CCFA-200 CrowdStrike Certified Falcon Administrator Questions and Answers

Username is not an available filter on the Hosts Management page. The Hosts Management page allows you to view and manage all the hosts in your environment that have Falcon sensors installed. You can filter the hosts by hostname, group, OS version, sensor version, last seen date, health events, detections, and preventions. You can also perform actions such as assigning hosts to groups, updating sensor policies, uninstalling sensors, or isolating hosts1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The Real Time Responder - Read Only Analyst only allows to run the commands "cat,cd,clear,env,eventlog,filehash,getsid,help,history,ipconfig,ls,mount,netstat,ps,reg" the role do not have permission to get files so it is the most aproximated profile for the requested capabilities.

The administrator can reset a user’s password by selecting “Reset Password” from the three dot menu for the affected user account in the User Management page. This will generate a new password and send it to the user’s email address. The other options are either incorrect or not available. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 25.

The Machine Learning Prevention Monitoring report in the Prevention Policy Management option allows you to monitor the impact of machine learning (ML) prevention settings on your environment. You can view the number of ML detections and preventions by severity, policy, and host group. You can also drill down into specific events and hosts to see more details. This report can help you determine the appropriate ML levels to set in a prevention policy based on your risk tolerance and security posture1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The purpose of the Default Sensor Policy is that it acts as a “catch all” policy if no other Sensor Policies are applied. A Sensor Policy is a policy that defines the detection and prevention settings for the Falcon sensor on a host. You can create and assign custom Sensor Policies to different hosts or groups in your environment. However, if a host is not assigned to a specific Sensor Policy, it will inherit the settings from the Default Sensor Policy. The Default Sensor Policy is a “catch-all” policy that is enabled by default and has the “Malware Protection” feature turned on. You can modify the settings of the Default Sensor Policy, but you cannot delete or disable it1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

A sensor that has not contacted the Falcon cloud will be automatically deleted from the hosts list after 90 days. A sensor that has not contacted the Falcon cloud for more than seven days is considered inactive and will be moved from the Host Management page to the Trash page. An inactive sensor will remain in the Trash page for 90 days before being permanently deleted from the Falcon platform. You can restore an inactive sensor from the Trash page if it contacts the Falcon cloud again within 90 days.

References: : [Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike]

When uninstalling a sensor, a maintenance token is required if the ‘Uninstall and maintenance protection’ setting is enabled within the Sensor Update Policies. This setting prevents unauthorized or accidental uninstallation of sensors by requiring a token that can be generated from the Falcon console. The other options are either incorrect or not related to uninstalling a sensor. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 29.

You are usuing RegEx here and need leading ".*" to capture www and then need a ".*" at the end to identify any sites falling under badguydomain.com

The option that best describes what happens to detections in the console after clicking “Disable Detections” for a host from within the Host Management page is that the detections for the host are removed from the console immediately and no new detections will display in the console going forward. The “Disable Detections” feature allows you to enable or disable the detection and prevention capabilities of the Falcon sensor on a specific host. When you disable detections for a host, the sensor will stop sending any detection or prevention events to the Falcon console, and any existing events for that host will be removed from the console. When you enable detections for a host, the sensor will resume sending any new detection or prevention events to the Falcon console, but any previous events for that host will not be restored to the console1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The best way to ensure that a list of 100 hashes that are not malicious but your company has deemed to be inappropriate for work computers are not allowed to run in your environment is to use IOC Management, gather the list of SHA256 or MD5 hashes for each binary and then upload them. Set all hashes to “Block” and ensure that the prevention policy these computers are using includes the option for “Custom Blocking” under Execution Blocking. This will allow Falcon to block the execution of these hashes on the hosts using this policy. The other options are either incorrect or not efficient to achieve this goal. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 44.

OU (organizational unit) is a filter within the Host setup and management > Host management page. The Host management page allows you to view and manage all the hosts in your environment that have Falcon sensors installed. You can filter the hosts by hostname, group, OS version, sensor version, last seen date, health events, detections, and preventions. You can also filter by OU, which is a logical grouping of hosts based on their Active Directory domain structure1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The Real Time Response role that will allow you to see all analyst session details is Real Time Response -Administrator. A Real Time Response -Administrator is a role that has full access and control over the Real Time Response feature in Falcon, which allows you to remotely access and investigate hosts in real time. A Real Time Response -Administrator can view all analyst session details, such as session ID, host name, start and end time, commands executed, and output received. A Real Time Response -Administrator can also create, modify, delete, and assign scripts and commands to other analysts2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

An exclusion is a rule that tells the Falcon platform to ignore certain files, folders, processes, or registry keys when performing prevention or detection actions. An administrator can create an exclusion and apply it to one or more groups of hosts, or to all hosts in the organization. For example, an administrator can create an exclusion for a legitimate application that is causing false positives and apply it to the group of hosts that are running that application.

Once an exclusion is saved, all parts of the exclusion can be changed in the future. The administrator can edit an existing exclusion by selecting it from the Exclusions page and modifying any of its fields, such as pattern, type, option, group or host. The other options are either incorrect or not true of editing exclusions. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 37.

IOC management only allows "Detect only" and "No Action" among the possible actions. Therefore, it cannot be used to block based on IPs or domains. Custom IOA Rule groups allow to create rule types based on Network Connection (configuring a remote IP address) and domains, and gives the options to "Monitor", "Detect" and "Kill Process", being the late one the closest to "block".

The option that best describes what the Uninstall and Maintenance Protection setting controls within your Sensor Update Policy is that it prevents unauthorized uninstallation of the sensor. The Uninstall and Maintenance Protection setting is a feature that adds an extra layer of security to the sensor by requiring a maintenance token to uninstall or update the sensor manually. The maintenance token is a unique code that can be generated by a Falcon Administrator or a Real Time Response -Administrator in the Falcon console. Without a valid maintenance token, the sensor cannot be uninstalled or updated by anyone, including local administrators or malware2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

 In order to exercise manual control over the sensor upgrade process, as well as prevent unauthorized users from uninstalling or upgrading the sensor, the administrator should set the Sensor version to fixed and turn on the Uninstall and maintenance protection setting in the Sensor Update Policy. This will allow the administrator to specify which sensor version will be used by the hosts using this policy, and also require a maintenance token to uninstall or upgrade the sensor. The other options are either incorrect or not sufficient to meet this criteria. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 38.

The maximum number of patterns that can be added when creating a new exclusion is one. Each exclusion can only have one pattern, which can be a file path, a hash, a command line or a user name. The other options are either incorrect or not related to creating exclusions. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 37.

When a Linux host is in Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM), the sensor would provide minimal protection. RFM is a mode that limits the sensor’s functionality due to license expiration, network connectivity loss, or certificate validation failure. When a Linux sensor is in RFM, it will only provide basic prevention capabilities, such as blocking known malware hashes and preventing script execution from the /tmp directory. The sensor will not send any telemetry or detection events to the Falcon platform, and will not receive any policy or update changes from the Falcon cloud1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The Unique Hosts Connecting to Countries Map helps an administrator to visualize global network communication. The map shows the number of unique hosts in your environment that have established network connections to different countries in the past 24 hours. You can use this map to identify unusual or suspicious network activity, such as connections to high-risk countries or regions, or connections from hosts that are not expected to communicate with external entities2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

Turn on the Script-Based Execution Monitoring prevention policy setting to enable the "Falcon sensor to monitor the contents of scripts and shells that are popular mechanisms for executing malicious code on hosts. This setting does not kill or block scripts."

Scripting languages:

Excel 4.0 macros

JScript

VBA Macros

VBScript

The Sensor Visibility setting that should be turned on within the Prevention policy settings to monitor suspicious VBA macros is Script-based Execution Monitoring. Script-based Execution Monitoring is a feature that enables the Falcon sensor to monitor and prevent malicious script execution on Windows systems. The feature uses machine learning and behavioral analysis to detect suspicious scripts or commands executed by various script interpreters, such as PowerShell, WScript, CScript, or Bash. VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is a scripting language that can be embedded in Microsoft Office documents, such as Word or Excel. VBA macros can be used to automate tasks or perform actions within the documents, but they can also be abused by attackers to deliver malware or execute malicious code. Script-based Execution Monitoring can help detect and prevent such attacks by monitoring the contents of VBA macros for execution of malicious content.

References: : [Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike]

A Sensor Update Policy for the Mac platform will only manage Mac operating systems. Sensor Update Policies are platform-specific, meaning that they only apply to hosts that have the same operating system as the policy. For example, a Sensor Update Policy for Windows will only manage Windows hosts, and a Sensor Update Policy for Linux will only manage Linux hosts. You cannot create a Sensor Update Policy that manages multiple operating systems at once2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The administrator can assign a policy to a specific group of hosts by creating a group containing the desired hosts using “Static Assignment.” Then, go to the Assigned Host Groups tab of the desired policy and click “Add groups to policy.” Select the desired Group(s). This will apply the policy to the selected group(s) of hosts. The other options are either incorrect or not applicable to static assignment. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 33.

After agent installation, an agent opens a permanent TLS connection over port 443 and keeps that connection open until the endpoint is turned off or the network connection is terminated. TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a protocol that provides secure and encrypted communication between the agent and the Falcon cloud. Port 443 is the standard port for HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) traffic. The agent uses this connection to send and receive data, commands, policies, and updates from the Falcon cloud2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The option that may prevent a user from logging into Falcon via single sign-on (SSO) is that the SSO username doesn’t match their email address in Falcon. SSO is a feature that allows you to use an external identity provider (IdP) to authenticate and authorize users to access the Falcon platform. SSO simplifies and streamlines the login process, as users only need to remember one set of credentials for multiple applications. However, SSO requires that the username in the IdP matches the email address in Falcon for each user. If there is a mismatch between the username and the email address, the user will not be able to log into Falcon via SSO.

References: : [Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike]

Sensor Update policies need to be configured for each OS (Windows, Mac, Linux) because Sensor Update policies are OS dependent. A Sensor Update policy is a policy that controls how and when the Falcon sensor is updated on a host. Sensor Update policies are specific to each operating system type, as different operating systems have different sensor versions, features, and requirements. Therefore, you need to create and assign separate Sensor Update policies for each operating system type in your environment1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The prevention policy setting that monitors contents of scripts and shells for execution of malicious content on compatible operating systems is Script-based Execution Monitoring. Script-based Execution Monitoring is a feature that enables the Falcon sensor to monitor and prevent malicious script execution on Windows systems. The feature uses machine learning and behavioral analysis to detect suspicious scripts or commands executed by various script interpreters, such as PowerShell, WScript, CScript, or Bash. You can enable or disable Script-based Execution Monitoring in the Prevention Policy for Windows hosts1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The statement that describes what is recommended for the Default Sensor Update policy is that the Default Sensor Update policy should align to an organization’s overall sensor updating practice while leveraging Auto N-1 and Auto N-2 configurations where possible. As explained in question 139, the Default Sensor Update policy is a “catch-all” policy that applies to any host that is not assigned to a specific Sensor Update policy. Therefore, it is recommended that the Default Sensor Update policy should align to your organization’s overall sensor updating practice, such as how frequently and how quickly you want to update your sensors. It is also recommended that you leverage the Auto N-1 and Auto N-2 configurations, which allow you to automatically update your sensors to the latest or second-latest sensor version without requiring manual intervention1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

User permissions are set in Falcon by assigning pre-defined permissions to sets called roles. Users can be assigned multiple roles based on job function and they assume a cumulative set of permissions based on those assignments. Roles are collections of permissions that define what users can see and do in Falcon. Permissions are granular actions that allow users to access specific features or functions in Falcon. For example, a user who is assigned both the Falcon Administrator role and the Falcon Investigator role will have all the permissions from both roles2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The purpose of using groups with Sensor Update policies in CrowdStrike Falcon is to allow the controlled assignment of sensor versions onto specific hosts. This allows users to manage the sensor updates for different hosts based on their needs and preferences, such as testing, staging or production. The other options are either incorrect or not related to using groups with Sensor Update policies. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 38.

The administrator can modify settings to permit certain traffic during a containment period by creating or editing a Containment Policy. This policy allows users to specify which ports, protocols and IP addresses are allowed or blocked during network containment. The other options are either incorrect or not related to network containment. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 40.

The information that the API Audit Trail Report provides is a list of actions taken via Falcon OAuth2-based APIs. The API Audit Trail Report allows you to view and audit the activity and usage of the Falcon APIs by different API clients and users in your organization. You can use this report to monitor who accessed what data, when, and how via the Falcon APIs2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The Logon Activities Report shows a graphical view of user logon activity and the hosts the user connected to, but it only gives a summary of the last logon activity for users. It does not give a detailed list of all logon activity for users, nor can it be filtered by computer name. The other options are either incorrect or not true of the report. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 50.

The Real Time Responder role allows users to use the “Connect to Host” feature to gather additional information from the host, such as running processes, registry keys, files, etc. The other roles do not have this capability. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 18.

The option that controls the speed in which your sensors will receive automatic sensor updates is Sensor Update Throttling. Sensor Update Throttling allows you to limit the number of sensors that can download a new sensor version per hour. This way, you can avoid network congestion or bandwidth issues caused by simultaneous sensor updates. You can configure the Sensor Update Throttling setting in the Sensor Update Policy for each platform1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The statement that is true regarding disabling detections on a host is that hosts with detections disabled will not alert on anything until detections are enabled again. As explained in question 127, disabling detections for a host will stop the sensor from sending any detection or prevention events to the Falcon console, and remove any existing events for that host from the console. This means that the host will not alert on anything, including blocklisted hashes, machine learning detections, or indicator of attack (IOA)-based detections. The host will remain in this state until detections are enabled again1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

According to documentation (documentation/detections/technique/sensor-based-ml-cst0007): CrowdStrike sensor-based machine learning (ML) identifies and analyzes unknown executables as they run on hosts. This technique is triggered by files and file attributes associated with known malware. This is similar to the [Cloud-based ML](/support/documentation/detections/technique/cloud-based-ml) technique. Cloud-based ML is informed by global analysis of executables that classifies and identifies malware. The key difference is that it doesn't run on hosts when they're offline.

The administrator can create a new Response Policy, toggle the “Real Time Response” switch off and assign the policy to the host group that contains the servers that are not allowed to be accessed remotely. This will disable RTR only on those hosts, while keeping it enabled for the rest of the hosts. Editing the Default Response Policy or adding exceptions will not achieve the desired result. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 35.

The place in the console where you can find a list of all hosts in your environment that are in Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) is Host Management > Filter for RFM. The Host Management page allows you to view and manage all hosts in your environment that have Falcon sensors installed. You can use the filter bar to filter hosts by various attributes, such as status, platform, type, or group. You can also filter hosts by health events, such as RFM, which is a mode that limits the sensor’s functionality due to license expiration, network connectivity loss, or certificate validation failure. By filtering for RFM, you can see a list of all hosts that are in this mode1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The option that is true regarding disabling detections for a host is that the detections for that host are removed from the console immediately. No new detections will display in the console going forward unless detections are enabled. This option is essentially a repetition of question 127 and its answer. Disabling detections for a host will remove any existing detections for that host from the console and prevent any new detections from appearing in the console until detections are enabled again1.

References: 1: Falcon Administrator Learning Path | Infographic | CrowdStrike

The name for the unique host identifier in Falcon assigned to each sensor during sensor installation is Agent ID (AID). The AID is a 32-character hexadecimal string that uniquely identifies each sensor and host in the Falcon platform. The other options are either incorrect or not related to the sensor identifier. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 28.

"Disable Detections. This is helpful for users who want to set up hosts to test detections in the Falcon console and who later want to remove those old test detections from the"