SPLK-3001 Splunk Enterprise Security Certified Admin Exam Questions and Answers

According to the Splunk Reference Architecture document1, for ES, Splunk recommends sizing based on 80 to 100 GB ingest per indexer per day. This means an ES deployment with 2 TB daily ingest will require up to 20 indexers. This recommendation is for a non-cloud (on-prem) ES deployment. For a cloud-based ES deployment, the recommended volume of indexing per day, per indexer, is 50 GB2. The other options, 300 GB and 500 MB, are not recommended by Splunk for ES deployments. References =

• Splunk Reference Architecture
• Performance reference for Splunk Enterprise Security

 “10.22.63.159”, “websvr4”, and “00:26:08:18: CF:1D” would be matched against an asset in ES. An asset is a device on a network that can be identified by an IP address, MAC address, DNS name, or other attributes. ES uses an asset and identity system to correlate asset and identity information with events to enrich and provide context to the data1. The asset fields that ES can match include ip, mac, nt_host, dns, and others2. An identity is a user account that can be identified by a username, email address, phone number, or other attributes. An identity is not the same as an asset, although an identity can be associated with an asset1. References =

• Add asset and identity data to Splunk Enterprise Security
• Asset and identity fields in Splunk Enterprise Security

The summariesonly=true option is a macro that modifies a correlation search to search only accelerated data. Accelerated data is the summary data that is generated by the data model acceleration process. Data model acceleration is a feature that speeds up searches and reports that use data models by pre-computing and storing the results of the data model queries. By using the summariesonly=true option, a correlation search can run faster and more efficiently, as it does not need to scan the raw events or the index time field extractions. However, the summariesonly=true option also requires that the data model acceleration is enabled and complete for the data model that the correlation search uses. Otherwise, the correlation search may not return any results or may miss some events that are not accelerated. References =

• Use the summariesonly macro in Splunk Enterprise Security
• Data model acceleration

 The main purpose of the Dashboard Requirements Matrix document is to identify on which data model(s) each dashboard in Splunk Enterprise Security depends. The Dashboard Requirements Matrix document is a web page that lists all the dashboards in Splunk Enterprise Security and the data model datasets that populate them. The data model datasets are linked to the Common Information Model (CIM) documentation, which describes the tags, field names, and field values that the events must use to be CIM-compliant. The Dashboard Requirements Matrix document helps you to determine which data models you need to enable and accelerate for your Splunk Enterprise Security deployment, and which data sources you need to map to the data models using the technology add-ons. References =

• Dashboard requirements matrix for Splunk Enterprise Security
• Data models in the Splunk Common Information Model

 According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, the default ports that must be configured for Splunk Enterprise Security to function are the following:

• SplunkWeb (8000): This port provides the socket for Splunk Web, the web interface for Splunk Enterprise Security. It allows you to access the dashboards, reports, alerts, and other features of Splunk Enterprise Security from your browser. You can change this port in the web.conf file or by using the splunk set web-port command.
• Splunk Management (8089): This port is used to communicate with the splunkd daemon, the main process that runs Splunk Enterprise Security. Splunk Web talks to splunkd on this port, as does the command line interface, and any distributed connections from other servers. This port also provides the REST API endpoint for Splunk Enterprise Security. You can change this port in the server.conf file or by using the splunk set splunkd-port command.
• KV Store (8191): This port is used by the KV Store, a MongoDB-based service that stores key-value pairs of data for Splunk Enterprise Security. The KV Store is used to store and manage data for various features of Splunk Enterprise Security, such as asset and identity correlation, threat intelligence, adaptive response, and investigations. You can change this port in the server.conf file.

Therefore, the correct answer is C. SplunkWeb (8000), Splunk Management (8089), KV Store (8191). References =

• Change default values
• KV Store overview

 This is because ES is a resource-intensive application that requires a dedicated search head with sufficient CPU and memory. Installing ES on the existing search head may cause performance issues and conflicts with other applications. Deleting the non-CIM-compliant apps from the search head is not recommended, as they are mission-critical for the site. Increasing the number of CPUs and amount of memory on the search head may not be enough to handle the load of ES and other applications. Therefore, option B is the most suitable answer. You can find more information about installing ES on this web page1.

 Adaptive response action history is stored in the cim_modactions index. This index contains the events generated by the adaptive response actions that are triggered by correlation searches or run manually from Incident Review. You can use this index to search, audit, and report on the adaptive response actions that have been executed in your environment. You can also view the adaptive response action history on the Adaptive Response dashboard in Enterprise Security1. References =

• Adaptive Response dashboard - Splunk Documentation

Data integrity control is a feature of Splunk Enterprise that helps you verify the integrity of data that it indexes. When you enable data integrity control for an index, Splunk Enterprise computes hashes on every slice of data using the SHA-256 algorithm. It then stores those hashes so that you can verify the integrity of your data later. This feature prevents data tampering and ensures that the data is trustworthy and reliable. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Data integrity control. References = Manage data integrity - Splunk Documentation.

Correlation searches can perform adaptive response actions when they find a pattern in the data. Adaptive response actions are automated or manual responses that you can use to modify your environment based on notable events. For example, you can block an IP address, add a user to a watchlist, or send an email notification. Configuring correlation adaptive responses is part of tuning correlation searches for a new ES installation, as it allows you to customize the actions that are triggered by the correlation searches. You can enable, disable, or modify the adaptive response actions for each correlation search, or create your own custom actions. References =

• Configure correlation searches in Splunk Enterprise Security
• Adaptive Response Framework overview

Splunk Enterprise Security requires a dedicated search head with no other apps installed. This is because ES is a resource-intensive application that may cause performance issues and conflicts with other apps. Installing ES on a search head with other apps may also result in data loss or corruption. Therefore, it is recommended to install ES on a clean search head with only the default built-in apps and the Common Information Model (CIM) app. The CIM app is a prerequisite for ES and provides a common language for describing data across domains and technologies. The other options, B, C, and D, are not correct. Installing ES on a search head with any other apps, including TA-* or CIM-compliant apps, is not supported and may cause problems. References =

• Install Splunk Enterprise Security
• Splunk Enterprise Security Installation and Upgrade Manual

A network anomaly notable is a type of notable event that indicates a possible network attack or misconfiguration. It is generated by the Network - Anomaly Detection - Rule correlation search, which uses the Splunk Stream app to monitor network traffic and detect anomalies based on predefined thresholds. A security analyst who is investigating a network anomaly notable would use the Protocol intelligence dashboard to gain more insight into the network activity and protocols involved in the anomaly. The Protocol intelligence dashboard provides a summary of network traffic by protocol, such as TCP, UDP, ICMP, and others. It also shows the top sources, destinations, ports, and applications for each protocol. The dashboard allows the analyst to filter the data by time range, protocol, source, destination, port, and application. The dashboard also provides drilldown links to other dashboards, such as the Network Resolution dashboard and the Traffic Size Analysis dashboard, for further analysis. Therefore, the correct answer is D. Protocol intelligence dashboard. References =

• Network - Anomaly Detection - Rule
• Protocol intelligence dashboard
• Splunk Stream app

The columns in the Assets lookup that are used to identify an asset in an event are ip, mac, dns, and nt_host. These columns contain the network identifiers of the assets, such as IP address, MAC address, DNS name, and NetBIOS name. Splunk Enterprise Security uses these columns to match the asset fields with the event fields, such as src, dest, dvc, host, and hostname. When a match is found, Splunk Enterprise Security enriches the event with the asset information, such as category, priority, business unit, and location. This allows you to search and analyze events based on the asset attributes and context. References =

• Asset Lookup CSV file
• Asset and identity correlation

Asset & Identity for Splunk Enterprise Security - Part 1 ...

The data models that are used by Splunk Enterprise Security are the ones that are defined and provided by the Common Information Model add-on (Splunk_SA_CIM) and the Enterprise Security-specific data models. The Common Information Model add-on contains 12 data models that cover various domains of security data, such as Web, Authentication, Network Traffic, Change, DLP, Email, Endpoint, Intrusion Detection, Malware, Performance, Ticket Management, and Vulnerabilities1. The Enterprise Security-specific data models are Anomalies, Audit, Business Context, Data Loss Prevention, Identity Management, Risk, Threat Intelligence, and Web Proxy2. Therefore, the data models that are used by ES are Web, Authentication, Network Traffic, and Anomalies, among others. References = 1: Overview of the Splunk Common Information Model - Splunk Documentation - Data models included with the Splunk Common Information Model Add-on. 2: Data models in Splunk Enterprise Security - Splunk Documentation - Enterprise Security-specific data models.

The correct answer is B. Normalize data. The Add-on Builder can configure a new add-on to normalize data by mapping the data fields to the Common Information Model (CIM). The CIM provides a common language for describing data across domains and technologies. Normalizing data enables the data to be used by other Splunk apps, such as Splunk Enterprise Security and Splunk IT Service Intelligence. The Add-on Builder can also configure other features in a new add-on, such as collecting data from various sources, extracting fields from the data, creating alert actions and adaptive response actions, and testing and validating the add-on. However, the Add-on Builder cannot configure an add-on to expire data, summarize data, or translate data. These are not features of the Add-on Builder. References =

• Splunk Add-on Builder
• [Use the Common Information Model in Splunk Web]

 According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, the Create Notable Event adaptive response action is one of the included adaptive response actions that is configured by default for ES. This action allows you to create a notable event from the results of a correlation search or from the details of another notable event. You can customize the title, description, urgency, owner, and other fields of the notable event. The Create Notable Event action is useful for creating alerts or tasks based on specific conditions or criteria. Therefore, the correct answer is A. Create notable event. References = Create Notable Event.

Recommended Actions show a list of Adaptive Responses to an analyst, which are possible actions that can be taken in response to a notable event. Adaptive Response Actions run automatically when a correlation search triggers a notable event, and can perform actions such as sending an email, adding a comment, or modifying a risk score. Recommended Actions are configured in the correlation search editor, while Adaptive Response Actions are configured in the alert actions manager. References =

• Included adaptive response actions with Splunk Enterprise Security
• Set up Adaptive Response actions in Splunk Enterprise Security
• Configure adaptive response actions for a correlation search in Splunk Enterprise Security

 Notable event urgency is calculated by combining the severity set by the correlation search and the priority assigned to the associated asset or identity. The severity is a value that indicates the impact or importance of the event, such as low, medium, high, or critical. The priority is a value that indicates the significance or sensitivity of the asset or identity involved in the event, such as unknown, low, medium, high, or critical. The urgency is a value that indicates the level of attention or action required for the event, such as informational, low, medium, high, or critical. The urgency is determined by using the urgency_lookup, which maps the severity and priority values to the urgency values. For example, if the severity is high and the priority is medium, the urgency is high. If the severity is critical and the priority is critical, the urgency is critical. You can use the urgency field to prioritize the investigation of notable events in Splunk Enterprise Security1. References =

• How urgency is assigned to notable events in Splunk Enterprise Security

According to the Splunk Enterprise Security Admin documentation, the minimum hardware requirements for a dedicated search head running ES are as follows: OS: 64 bit, RAM: 32 GB, CPU: 16 cores. These requirements are based on the assumption that the search head is not performing any other tasks besides running ES. The documentation also recommends having at least 500 GB of disk space for the search head. References = Splunk Enterprise Security Admin documentation

When exporting and importing updates to ES content, you should follow the best practices described in the Splunk Enterprise Security Admin documentation1. One of the best practices is to avoid overwriting existing content on the destination system. To do this, you have two options: either use new app names each time you export content, or always include both existing and new content in each export. This way, you can preserve the original content and avoid conflicts or data loss. The other options, A, B, and C, are not correct. Using new app names each time content is exported is only one of the options, not the only one. Using the .spl extension when naming an export is not a problem, as it is the default extension for Splunk apps. Including only new content for each export is not a good practice, as it may overwrite existing content on the destination system. References =

• Export content from Splunk Enterprise Security as an app

According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, one of the actions that may be necessary before installing ES is to redirect distributed search connections. This action is required if you are installing ES on a search head that is already connected to a distributed search environment, such as a search head cluster or a search head pool. You need to redirect the distributed search connections from the existing search head to a new search head that will run ES. This is because ES requires a dedicated search head that is not shared with other apps or users. You can use the Distributed Configuration Management tool to redirect the distributed search connections and create a Splunk Enterprise Security app for indexers. See Redirect distributed search connections for more details.

The other actions are not necessary before installing ES, but they may be helpful for optimizing the performance and scalability of ES. Purging KV Store can free up some disk space and remove stale data, but it is not required before installing ES. See Purge the KV Store for more information. Adding additional indexers can improve the indexing and searching capacity of ES, but it is not required before installing ES. See Deployment planning for more information. Adding additional forwarders can increase the data ingestion and forwarding capability of ES, but it is not required before installing ES. See Forward data to Splunk Enterprise Security for more information. References =

• Redirect distributed search connections
• Purge the KV Store
• Deployment planning
• Forward data to Splunk Enterprise Security.

Data models are the primary source of data for Enterprise Security dashboards. Data models provide a structured and consistent way of defining and retrieving data from indexes. Data models accelerate searches by using prebuilt summaries of the data. Data models also enable the use of the tstats command, which can perform statistical analysis on the data model summaries. Data models are mapped to the Common Information Model (CIM), which provides a common language for describing data across domains and technologies. References =

• About data models
• Use the Common Information Model in Splunk Web

 ES apps and add-ons from $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps should be copied from the staging instance to the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/shcluster/apps location on the cluster deployer instance. This is the directory where the deployer stores the configuration bundle that it distributes to the search head cluster members. The configuration bundle consists of apps and other configuration files that are not replicated by the cluster. The deployer does not use the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/master-apps/ directory, which is used by the master node in an indexer cluster. The deployer does not use the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/local/ directory, which is used to store local configuration files for the deployer instance itself. The deployer does not use the $SPLUNK_HOME/var/run/searchpeers/ directory, which is used by the search head to store information about the indexer cluster peers. References =

• Use the deployer to distribute apps and configuration updates - Splunk Documentation
• Install Splunk Enterprise Security in a search head cluster environment - Splunk Documentation

The risk framework in Splunk Enterprise Security adds a numeric score to an object (user, server or other type) to indicate increased risk. The numeric score is calculated by summing up the risk scores of all the risk modifiers that are associated with the object. A risk modifier is an event that modifies the risk of an object, such as a malware infection, a failed login, or a suspicious activity. The risk score of a risk modifier is determined by the correlation search that triggers the risk analysis response action, which can be customized or created by the user12. The numeric score of an object reflects its overall risk level and can be used to prioritize investigation and response actions3. References = 1: Risk Analysis framework in Splunk ES - Splunk Documentation - Terminology for the Risk Analysis framework. 2: Risk Analysis framework in Splunk ES - Splunk Documentation - Write a correlation search. 3: About risk-based alerting in Splunk Enterprise Security - Splunk Documentation.

When investigating an incident in Splunk Enterprise Security, the best way to store a newly-found IOC (indicator of compromise) is to click the “Add Artifact” button. This button allows you to add an artifact to the current investigation from any dashboard or search result. An artifact is a piece of machine data that indicates risk, such as an IP address, a domain name, a file hash, or a user name. By adding an artifact to the investigation, you can enrich the context of the incident, track the artifact across multiple data sources, and share the artifact with other analysts. You can also use the artifact to create a threat intelligence indicator, which can be used to detect and alert on future threats12. References = 1: Add artifacts to an investigation - Splunk Documentation. 2: About investigations in Splunk Enterprise Security - Splunk Documentation.

A correlation search is a scheduled search that runs periodically to detect patterns of interest in the data and generate notable events or other actions when the search conditions are met. A correlation search can generate false positives, which are notable events that do not represent a real security incident or threat. False positives can create noise and reduce the efficiency and accuracy of the security analysis. To reduce false positives from a correlation search, you can modify the correlation schedule and sensitivity for your site. The correlation schedule determines how often the correlation search runs and over what time range. The sensitivity determines the threshold or limit for the search conditions to trigger a notable event. By adjusting the correlation schedule and sensitivity, you can fine-tune the correlation search to match your environment and data sources, and avoid generating notable events for normal or benign activities. You can modify the correlation schedule and sensitivity for a correlation search using the Content Management page in Splunk Enterprise Security. References =

• Modify the correlation schedule and sensitivity for your site
• Correlation search overview for Splunk Enterprise Security

Dealing with Security False Positives in Splunk (Enterprise Security ...2

Upping the Auditing Game for Correlation Searches Within ... - Splunk

According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, the first step when preparing to install ES is to determine the size and scope of installation. This involves estimating the amount of data that you plan to ingest, the number of users that will access ES, the number of search heads and indexers that you need, and the hardware requirements for each component. This step helps you plan your deployment architecture and ensure optimal performance and scalability of ES. Therefore, the correct answer is D. Determine the size and scope of installation. References = Deployment planning.