INTRODUCTION – Introduction to Cybersecurity Tools
This program is going to take you right into the full spectrum of industry-leading Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools that are required for securing your business operations. It is hands-on and gives you the skills that a security professional would use in real time. The course is based entirely on how an entry-level security analyst primarily incorporates SIEM dashboards into his/her daily work. Comprehensively, this course is going to develop theoretical concepts and, of course, practice, and this is something that anyone looking to succeed in an ever-changing cybersecurity field would find invaluable.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify and define some of the most common Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools.
- Explain how SIEM tools may be beneficial in helping protect business operations.
- Describe how entry-level security analysts use SIEM dashboards in their daily actions.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: SECURITY INFORMATION AND EVENT MANAGEMENT (SIEM) DASHBOARDS
1. Which log source records events related to websites, emails, and file shares, as well as password and username requests?
- Server (CORRECT)
- Receiving
- Network
- Firewall
Server log files are event related to web pages, emails, and file shares. They would include login attempt actions and requests for username and password among other similar services. These collect data whereby continuous utilization can be documented or representative to make monitoring or troubleshooting much easier.
2. Fill in the blank: A security information and _____ management (SIEM) tool is an application that collects and analyzes log data to monitor critical activities in an organization.
- emergency
- event (CORRECT)
- efficiency
- employee
A SIEM, which stands for security information and event management, is an application that collects, analyzes, and monitors log data to track critical activities within the organization. The SIEM will index non-relevant and filter, making it less manual inspection of data by the security professional and much more effective and efficient.
3. A security professional evaluates a software application by reviewing key technical attributes including response time, availability, and failure rate. What are they using to assess performance?
- Cloud tools
- Metrics (CORRECT)
- Models
- Index standards
Use metrics, which are some key technical characteristics respond time, availability, and failure rate, to measure the performance of an application software. These metrics can be customized in SIEM dashboards for the benefits of security professionals to view real-time health and performance of systems under their care.
4. Fill in the blank: SIEM tools must be configured and _____ to meet each organization’s unique security needs.
- customized (CORRECT)
- centralized
- reviewed
- indexed
SIEM tools shall configure in accordance with every organization’s security requirements and customize such tools such that it becomes effective in monitoring, detecting, as well as responding to posible threats while emphasizing the environment and risk specific to the organization.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: IDENTIFY THREATS AND VULNERABILITIES WITH SIEM TOOLS
1. A security team wants some of its services to be hosted on the internet instead of local devices. However, they also need to maintain physical control over certain confidential data. What type of SIEM solution should they select?
- Hybrid (CORRECT)
- Self-hosted
- Cloud-hosted
- Remote
A hybrid strategy is to be employed in a case such as this. The hybrid solution refers to a combination of self hosted and cloud hosted SIEM tools which organizations can have, utilizing in addition to their capability the economy and flexibility of cloud resources on the other hand maintain their primary control over highly confidential or sensitive data.
2. Security information and event management (SIEM) tools provide dashboards that help cybersecurity professionals organize and focus their security efforts.
- True (CORRECT)
- False
The SIEM tool provides dashboards that can be used by cybersecurity experts to plan and supervise their security activities. These dashboards allow the analyst to mitigate risks in real time through rapid identification, analysis, and remediation of critical issues.
3. Fill in the blank: A _____ SIEM tool is specifically designed to take advantage of cloud computing capabilities including availability, flexibility, and scalability.
- cloud-infrastructure
- cloud-local
- cloud-native (CORRECT)
- cloud-hardware
Rather, you can say that this kind of a cloud-native SIEM tool, say Chronicle, is specifically designed by leveraging the advantages of the benefits that cloud computing has to offer, which would be high availability, flexibility, and scalability-aspects that help organizations monitor, as well as respond, in real times to the incidents.
4. What are the different types of SIEM tools? Select three answers.
- Self-hosted (CORRECT)
- Cloud-hosted (CORRECT)
- Hybrid (CORRECT)
- Physical
Feedback: Based on the deployment type, there are three types of SIEM tools: self-hosted, cloud-hosted, and hybrid. Self-hosted systems are installed and managed by the organization itself, while cloud-hosted tools are deployed and managed on the cloud. Finally, hybrid solutions allow organizations to opt for either self-hosted or cloud-hosted tools, depending on the need for flexibility and scalability with regard to control over critical data.
MODULE 3 CHALLENGE
1. Which of the following statements correctly describe logs? Select three answers.
- A network log is a record of all computers and devices that enter and leave a network. (CORRECT)
- A log is a record of events that occur within an organization’s systems and networks. (CORRECT)
- Events related to websites, emails, or file shares are recorded in a server log. (CORRECT)
- Actions such as using a username or password are recorded in a firewall log.
Correct
2. What are some of the key benefits of SIEM tools? Select three answers.
- Monitor critical activities in an organization (CORRECT)
- Provide visibility (CORRECT)
- Store all log data in a centralized location (CORRECT)
- Automatic updates customized to new threats and vulnerabilities
Correct
3. Fill in the blank: Software application _____ are technical attributes, such as response time, availability, and failure rate.
- logs
- SIEM tools
- metrics (CORRECT) dashboards
Correct
4. A security team chooses to implement a SIEM tool that will be managed and maintained by the organization’s IT department, rather than a third-party vendor. What type of tool are they using?
- Cloud-hosted
- Hybrid
- Department-hosted
- Self-hosted (CORRECT)
Correct
5. You are a security professional, and you want a SIEM tool that will require both on-site infrastructure and internet-based solutions. What type of tool do you choose?
- Hybrid (CORRECT)
- Self-hosted
- Component-hosted
- Cloud-hosted
Correct
6. Fill in the blank: SIEM tools are used to search, analyze, and _____ an organization’s log data to provide security information and alerts in real-time.
- retain (CORRECT)
- release
- modify
- separate
Correct
7. Which tool provides a comprehensive, visual summary of security-related data, including metrics?
- SIEM (CORRECT)
- network protocol analyzer (packet sniffer)
- Playbook
- Command-line interface
Correct
8. Fill in the blank: _____ tools are often free to use.
- Open-source (CORRECT)
- Command-line
- Proprietary
- Cloud-hosted
Correct
9. What are some of the key benefits of SIEM tools? Select three answers.
- Provide event monitoring and analysis (CORRECT)
- Eliminate the need for manual review of logs
- Collect log data from different sources (CORRECT)
- Save time (CORRECT)
Correct
10. Fill in the blank: A security professional creates a dashboard that displays technical attributes about business operations called ______, such as incoming and outgoing network traffic.
- metrics (CORRECT)
- averages
- logs
- SIEM tools
Correct
11. A security team installs a SIEM tool within their company’s own infrastructure to keep private data on internal servers. What type of tool are they using?
- Self-hosted (CORRECT)
- Cloud-hosted
- Infrastructure-hosted
- Hybrid
Correct
12. You are a security analyst, and you want a security solution that will be fully maintained and managed by your SIEM tool provider. What type of tool do you choose?
- Solution-hosted
- Cloud-hosted (CORRECT)
- Hybrid
- Self-hosted
Correct
13. Fill in the blank: _____ are used to retain, analyze, and search an organization’s log data to provide security information and alerts in real-time.
- network protocol analyzers (packet sniffers)
- SIEM tools (CORRECT)
- Playbooks
- Operating systems
Correct
14. Which of the following statements correctly describes logs? Select three answers.
- Actions such as login requests are recorded in a server log. (CORRECT)
- Security teams monitor logs to identify vulnerabilities and potential data breaches. (CORRECT)
- Outbound requests to the internet from within a network are recorded in a firewall log. (CORRECT)
- Connections between devices and services on a network are recorded in a firewall log.
Correct
15. What are some of the key benefits of SIEM tools? Select three answers.
- Increase efficiency (CORRECT)
- Deliver automated alerts (CORRECT)
- Minimize the number of logs to be manually reviewed (CORRECT)
- Automatic customization to changing security needs
Correct
16. A security team chooses to implement a SIEM tool that they will install, operate, and maintain using their own physical infrastructure. What type of tool are they using?
- Self-hosted (CORRECT)
- Log-hosted
- Cloud-hosted
- Hybrid
Correct
17. You are a security professional, and you want to save time by using a SIEM tool that will be managed by a provider and only be accessible through the internet. What type of tool do you choose?
- Hybrid
- Self-hosted
- IT-hosted
- Cloud-hosted (CORRECT)
Correct
18. A security analyst receives an alert about hundreds of login attempts from unusual geographic locations within the last few minutes. What can the analyst use to review a timeline of the login attempts, locations, and time of activity?
- A network protocol analyzer (packet sniffer)
- A SIEM tool dashboard (CORRECT)
- An operating system
- A playbook
Correct
19. Fill in the blank: The wide exposure and immediate access to the source code of open-source tools makes it _____ likely that issues will occur.
- less (CORRECT)
- equally
- more
- very
Correct
20. Which of the following statements Correctly describe logs? Select three answers.
- Actions such as username requests are recorded in a network log.
- SIEM tools rely on logs to monitor systems and detect security threats. (CORRECT)
- A record of events related to employee logins and username requests is part of a server log. (CORRECT)
- A record of connections between devices and services on a network is part of a network log. (CORRECT)
Correct
21. After receiving an alert about a suspicious login attempt, a security analyst can access their _____ to gather information about the alert.
- network protocol analyzer (packet sniffer)
- playbook
- internal infrastructure
- SIEM tool dashboard (CORRECT)
Correct
22. Which type of tool typically requires users to pay for usage?
- Open-source
- Cloud native
- Self-hosted
- Proprietary (CORRECT)
Correct