PCCET Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician Questions and Answers

● Reduce the attack surface: Best-of-breed technologies that are natively integrated provide a prevention architecture that inherently reduces the attack surface. This type of architecture allows organizations to exert positive control based on applications, users, and content, with support for open communication, orchestration, and visibility.

● Prevent all known threats, fast: A coordinated security platform accounts for the full scope of an attack across the various security controls that compose the security posture, thus enabling organizations to quickly identify and block known threats.

● Detect and prevent new, unknown threats with automation: Security that simply detects

threats and requires a manual response is too little, too late. Automated creation and

delivery of near-real-time protections against new threats to the various security solutions in the organization’s environments enable dynamic policy updates. These updates are

designed to allow enterprises to scale defenses with technology, rather than people.

Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data that can be used to identify someone.  All information that directly or indirectly links to a person is considered PII 1 . Among PII, some pieces of information are more sensitive than others.  Sensitive PII is sensitive information that directly identifies an individual and could cause significant harm if leaked or stolen 2 .  Birthplace and name are examples of sensitive PII, as they can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other information 3 . Login 10 and profession are not considered sensitive PII, as they are not unique to a person and do not reveal their identity.  Login 10 is a non-sensitive PII that is easily accessible from public sources, while profession is not a PII at all, as it does not link to a specific individual 4 .  References :

1 : What is PII (personally identifiable information)? - Cloudflare

2 : What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? | IBM

3 : personally identifiable information - Glossary | CSRC

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

2G/2.5G: 2G connectivity remains a prevalent and viable IoT connectivity option due

to the low cost of 2G modules, relatively long battery life, and large installed base of

2G sensors and M2M applications.

○ 3G: IoT devices with 3G modules use either Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

(W-CDMA) or Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+ and Advanced HSPA+) to

achieve data transfer rates of 384Kbps to 168Mbps.

○ 4G/Long-Term Evolution (LTE): 4G/LTE networks enable real-time IoT use cases, such

as autonomous vehicles, with 4G LTE Advanced Pro delivering speeds in excess of

3Gbps and less than 2 milliseconds of latency.

○ 5G: 5G cellular technology provides significant enhancements compared to 4G/LTE

networks and is backed by ultra-low latency, massive connectivity and scalability for

IoT devices, more efficient use of the licensed spectrum, and network slicing for

application traffic prioritization.

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 choices 1 2 3   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

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

Local organization security policies are the rules and guidelines that define how a SaaS application can be used by the employees, contractors, and partners of an organization. These policies cover aspects such as authentication, authorization, data access, data protection, data sharing, and compliance.  Local organization security policies aim to ensure that the SaaS application is used in a secure, ethical, and legal manner, and that the organization’s data and assets are not compromised or misused 1 2 3 .  References :

Securing SaaS tools for your organisation - GOV.UK

SaaS Security: A Complete Best Practices Guide - BetterCloud

Security policy document examples for B2B SaaS apps

An evil twin is a type of Wi-Fi attack that involves setting up a fake malicious Wi-Fi hotspot with the same name as a legitimate network to trick users into connecting to it. The attacker can then intercept the user’s data, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal information. The victim initiates the connection by choosing the fake network from the list of available Wi-Fi networks, thinking it is the real one. The attacker can also use a deauthentication attack to disconnect the user from the legitimate network and force them to reconnect to the fake one.  References :

Types of Wi-Fi Attacks You Need to Guard Your Business Against - TechGenix

Types of Wireless and Mobile Device Attacks - GeeksforGeeks

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

What are Wi-Fi Attacks & How to Fight - Tech Resider

The diagram displays a mesh topology, where each device is connected to every other device in the network. This topology is characterized by the multiple connections each node has, ensuring there is no single point of failure and providing redundant paths for data transmission, enhancing the reliability and resilience of the network.  Mesh topology is one of the types of LAN technology that uses ethernet or Wi-Fi to connect devices 1 2 .  References :

What Is Local Area Network (LAN)? Definition, Types, Architecture, and Best Practices  from Spiceworks

Types of LAN | Introduction and Classification of LAN  from EDUCBA

Ensuring that your cloud resources and SaaS applications are correctly configured and adhere to your organization’s security standards from day one is essential to prevent successful attacks. Also, making sure that these applications, and the data they collect and store, are properly protected and compliant is critical to avoid costly fines, a tarnished image, and loss of customer trust. Meeting security standards and maintaining compliant environments at scale, and across SaaS applications, is the new expectation for security teams.

Cortex XDR is an endpoint tool or agent that can enact behavior-based protection. Behavior-based protection is a method of detecting and blocking malicious activities based on the actions or potential actions of an object, such as a file, a process, or a network connection. Behavior-based protection can identify and stop threats that are unknown or evade traditional signature-based detection, by analyzing the object’s behavior for suspicious or abnormal patterns. Cortex XDR is a comprehensive solution that provides behavior-based protection for endpoints, networks, and cloud environments. Cortex XDR uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to continuously monitor and analyze data from multiple sources, such as logs, events, alerts, and telemetry. Cortex XDR can detect and prevent advanced attacks, such as ransomware, fileless malware, zero-day exploits, and lateral movement, by applying behavioral blocking and containment rules. Cortex XDR can also perform root cause analysis, threat hunting, and incident response, to help organizations reduce the impact and duration of security incidents.  References :

Cortex XDR - Palo Alto Networks

Behavioral blocking and containment | Microsoft Learn

Behaviour Based Endpoint Protection | Signature-Based Security - Xcitium

The 12 Best Endpoint Security Software Solutions and Tools [2024]

" Remember that a trust zone is not intended to be a “pocket of trust” where systems (and therefore threats) within the zone can communicate freely and directly with each other. For a full Zero Trust implementation, the network would be configured to ensure that all communications traffic, including traffic between devices in the same zone, is intermediated by the corresponding Zero Trust Segmentation Platform. "

In cloud computing, there are three main service models: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Each model defines the level of responsibility and control that the cloud provider and the cloud customer have over the cloud resources and services. The cloud provider is responsible for vulnerability and patch management of the underlying operating system in SaaS and PaaS models, while the cloud customer is responsible for it in IaaS model. In SaaS, the cloud provider delivers software applications over the internet and manages all aspects of the cloud infrastructure, platform, and application. The cloud customer only needs to access the software through a web browser or an API. In PaaS, the cloud provider offers a platform for developing, testing, and deploying applications and manages the cloud infrastructure and operating system. The cloud customer can use the platform tools and services to create and run their own applications. In IaaS, the cloud provider supplies the basic cloud infrastructure, such as servers, storage, and networking, and the cloud customer can provision and configure their own operating system, middleware, and applications.  References :  Cloud Computing Service Models ,  Cloud Security Fundamentals - Module 2: Cloud Computing Models ,  Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET)

A directory service is a database that contains information about users, resources, and services in a network.

A Jasager attack is a type of wireless man-in-the-middle attack that exploits the way mobile devices search for known wireless networks. A Jasager device will respond to any beacon request from a mobile device by saying “Yes, I’m here”, pretending to be one of the preferred networks. This way, the Jasager device can trick the mobile device into connecting to it, without the user’s knowledge or consent. The Jasager device can then intercept, modify, or redirect the traffic of the victim. For this attack to work, the attacker needs to be within close proximity of the victim, and the victim must have at least one known network in their preferred list. The victim does not need to manually choose the attacker’s access point, nor does the attacker try to get victims to connect at random. References: Wireless Man in the Middle - Palo Alto Networks, Man-in-the-middle attacks with malicious & rogue Wi-Fi access points - Privacy Guides

● Type 1 (native or bare metal). Runs directly on the host computer’s hardware

● Type 2 (hosted). Runs within an operating system environment

Identity and access management (IAM) is a software service or framework that allows organizations to define user or group identities within software environments, then associate permissions with them. The identities and permissions are usually spelled out in a text file, which is referred to as an IAM policy.

DevSecOps takes the concept behind DevOps that developers and IT teams should work together closely, instead of separately, throughout software delivery and extends it to include security and integrate automated checks into the full CI/CD pipeline. The integration of the CI/CD pipeline takes care of the problem of security seeming like an outside force and instead allows developers to maintain their usual speed without compromising data security

Cortex XDR is an endpoint product from Palo Alto Networks that can help with SOC visibility by allowing you to rapidly detect and respond to threats across your networks, endpoints, and clouds. It assists SOC analysts by allowing them to view all the alerts from all Palo Alto Networks products in one place, and to perform root cause analysis and automated response actions.  Cortex XDR also integrates with other Palo Alto Networks products, such as WildFire, AutoFocus, and Cortex Data Lake, to provide comprehensive threat intelligence and data enrichment 1 2 .  References :

SOC Services - Palo Alto Networks

Endpoint Protection - Palo Alto Networks

Security Operations | Palo Alto Networks

Cortex - Palo Alto Networks

Local systems can eliminate vulnerabilities by patching systems and software effectively and continuously. Patching is the process of applying updates or fixes to software or hardware components that have known vulnerabilities or bugs. Patching can prevent attackers from exploiting these vulnerabilities and compromising the security or functionality of the systems. Patching should be done regularly and promptly, as new vulnerabilities are constantly discovered and exploited by cybercriminals. Patching should also be done effectively, meaning that the patches are tested and verified before deployment, and that they do not introduce new vulnerabilities or issues. Patching should also be done continuously, meaning that the systems are monitored for new vulnerabilities and patches are applied as soon as they are available. Continuous patching can reduce the window of opportunity for attackers to exploit unpatched vulnerabilities and cause damage or data breaches. References:

• 1: What is Patch Management? | Palo Alto Networks

• 2: Patch Management Best Practices: How to Keep Your Systems Secure | Snyk

• 3: Vulnerability Remediation Process - 4 Steps to Remediation | Snyk

Wireshark is a network analysis tool that can capture packets from various network interfaces and protocols. It can display the captured packets in a human-readable format, as well as filter, analyze, and export them.  Wireshark is widely used for network troubleshooting, security testing, and education purposes 1 2 .  References :  Wireshark · Go Deep ,  How to Use Wireshark to Capture, Filter and Inspect Packets ,  Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician

 Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR is an extended detection and response platform that provides endpoint protection, threat detection, and incident response capabilities.  When an endpoint is asked to run an executable, Cortex XDR does the following steps 1 :

First, it sends the executable to WildFire, a cloud-based malware analysis and prevention service, to determine if it is malicious or benign.  WildFire uses static and dynamic analysis, machine learning, and threat intelligence to analyze the executable and provide a verdict in seconds 2 .

Next, it checks the execution policy, which is a set of rules that define what actions are allowed or blocked on the endpoint.  The execution policy can be configured by the administrator to enforce granular control over the endpoint behavior 3 .

Then, it runs a static analysis, which is a technique that examines the executable without executing it.  Static analysis can identify malicious indicators, such as file signatures, hashes, strings, and embedded resources 4 .

Finally, it runs a dynamic analysis, which is a technique that executes the executable in a sandboxed environment and monitors its behavior.  Dynamic analysis can detect malicious activities, such as network connections, registry changes, file modifications, and process injections 4 .

References :

Cortex XDR Endpoint Protection Overview

WildFire Overview

[Execution Policy]

[Static and Dynamic Analysis]

Playbooks are collections of workflows that automate and orchestrate tasks, alerts, and responses to incidents. Playbooks are triggered by rules or incidents and can coordinate across technologies, security teams, and external users for centralized data visibility and action. Playbooks can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of security operations by reducing manual work, streamlining processes, and enhancing collaboration.  References :  What Is SOAR? - Palo Alto Networks ,  What Is SOAR? Technology and Solutions | Microsoft Security ,  How SecOps can help solve these 6 key MSSP conundrums - Google Cloud

Software patches are updates that fix bugs, vulnerabilities, or performance issues in applications. Applying software patches regularly is one of the best practices to secure applications against exploits, as it prevents attackers from taking advantage of known flaws in the software. Software patches can also improve the functionality and compatibility of applications, as well as address any security gaps that may arise from changes in the operating system or other software components. Endpoint security solutions, such as Cortex XDR, can help organizations automate and streamline the patch management process, ensuring that all endpoints are up to date and protected from exploits.  References :

Endpoint Protection - Palo Alto Networks

Endpoint Security - Palo Alto Networks

Patch Management - Palo Alto Networks

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

North-south refers to data packets that move in and out of the virtualized environment from the host network or a corresponding traditional data center. North-south traffic is secured by one or more physical form factor perimeter edge firewalls.

A perimeter-based network security strategy relies on firewalls, routers, and other devices to create a boundary between the internal network and the external network. This strategy assumes that every internal endpoint can be trusted, and that any threat comes from outside the network. However, this assumption is flawed, as internal endpoints can also be compromised by malware, phishing, insider attacks, or other methods. Once an attacker gains access to an internal endpoint, they can use it to move laterally within the network, bypassing the perimeter defenses. Therefore, a perimeter-based network security strategy is not sufficient to protect an organization’s endpoint systems, and a more comprehensive approach, such as Zero Trust, is needed.  References :

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

Traditional perimeter-based network defense is obsolete—transform to a Zero Trust model

What is Network Perimeter Security? Definition and Components | Acalvio

Elastic scalability is the feature of the VM-Series firewalls that allows them to fully integrate into the DevOps workflows and CI/CD pipelines without slowing the pace of business. Elastic scalability means that the VM-Series firewalls can automatically adjust their capacity and performance based on the changing demand and workload of the applications they protect. This enables the VM-Series firewalls to provide consistent and optimal security across multiple cloud environments, while also reducing operational costs and complexity. Elastic scalability also allows the VM-Series firewalls to seamlessly integrate with automation and orchestration tools, such as Terraform, Ansible, and AWS CloudFormation, that are commonly used in DevOps processes. This way, the VM-Series firewalls can be deployed and managed as part of the application development lifecycle and CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that security is always aligned with the business needs and objectives.  References :  VM-Series Virtual Next-Generation Firewall - Palo Alto Networks ,  Securing Multi-Cloud Environments with VM-Series Virtual Firewalls ,  Terraform Modules for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series on AWS .

page 211 " Consolidating servers within trust levels: Organizations often consolidate servers within the same trust level into a single virtual computing environment: ... ... ... This virtual systems capability enables a single physical device to be used to simultaneously meet the unique requirements of multiple VMs or groups of VMs. Control and protection of inter-host traffic with physical network security appliances that are properly positioned and configured is the primary security focus. "

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

Prisma Cloud comprises four pillars:

● Visibility, governance, and compliance. Gain deep visibility into the security posture of

multicloud environments. Track everything that gets deployed with an automated asset

inventory, and maintain compliance with out-of-the-box governance policies that

enforce good behavior across your environments.

● Compute security. Secure hosts, containers, and serverless workloads throughout the

application lifecycle. Detect and prevent risks by integrating vulnerability intelligence into

your integrated development environment (IDE), software configuration management

(SCM), and CI/CD workflows. Enforce machine learning-based runtime protection to

protect applications and workloads in real time.

● Network protection. Continuously monitor network activity for anomalous behavior,

enforce microservice-aware micro-segmentation, and implement industry-leading

firewall protection. Protect the network perimeter and the connectivity between

containers and hosts.

● Identity security. Monitor and leverage user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) across

your environments to detect and block malicious actions. Gain visibility into and enforce

governance p

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.

References :

IP Subnet Calculator

Subnet Calculator - IP and CIDR

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

A botnet is a network of computers or devices that are infected by malware and controlled by a malicious actor, known as the botmaster or bot-herder. The botmaster uses a command and control (C2) server or channel to send instructions to the bots and receive information from them. The C2 communication is essential for the botmaster to maintain control over the botnet and use it for various malicious purposes, such as launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, stealing data, sending spam, or mining cryptocurrency. Therefore, the key to “taking down” a botnet is to prevent the bots from communicating with the C2 server or channel. This can be done by disrupting, blocking, or hijacking the C2 communication, which can render the botnet ineffective, unstable, or inaccessible. For example, security researchers or law enforcement agencies can use techniques such as sinkholing, domain name system (DNS) poisoning, or domain seizure to redirect the bot traffic to a benign server or a dead end, cutting off the connection between the bots and the botmaster. Alternatively, they can use techniques such as reverse engineering, decryption, or impersonation to infiltrate the C2 server or channel and take over the botnet, either to disable it, monitor it, or use it for good purposes.  References :

What is a Botnet? - Palo Alto Networks

Botnet Detection and Prevention Techniques | A Quick Guide - XenonStack

Botnet Mitigation: How to Prevent Botnet Attacks in 2024 - DataDome

What is a Botnet? Definition and Prevention | Varonis

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)

Selective network security virtualization: Intra-host communications and live migrations are architected at this phase. All intra-host communication paths are strictly controlled to ensure that traffic between VMs at different trust levels is intermediated either by an on-box, virtual security appliance or by an off-box, physical security appliance.

The URL Filtering service complements App-ID by enabling you to configure the next-generation firewall to identify and control access to websites and to protect your organization from websites that host malware and phishing pages.

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]

A SASE solution converges networking and security services into one unified, cloud-delivered solution (see Figure 3-12) that includes the following:

● Networking

○ Software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WANs)

○ Virtual private networks (VPNs)

○ Zero Trust network access (ZTNA)

○ Quality of Service (QoS)

● Security

○ Firewall as a service (FWaaS)

○ Domain Name System (DNS) security

○ Threat prevention

○ Secure web gateway (SWG)

○ Data loss prevention (DLP)

○ Cloud access security broker (CASB)

 An exploit is a type of malware that takes advantage of a vulnerability on an endpoint or server to execute malicious code, gain unauthorized access, or perform other malicious actions.  Exploits can be categorized into known and unknown (i.e., zero-day) exploits, depending on whether the vulnerability is publicly disclosed or not 1 2 .  Exploits can target various types of software, such as operating systems, browsers, applications, or network devices 3 .  References :  Malware vs. Exploits ,  Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities ,  12 Types of Malware + Examples That You Should Know ,  Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician

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 are 1 2 3 :

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

 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

IDSs and IPSs also can be classified as knowledge-based (or signature-based) or behavior-based (or statistical anomaly-based) systems:

● 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