct relation of alerts to incidents is that alerts with same causality chains that occur within a given time frame are grouped together into an incident. A causality chain is a sequence of events that are related to the same malicious activity, such as a malware infection, a lateral movement, or a data exfiltration. Cortex XDR uses a set of rules that take into account different attributes of the alerts, such as the alert source, type, and time period, to determine if they belong to the same causality chain.By grouping related alerts into incidents, Cortex XDR reduces the number of individual events to review and provides a complete picture of the attack with rich investigative details1.

Option A is incorrect, because alerts with the same host are not necessarily grouped together into one incident in a given time frame. Alerts with the same host may belong to different causality chains, or may be unrelated to any malicious activity. For example, if a host has a malware infection and a network anomaly, these alerts may not be grouped into the same incident, unless they are part of the same attack.

Option B is incorrect, because alerts that occur within a three hour time frame are not always grouped together into one incident. The time frame is not the only criterion for grouping alerts into incidents. Alerts that occur within a three hour time frame may belong to different causality chains, or may be unrelated to any malicious activity. For example, if a host has a file download and a registry modification within a three hour time frame, these alerts may not be grouped into the same incident, unless they are part of the same attack.

Option D is incorrect, because every alert does not create a new incident. Creating a new incident for every alert would result in alert fatigue and inefficient investigations. Cortex XDR aims to reduce the number of incidents by grouping related alerts into one incident, based on their causality chains and other attributes.

Palo Alto Networks Certified Detection and Remediation Analyst (PCDRA) Study Guide, page 9

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Documentation, Incident Management Overview2

Cortex XDR: Stop Breaches with AI-Powered Cybersecurity1

Answer : D

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 asadb shell,adb logcat,adb install, andadb 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.Reference:

Cortex XDR documentation portal

Initiate a Live Terminal Session

Live Terminal Commands