Cisco 300-215 Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

Cisco 300-215 Online Questions & Answers

• Question 1:

  What are two features of Cisco Secure Endpoint? (Choose two.)

  A. file trajectory
  B. rogue wireless detection
  C. Orbital Advanced Search
  D. web content filtering
  E. full disk encryption
  A. file trajectory
  C. Orbital Advanced Search

  ---

  explanation: Cisco Secure Endpoint (formerly AMP for Endpoints) offers features like: File trajectory: to track file behavior and spread across endpoints. Orbital Advanced Search: for querying endpoint data to detect threats in real time.

• Question 2:

  Refer to the exhibit.

  

  A company that uses only the Unix platform implemented an intrusion detection system. After the initial configuration, the number of alerts is overwhelming, and an engineer needs to analyze and classify the alerts. The highest number of alerts were generated from the signature shown in the exhibit. Which classification should the engineer assign to this event?

  A. True Negative alert
  B. False Negative alert
  C. False Positive alert
  D. True Positive alert
  C. False Positive alert

  ---

  explanation: The alert shown is based on a Snort rule for a Unicode directory traversal attack against IIS web servers (Microsoft platform). The key detail here is the payload content"../..%c0%af../"which is a classic IIS-specific exploit related to CVE-20000884 . Since the company only uses Unix systems , they are not vulnerable to this IIS-specific attack. Therefore, these alerts are triggered by irrelevant traffic or misapplied signatures, resulting in False Positives .

• Question 3:

  During a routine inspection of system logs, a security analyst notices an entry where Microsoft Word initiated a PowerShell command with encoded arguments. Given that the user's role does not involve scripting or advanced document processing, which action should the analyst take to analyze this output for potential indicators of compromise?

  A. Monitor the Microsoft Word startup times to ensure they align with business hours.
  B. Confirm that the Microsoft Word license is valid and the application is updated to the latest version.
  C. Validate the frequency of PowerShell usage across all hosts to establish a baseline.
  D. Review the encoded PowerShell arguments to decode and determine the intent of the script.
  D. Review the encoded PowerShell arguments to decode and determine the intent of the script.

  ---

  explanation: Explanation Explanation/Reference:According to theCyberOps Technologies (CBRFIR) 300-215 study guidecurriculum, when analyzing suspicious behavior--especially when scripts or shell commands are executed from applications like Word (which is uncommon)--the encoded PowerShell payload must be decoded to determine if malicious intent is present. Deobfuscation is a critical step in identifying command-and-control behavior, persistence, or malware execution paths.

• Question 4:

  An engineer received a call to assist with an ongoing DDoS attack. The Apache server is being targeted, and availability is compromised. Which step should be taken to identify the origin of the threat?

  A. An engineer should check the list of usernames currently logged in by running the command$ who | cut ?d' ` -f1| sort | uniq
  B. An engineer should check the server's processes by running commandsps -auxandsudo ps -a
  C. An engineer should check the services on the machine by running the commandservice -status-all
  D. An engineer should check the last hundred entries of a web server with the commandsudo tail -100 /var /log/apache2/access.log
  D. An engineer should check the last hundred entries of a web server with the commandsudo tail -100 /var /log/apache2/access.log

  ---

  explanation: Explanation Explanation/Reference:The best immediate step during a DDoS attack against an Apache web server is to inspect the access logs , which will show which IP addresses are making requests, their frequency, and potential patterns of abuse. As covered in the Cisco CyberOps material, "Apache logs can reveal the IPs responsible for flooding the service with requests". The commandsudo tail -100 /var/log/apache2/access.logallows quick review of recent activity.

• Question 5:

  An organization experienced a sophisticated phishing attack that resulted in the compromise of confidential information from thousands of user accounts. The threat actor used a land and expand approach, where initially accessed account was used to spread emails further. The organization's cybersecurity team must conduct an in-depth root cause analysis to uncover the central factor or factors responsible for the success of the phishing attack. The very first victim of the attack was user with email 500236186@test.com. The primary objective is to formulate effective strategies for preventing similar incidents in the future. What should the cybersecurity engineer prioritize in the root cause analysis report to demonstrate the underlying cause of the incident?

  A. investigation into the specific vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the organization's email security systems that were exploited by the attackers
  B. evaluation of the organization's incident response procedures and the performance of the incident response team
  C. examination of the organization's network traffic logs to identify patterns of unusual behavior leading up to the attack
  D. comprehensive analysis of the initial user for presence of an insider who gained monetary value by allowing the attack to happen
  A. investigation into the specific vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the organization's email security systems that were exploited by the attackers

  ---

  explanation: In phishing incidents, especially with successful lateral movement (land and expand), the most critical factor is usually weaknesses in email security systems --such as lack of advanced phishing detection, weak DMARC/DKIM/SPF policies, or insufficient user behavior monitoring. To prevent recurrence, the root cause analysis must focus on what allowed the phishing email to bypass defenses and how initial credentials were compromised. This aligns with best practices from the Cisco CyberOps v1.2 Guide underEmail Threat Vectors and Security Control Weaknesses . CyberOps Technologies (CBRFIR) 300-215 study guide, Chapter on Threat Analysis and Root Cause Reporting. Let me know if you'd like the next batch of questions formatted and verified in the same way.

• Question 6:

  An organization recovered from a recent ransomware outbreak that resulted in significant business damage. Leadership requested a report that identifies the problems that triggered the incident and the security team's approach to address these problems to prevent a reoccurrence. Which components of the incident should an engineer analyze first for this report?

  A. impact and flow
  B. cause and effect
  C. risk and RPN
  D. motive and factors
  B. cause and effect

  ---

  explanation: To prepare a post-incident report, the cause of the incident (what enabled it) and the effect (what damage was done) are the primary components analyzed first. This allows teams to understand vulnerabilities exploited and the consequences, forming the basis for corrective action. The Cisco CyberOps guide recommends beginning with root cause analysis followed by impact assessment to guide future prevention strategies.

• Question 7:

  Refer to the exhibit.

  

  Outbound HTTP POST Communication Summary

  Severity: 25

  Confidence: 25

  Network Stream Information

  Source IP: 192.168.1.9

  Source Port: 49181

  Destination IP: 51.38.124.206

  Destination Port: 80 (HTTP)

  Protocol: TCP

  Packets: 22

  Bytes Sent: 6392

  Timestamp: +230.08s

  POST Request

  Method: POST

  URL: http://51.38.124.206:80/8RYb5b/a3seSUhG2sKRT/kPKl3ApipvHsi2vYEKsnHkyWWZu/

  Mime Type: application/octet-stream; charset=binary

  Magic Type: data

  Payload Size: 308 bytes

  Response Type: unknown

  SHA256:8b3cca824e991631c15df937ddf23b5c16f3700c8abcecacb91e03eafd607c3f

  MD5:3cbc4ae6c4e9a148761cb1d7857b7eb5

  IP Details

  Reverse DNS: 206-51-38-124.ovh.net

  ASN: OVH SAS (16276)

  Geo-Location: Germany (DE)

  Threat Insight

  Suspicious POST request to a potentially malicious server.

  Payload is binary and likely contains malware.

  Indicators of Compromise (IOCs):

  URL: http://51.38.124.206/...

  IP: 51.38.124.206

  SHA256 and MD5 hashes

  Cisco Secure Malware Analytics identifies outbound HTTP POST communication from an internal host to IP address 51.38.124.206 over port 80. The analysis flags this behavior with severity and confidence scores of 25, and notes that binary

  data was sent in 22 packets totaling over 6,000 bytes. What conclusion can be drawn from this observation?

  A. Destination IP 51.38.124.206 is identified as malicious
  B. MD5 D634c0ba04a4e9140761cbd7b057t>8c5 is identified as malicious
  C. Path http-req-51.38.124.206-80-14-1 is benign
  D. The stream must be analyzed further via the pcap file
  A. Destination IP 51.38.124.206 is identified as malicious

  ---

  explanation: Comprehensive and Detailed From the exhibit, Cisco Secure Malware Analytics (formerly Threat Grid) has captured outbound HTTP POST communication to the IP address 51.38.124.206 on port 80. This destination is highlighted in the analysis under "Outbound HTTP POST Communications," indicating exfiltration behavior or command-and- control (C2) signaling. Key indicators: The report shows that binary data was POSTed to this IP. The source system generated 22 packets and sent 6,192 bytes. The system has flagged the behavior with a severity of 25 and confidence of 25--suggesting that this is an IoC worth acting on. Therefore, the artifacts suggest that the destination IP 51.38.124.206 is involved in malicious activity, and the correct answer is:

• Question 8:

  Refer to the exhibit.

  

  A security analyst notices unusual connections while monitoring traffic. What is the attack vector, and which action should be taken to prevent this type of event?

  A. DNS spoofing; encrypt communication protocols
  B. SYN flooding; block malicious packets
  C. ARP spoofing; configure port security
  D. MAC flooding; assign static entries
  C. ARP spoofing; configure port security

  ---

  explanation: Explanation Explanation/Reference:The exhibit shows multiple ARP reply packets with the same IP addresses (192.168.51.105and192. 168.51.201) being mapped to different MAC addresses , which triggers the message: "duplicate use of [IP] detected". This is a strong indicator of an ARP spoofing (or poisoning) attack. ARP spoofing occurs when a malicious actor sends falsified ARP messages to associate their MAC address with the IP address of another host. This misleads other devices on the network and allows interception or redirection of traffic. The Cisco CyberOps Associate guide specifically recommends configuring port security on switches as a method to mitigate ARP spoofing , by limiting the number of MAC addresses allowed per port or statically assigning legitimate MAC addresses to switch ports.

• Question 9:

  An engineer is analyzing a DoS attack and notices that the perpetrator used a different IP address to hide their system IP address and avoid detection. Which anti-forensics technique did the perpetrator use?

  A. cache poisoning
  B. spoofing
  C. encapsulation
  D. onion routing
  B. spoofing

  ---

  explanation: Explanation Explanation/Reference:Using a different IP address to disguise the origin of an attack is the definition of IP spoofing . "Spoofing involves falsifying data, such as IP or MAC addresses, to hide the source of malicious activity." -- Cisco CyberOps guide

• Question 10:

  Refer to the code.

  Dec 28 11:27:10 CyberOps sshd[8423]: Failed password for invalid user admins from Cyber port 44216 ssh2 Dec 28 11:27:13 CyberOps sshd[8425]: Failed password for invalid user phoenix from Cyber port 20532 ssh2 Dec 28 11:27:17 CyberOps sshd[8428]: Failed password for invalid user test from Cyber port 24492 ssh2 Dec 28 11:27:22 CyberOps sshd[8430]: Failed password for invalid user rainbow from Cyber port 46591 ssh2 Dec 28 11:27:25 CyberOps sshd[8432]: Failed password for invalid user runner from Cyber port 57129 ssh2 Dec 28 11:27:34 CyberOps sshd[8434]: Failed password for invalid user user from Cyber port 11960 ssh2 Dec 28 11:27:37 CyberOps sshd[8437]: Failed password for invalid user abc123 from Cyber port 5921 ssh2 Dec 28 11:27:46 CyberOps sshd[8439]: Failed password for invalid user passwd from Cyber port 21238 ssh2

  A web hosting company analyst is analyzing the latest traffic because there was a 20% spike in server CPU usage recently. After correlating the logs, the problem seems to be related to the bad actor activities.

  Which attack vector is used and what mitigation can the analyst suggest?

  A. SQL Injection; implement input validation and use parameterized queries.
  B. Distributed denial of service; use rate limiting and DDoS protection services.
  C. Phishing attack; conduct regular user training and use email filtering solutions.
  D. Brute-force attack; implement account lockout policies and roll out MFA.
  D. Brute-force attack; implement account lockout policies and roll out MFA.

  ---

  explanation: Explanation Explanation/Reference:Comprehensive and Detailed The log entries show repeated SSH login attempts for various invalid usernames (e.g., admin, phoenix, rainbow, test, user, etc.) from different source ports. These are clear signs of a brute-force attack--an automated process trying multiple usernames and passwords in hopes of gaining access. Mitigating such attacks includes: Implementing account lockout policies (e.g., locking an account after several failed login attempts). Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to ensure that password guessing alone is insufficient for account access.