CCFA-200 CrowdStrike Certified Falcon Administrator Questions and Answers

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.

Glob syntax is used to specify exclusion patterns to easily exclude files and folders and extensions from detections. Glob syntax allows you to use wildcards (*) and ranges ([a-z]) to match multiple characters or values in a file path or name. For example, you can use glob syntax to exclude all files with .exe extension in a folder by using C:\Folder*.exe as an exclusion pattern2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The most likely cause for not being able to use Real-Time Response to start a session with a host that has a sensor installed is that they do not have an RTR role assigned to them. An RTR (Real Time Response) role is a role that grants access and permissions to use the Real Time Response feature in Falcon, which allows you to remotely access and investigate hosts in real time. There are three types of RTR roles: Real Time Response -Read-Only Analyst, Real Time Response -Active Responder, and Real Time Response -Administrator. You need to have at least one of these roles assigned to you in order to use Real Time Response2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The reason why you would assign hosts to a static group instead of a dynamic group is that you do not want the group membership to change automatically. A Static Group is a group that requires manual assignment or removal of hosts. A Static Group will not update its membership based on any criteria or filters. This way, you can have more control over which hosts belong to the group and prevent any unwanted changes1.

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

"ProvNoWait=1

The sensor does not abort installation if it can't connect to the CrowdStrike cloud within 20 minutes (10 minutes, in Falcon sensor version 6.21 and earlier). (By default, if the host can't contact our cloud, it will retry the connection for 20 minutes. After that, the host will automatically uninstall its sensor.)"

"ProvWaitTime=3600000

The sensor waits for 1 hour to connect to the CrowdStrike cloud when installing (the default is 20 minutes)."

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

 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 option that best describes the general process for installation of the Falcon Sensor on MacOS is to install the Falcon package, use falconctl to license the sensor, approve the system extension, grant the sensor Full Disk Access. The Falcon package contains the sensor binary and the kernel extension, which can be installed by double-clicking on it or using a command-line tool such as installer. The falconctl tool is a command-line utility that allows you to configure and manage the sensor on MacOS systems. You can use falconctl to license the sensor by providing your Customer ID (CID) and optionally your Sensor Group ID (SGID). After licensing the sensor, you need to approve the system extension in the Security & Privacy settings of your system preferences, which will require a restart. Finally, you need to grant the sensor Full Disk Access in the Privacy settings of your system preferences, which will allow the sensor to monitor and protect your files and folders1.

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

The alignment of a particular prevention policy to one or more host groups can be completed in each policy in the “Assigned Host Groups” tab. This tab allows the administrator to select which host groups will use the policy, as well as view the number of hosts and sensors assigned to each group. The other options are either incorrect or not available. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 34.

When a user initiates a sensor install, the logs can be found in %SYSTEMROOT%\Temp. This folder contains temporary files and folders created by the system or applications, including the sensor installation logs. The sensor installation logs have names that start with CSFalconContainer and end with .log, such as CSFalconContainer-2023-08-31_11-23-21.log. These logs can help you troubleshoot any issues or errors that may occur during the sensor installation process3.

References: 3: How to Become a CrowdStrike Certified Falcon Administrator

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.

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 place where you can find the history of the successes and failures for any Falcon Fusion workflows is the Workflow Execution log. The Workflow Execution log in the Workflow Management option allows you to view the status and results of workflow executions triggered by detection events. You can filter the log by workflow name, status, start and end time, and detection ID. You can also view the details of each execution, including the actions performed, the output received, and any errors encountered. This log can help you troubleshoot potential failures or issues with your workflows1.

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

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 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 most common cause of a Windows Sensor entering Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) is Microsoft updates. RFM occurs when the sensor detects a change in the operating system that requires a reboot to complete. Microsoft updates are one of the common causes of such a change. The other options are either incorrect or not related to RFM. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 30.

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

It is important to know your company’s event data retention limits in the Falcon platform because you will not be able to search event data into the past beyond your retention period. The retention period is the amount of time that event data is stored in the Falcon Cloud, and it may vary depending on your subscription plan and settings. The other options are either incorrect or not related to knowing your retention limits. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 48.

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 purpose of precedence with respect to the Sensor Update policy is that hosts assigned to multiple policies will assume the highest ranked policy in the list (policy with the lowest number). This means that if a host belongs to more than one group that has different Sensor Update policies assigned, it will use the policy that has the highest precedence (lowest number) among them. The other options are either incorrect or not related to precedence. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 38.

to match any number of characters including none while not matching beyond path separators (\ or /) and double asterisks are used to recursively match zero or more directories that fall under the current directory.

When a host is placed in Network Containment, the host machine is unable to send or receive network traffic except to/from the Falcon Cloud and any resources allowlisted in the Containment Policy. This allows users to isolate a host from the network, while still allowing it to communicate with the Falcon Cloud and other essential services. The other options are either incorrect or not true of Network Containment. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 40.

In order to quarantine files on the host, the administrator must enable the Next-Gen Antivirus Prevention sliders and “Quarantine & Security Center Registration” in the prevention policy settings. This will allow Falcon to quarantine malicious files and register them with Windows Security Center. The other options are either incorrect or not sufficient to enable quarantine. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 36.

The best way to export a list of all deletions for a specific Host Name in the last 24 hours is to go to the Investigate module, access the Detection Activity page, use the filters to focus on the appropriate hostname and time, then export the results. This will allow you to download a CSV file that contains information about all the detections that were deleted for that host in that time period. The other options are either incorrect or not related to exporting deletions. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 49.

The Customer ID (CID) is important in which of the following scenarios: when performing the sensor installation process and when setting up API keys. The CID is a unique identifier for your organization that is required for authenticating your sensor installation and communication with the Falcon cloud. You need to provide your CID when installing the Falcon sensor on a host, either by using a command-line parameter or by using the falconctl tool. The CID is also required for setting up API keys, which are used for accessing the Falcon platform programmatically via the Falcon APIs. You need to provide your CID when creating an API client and key in the API Clients and Keys page in the Falcon console.

References: : [Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike]

The Default Sensor Update policy is a “catch-all” policy. This means that any host that is not assigned to a specific sensor update policy will inherit the settings from the Default Sensor Update policy. The Default Sensor Update policy is enabled by default and has the “Uninstall and maintenance protection” feature turned on. You can modify the settings of the Default Sensor Update policy, but you cannot delete or disable it2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

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 No Action option can be assigned to a hash in IOC Management when you want to save the indicator for later action, but do not want to block or allow it at this time. This option will neither detect nor prevent the execution of the hash, but will keep it in the IOC list for future reference. The other options are either incorrect or not related to the No Action option. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 44.

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.

The goal of a Network Containment Policy is to limit the impact of a compromised host on the network. This policy allows users to isolate a host from the network, while still allowing it to communicate with the Falcon Cloud and other essential services. This can help prevent further damage or data exfiltration from a compromised host. The other options are either incorrect or not related to the policy. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 40.

The option that is not an available action for an API Client is Retrieve an API Client Secret. An API Client is an entity that represents a user or application that can access the Falcon platform programmatically via the Falcon APIs. An API Client has an API Client ID and an API Client Secret, which are used for authenticating and authorizing API requests. You can create and manage API Clients in the API Clients and Keys page in the Falcon console. The available actions for an API Client are Edit an API Client, Reset an API Client Secret, and Delete an API Client. You cannot retrieve an API Client Secret after it has been created, as it is only displayed once during creation for security reasons2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

A workflow condition consists of a parameter, an operator, and a value. A workflow condition is a rule that defines when a workflow should be triggered based on certain criteria or filters. A parameter is a variable or attribute that can be used to filter or match detection events, such as severity, tactic, or host group. An operator is a symbol or word that specifies how to compare or evaluate the parameter and the value, such as equals, contains, or greater than. A value is a constant or expression that provides the expected or desired result for the parameter, such as high, credential dumping, or default group1.

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

The report that can be used to determine if Script Based Execution Monitoring (SBEM) is not enabled on a Falcon host due to an old prevention policy is Prevention Policy Debug. The Prevention Policy Debug report allows you to view and compare the prevention policy settings applied to each host in your environment. You can use this report to identify any hosts that have outdated or inconsistent prevention policy settings, such as SBEM, which is a feature that monitors and prevents malicious script execution on Windows systems1.

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

When performing targeted filtering for a host on the Host Management Page, the filter bar attribute that is not case-sensitive is Hostname. The Hostname attribute allows you to filter hosts by their computer name or DNS name. The Hostname filter is not case-sensitive, meaning that it will match hosts regardless of the capitalization of their names. For example, filtering by hostname=DESKTOP-1234 will match hosts with names such as DESKTOP-1234, desktop-1234, or Desktop-12342.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The option that uses regex to create a detection or take a preventative action is Custom IOA. A Custom IOA (indicator of attack) allows you to define custom rules for detecting or preventing suspicious behavior based on process execution, file write, network connection, or registry events. You can use regex syntax to create a Custom IOA rule that matches the event data that you want to monitor or block1.

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

The filter that could be used to quickly identify all devices categorized as a “Workstation” by the Falcon Platform on the Host Management page is Type. The Type filter allows you to filter hosts by their device type, such as workstation, server, or domain controller. The device type is assigned to each host based on their Active Directory domain structure. You can use the Type filter to quickly identify all hosts that have the workstation type assigned in their domain2.

References: 2: Cybersecurity Resources | CrowdStrike

The reporting interval is predefined and cannot be changed. You can only enable/disable the custom alert feature and add/remove recipient email client for the alert/detection.

The administrator can assign a Prevention policy to one or more hosts by ensuring the hosts are in a group and assigning that group to a custom Prevention policy. This allows users to apply different prevention settings and options to different groups of hosts based on their needs and preferences. The other options are either incorrect or not applicable to assigning a Prevention policy. Reference: [CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide], page 34.

When creating new IOCs in IOC management, the administrator must configure the Hash, Platform and Action fields. The Hash field is the value of the IOC, such as MD5, SHA1 or SHA256. The Platform field is the operating system that the IOC applies to, such as Windows, Linux or Mac. The Action field is the action that Falcon will take when detecting the IOC, such as Detect, Block or Allow. The other fields are either optional or not available. Reference: CrowdStrike Falcon User Guide, page 44

Checked in console, it returns only the last machine where the user logged on, so it will not return all the machines that the user was logged on in the desired search

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.