Pass the VMware VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard Skills 2023 5V0-93.22 Questions and answers with CertsForce

The action that an administrator should take to ensure application.exe cannot run is to remove the Permissions rule for C:\Program Files\IT\Tools*. This is because the Permissions rule has a higher priority than the Blocking and Isolation rule, and it allows any operation on any file in that path, including application.exe. By removing the Permissions rule, the Blocking and Isolation rule will apply and terminate application.exe based on its SUSPECT_MALWARE reputation. The other options are incorrect because they will not prevent application.exe from running. Option A is incorrect because changing the reputation to KNOWN MALWARE will not override the Permissions rule that allows any operation on the file. Option B is incorrect because the file will not be blocked based on reputation alone, as the Permissions rule will bypass the reputation check. Option D is incorrect because adding the hash to the company banned list will not override the Permissions rule that allows any operation on the file. References: Precedence of Policy Rules, Set Permission Policy Rules, Set Blocking and Isolation Policy Rules

The tool that the security administrator is using to remediate a security vulnerability that may affect the sensors is Live Response. Live Response is a feature of VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard that allows the administrator to perform remote investigations, contain ongoing attacks, and remediate threats using a command line interface. Live Response enables the administrator to interact with the sensors and access the endpoints in real time, using various commands and scripts. Live Response can also be used to upload or download files, execute processes, terminate processes, delete files, and more12.

The other tools are not relevant or applicable for this scenario. CBLauncher is a tool that allows the administrator to launch applications on the endpoint without triggering policy rules or alerts. CBLauncher is useful for troubleshooting application compatibility issues or testing new applications, but it does not provide interaction or remote access for further investigation3. PowerCLI is a tool that allows the administrator to automate and manage VMware products and services using PowerShell commands and scripts. PowerCLI is useful for administering VMware virtual machines, hosts, networks, storage, and more, but it does not provide interaction or remote access for further investigation4. IRepCLI is a tool that allows the administrator to generate and upload reputation information for files on the endpoint. IRepCLI is useful for enhancing the threat intelligence and detection capabilities of VMware Carbon Black Cloud, but it does not provide interaction or remote access for further investigation5. References:

Use Live Response - VMware Docs, Overview section.

CBLauncher - VMware Docs, Overview section.

Live Response Commands - VMware Docs, Overview section.

VMware PowerCLI Documentation, Overview section.

IRepCLI - VMware Docs, Overview section.

These components can provide more information about the suspicious running process and its behavior, such as:

Event details: This component shows the details of the event that triggered the alert, such as the device name, the device time, the process name, the process path, the process ID, the operation type, the operation result, the registry key, the registry value, and the registry data. The event details can help the security administrator to identify the source and the target of the registry modification attempt, and to verify if the operation was successful or not.

Command lines: This component shows the command lines that were executed by the process or its parent process, such as the arguments, the parameters, the switches, and the environment variables. The command lines can help the security administrator to understand the purpose and the context of the process execution, and to detect any malicious or anomalous commands or scripts.

TTPs involved: This component shows the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that were involved in the event, based on the MITRE ATT&CK framework. The TTPs can help the security administrator to assess the severity and the impact of the event, and to correlate the event with other related events or indicators of compromise.

The other components are not as useful or relevant for investigating the alert. A. Device ID and priority score are components that provide general information about the device and the alert, but they do not provide specific details about the suspicious running process or its behavior. C. Network connections and child path are components that show the network activity and the child processes of the suspicious running process, but they do not show the registry modification attempt or its result. D. File reputation and timestamp are components that show the reputation and the time of the file associated with the suspicious running process, but they do not show the command lines orthe TTPs involved in the event. References: VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard Skills Reference Materials, Section 2.3.2: Investigate Alerts, Page 16.

According to the VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard Skills Reference Materials, alerts are categorized as either “Threat” or “Observed” based on the severity and confidence of the event. “Threat” alerts indicate a high-severity and high-confidence event that is more likely to be malicious, such as a ransomware attack, a credential theft, or a network beacon. “Observed” alerts indicate a low-severity and low-confidence event that is less likely to be malicious, such as a suspicious registry modification, a fileless script execution, or a process injection. The categorization of alerts helps analysts prioritize their investigations and responses. References: VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard Skills Reference Materials, page 14, section 2.3.1. Alert Categories. [Link]

VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard uses a hybrid approach to determine the reputation of files on the endpoints. It combines local scan, which uses signature-based detection to identify known malware, and cloud scan, which uses cloud-based analytics and machine learning to identify unknown or emerging threats. When a sensor’s local AV signatures are out-of-date, it means that the local scan cannot detect the latest malware variants that have been added to the signature database. However, this does not affect the cloud scan, which can still determine the reputation of newly discovered files based on their behavior, characteristics, and context. Therefore, the effect of having out-of-date local AV signatures is that the reputation is determined by cloud reputation, which is more accurate and up-to-date than signature-based detection. The other options are not correct, because the sensor does not prompt the end user, automatically block, or fail to block a new file based on the local AV signatures alone. References: Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard - Technical Overview, View and Update Signature Versions, Endpoint Standard: How to verify AV Signatures are updating

The impact of using the wildcards in the path for this rule is C. Any executable in the downloads directory for any user on the system will be bypassed for inspection. This is because the permission rule has the following options selected:

Application at path: C:\Users*\Downloads**

Operation Attempt: Performs any operation

Action: Bypass

The application at path field specifies the path of the executable file that the rule applies to. The * wildcard matches 0 or more consecutive characters up to a single subdirectory level. For example, C:\Users*\ matches any subdirectory under the Users directory, such as C:\Users\Lorie, C:\Users\John, or C:\Users\Alice. The ** wildcard matches a partial path across all subdirectory levels and is recursive. For example, \Downloads** matches any files in that directory and all subdirectories. Therefore, by using the wildcards in the application at path field, the permission rule covers any executable file in the downloads directory for any user on the system.

The operation attempt field specifies the type of operation that the executable file attempts to perform. The Performs any operation option means that the rule applies to any operation, such as creating a file, modifying a registry key, or executing a command.

The action field specifies the action that the VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard sensor takes when the rule is triggered. The Bypass option means that the sensor ignores the executable file and does not apply any blocking rules or log any events for it1.

Therefore, by using the wildcards in the path for this rule, the permission rule effectively bypasses any executable file in the downloads directory for any user on the system from the VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard sensor’s prevention and detection capabilities. References:

Prevention Policy Settings - VMware Docs, Permissions section, Action subsection.

 When an administrator places an endpoint into bypass mode, VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard will not provide any protection to the endpoint. Bypass mode is a feature that allows the administrator to disable all policy rule enforcement on the endpoint, which means that the endpoint is not actively protected by VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard. The sensor will ignore any malicious or suspicious activity on the endpoint and will not log any events or send any data to the Carbon Black Cloud console. The administrator can use bypass mode to troubleshoot application interoperability, bootup, or login issues on the endpoint, or to upgrade the operating system on the endpoint. The administrator can enable or disable bypass mode from the Carbon Black Cloud console, the sensor UI, or the command line. The administrator can also view the reason and duration of the bypass mode from the Carbon Black Cloud console12.

The other options are incorrect or irrelevant. VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard will not be uninstalled from the endpoint when it is placed into bypass mode. The sensor will still be running on the endpoint, but it will not enforce any policy rules. VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard will not place the machine in quarantine when it is placed into bypass mode. Quarantine is a different feature that allows the administrator to isolate the endpoint from the network, preventing any communication with other devices or external servers. VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard will not apply policy rules when the endpoint is placed into bypass mode. Policy rules are the settings that define how the sensor detects and prevents threats on the endpoint. Bypass mode disables all policy rule enforcement on the endpoint. References:

Sensor Bypass Mode - VMware Docs, Overview section.

Carbon Black Cloud: How to Get Started With Bypass Mode - Carbon Black Community, Objective section.

 Unenforcing a policy rule means that the rule will still be evaluated, but the actions will not be taken. This allows the administrator to troubleshoot the issue without affecting the endpoints or generating alerts. Disabling, recalling, or deleting a policy rule will remove it from the evaluation process and may affect the security posture of the organization. References: VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard Skills Exam Guide1, VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard - On Demand Course