Cisco 300-710 Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower (300-710 SNCF) Exam Dumps and Practice Test Questions Set 1 Q1-15
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Question 1
Which feature of Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) allows administrators to block traffic based on the reputation scores of IP addresses?
A) Access Control Policy
B) Security Intelligence
C) Snort Rule
D) VPN Policy
Answer: B) Security Intelligence
Explanation:
Security Intelligence in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense is a powerful feature that enables network administrators to make policy decisions based on the reputation of IP addresses, URLs, or domains. This reputation data comes from both Cisco’s Talos threat intelligence team and other third-party threat intelligence feeds. Security Intelligence allows an organization to proactively mitigate known threats by blocking traffic from IP addresses or domains that have a history of malicious activity or are suspected to be compromised.
Access Control Policy is a framework that defines rules about which types of traffic are allowed or denied between different network zones or interfaces. While access control policies can block traffic based on criteria like IP address, port, protocol, or user identity, they do not automatically leverage threat intelligence feeds or reputation scores. Access Control Policies are more static in nature unless combined with dynamic elements such as Security Intelligence. Therefore, relying solely on Access Control Policies without Security Intelligence does not provide the same level of threat-based blocking capability.
Snort Rule refers to the intrusion detection and prevention capabilities within FTD. Snort inspects traffic for signatures of known attacks, vulnerabilities, and exploits. It is excellent at detecting network-level threats and preventing zero-day attacks when updated regularly. However, Snort rules operate primarily at the level of packet inspection and pattern matching rather than using external reputation data. It focuses on detecting and preventing attacks that follow known behavioral patterns rather than preemptively blocking based on the source’s historical reputation.
VPN Policy is concerned with the secure tunneling of traffic between remote users or sites. It enforces encryption and authentication, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of transmitted data. VPN Policies do not interact with threat intelligence or reputation data; they are focused on establishing secure communications rather than blocking potentially malicious IP addresses.
Security Intelligence is the feature explicitly designed to block traffic based on reputation scores. It complements other FTD capabilities like Access Control Policies and Snort rules. Administrators can integrate Security Intelligence into policies to automatically deny traffic from high-risk sources while allowing trusted traffic to flow normally. This dynamic approach allows the network to proactively respond to evolving threats without manual intervention. Using Security Intelligence, organizations can combine threat intelligence with automated policy enforcement, improving security posture and reducing the risk of compromise from known malicious IPs and domains. This makes Security Intelligence the most appropriate choice when the goal is to block traffic based on reputation scores.
Question 2
Which protocol does Cisco Firepower Management Center use to communicate with managed FTD devices?
A) SSH
B) HTTPS
C) SNMP
D) Syslog
Answer: B) HTTPS
Explanation:
Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) communicates with managed FTD devices primarily using HTTPS. HTTPS provides a secure, encrypted channel for transmitting configuration data, policy updates, and operational commands between FMC and the managed devices. Using HTTPS ensures the integrity and confidentiality of communications, preventing interception or tampering by unauthorized parties. This secure channel allows FMC to push Access Control Policies, Security Intelligence updates, Snort rule configurations, software updates, and other critical management operations.
SSH, or Secure Shell, is commonly used for direct command-line access to network devices. While SSH provides a secure means for administrators to configure individual FTD devices or troubleshoot them manually, it is not the protocol used for continuous policy and management communication with FMC. SSH is primarily for ad hoc administrative access rather than automated, policy-driven management.
SNMP, or Simple Network Management Protocol, is used primarily for monitoring and gathering statistics from network devices. While SNMP can provide device health, interface status, and traffic metrics, it does not carry configuration changes or policy updates from FMC to FTD. SNMP is focused on monitoring and alerting rather than active device management.
Syslog is a protocol used for sending log messages from devices to a central server for monitoring and auditing. FTD devices can send security events, intrusion alerts, and system logs to a Syslog server, but Syslog is not used for management or configuration deployment. Its purpose is to collect and analyze event data, not to transmit policy updates.
HTTPS is preferred because it allows centralized, secure management of multiple FTD devices while ensuring that sensitive configuration information is not exposed. It also supports encryption and authentication, enabling FMC to maintain control over the network while protecting the management channel against eavesdropping or man-in-the-middle attacks. This makes HTTPS the correct answer.
Question 3
Which inspection engine in Cisco FTD analyzes network traffic for known exploit signatures?
A) URL Filtering
B) Malware Detection
C) Snort
D) SSL Decryption
Answer: C) Snort
Explanation:
Snort is the primary inspection engine within Cisco Firepower Threat Defense that analyzes network traffic for known exploit signatures. It functions as an Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS) and inspects packets at multiple layers to identify suspicious activity or malicious payloads. Snort rules contain patterns and conditions to detect known attacks, exploits, and anomalies. When traffic matches a Snort signature, it can trigger alerts, log events, or block the malicious activity depending on the configured policy.
URL Filtering is designed to control access to websites based on categories, reputation, or content types. It is mainly used to enforce acceptable use policies and prevent users from accessing malicious or inappropriate web resources. While URL Filtering contributes to security, it does not perform deep packet inspection or detect exploit signatures within traffic flows. Its focus is on URLs, not packet-level attacks.
Malware Detection identifies files or software that may be malicious. It scans traffic for executable files, documents, or compressed files that contain viruses, ransomware, or spyware. Malware Detection is critical for endpoint and network security, but it does not match the capabilities of Snort in terms of detecting exploit patterns in network traffic. It operates more on file content than on protocol-level attack signatures.
SSL Decryption allows FTD to inspect encrypted traffic by decrypting SSL/TLS sessions. Decrypting traffic enables other engines like Snort to perform deep inspection on what would otherwise be unreadable content. However, SSL Decryption is not an inspection engine itself; it is a mechanism to enable inspection engines to work on encrypted traffic. Alone, SSL Decryption cannot detect exploits or malicious activity.
Snort’s strength lies in its ability to perform high-speed, signature-based detection and prevention for network exploits. It can be updated regularly to include new threat signatures, ensuring proactive defense against both known and emerging attacks. By combining Snort with other engines such as URL Filtering and Malware Detection, FTD provides comprehensive protection. Snort remains the core engine for exploit signature analysis, making it the correct choice.
Question 4
Which deployment mode of Cisco FTD allows for inline traffic inspection without modifying routing?
A) Routed Mode
B) Transparent Mode
C) Tap Mode
D) Routed IPsec Mode
Answer: B) Transparent Mode
Explanation:
Transparent Mode in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense allows the device to inspect traffic inline while functioning as a Layer 2 bridge, meaning it forwards packets between interfaces without acting as a Layer 3 router. This deployment mode is particularly useful in networks where IP addressing and routing cannot be modified or where minimal network disruption is required. Transparent Mode enables administrators to insert security into an existing network without redesigning the topology.
Routed Mode requires the FTD device to operate as a Layer 3 router. In this mode, the FTD participates in routing protocols, requires unique IP addresses on its interfaces, and may necessitate changes to existing network addressing and routing tables. Routed Mode is ideal when the FTD device is intended to manage and route traffic between different network segments, but it is not suitable when minimal changes to routing are desired.
Tap Mode allows the FTD device to passively monitor network traffic. While Tap Mode can detect threats and generate logs or alerts, it does not actively block traffic or enforce security policies in-line. This mode is primarily used for visibility, compliance, and forensic analysis, rather than prevention of malicious traffic. Tap Mode is non-intrusive, but it cannot provide real-time protection for network traffic.
Routed IPsec Mode is a specialized deployment where traffic is routed through encrypted IPsec tunnels. This mode is suitable for secure site-to-site communication or remote access, but is not designed for inline inspection of local network traffic. It changes routing paths and requires configuration of encryption endpoints, making it less flexible for inline transparent inspection scenarios.
Transparent Mode allows organizations to implement security controls in a minimally disruptive manner. It preserves the existing IP addressing and routing configuration while enabling inline enforcement of policies such as Access Control, Snort rules, and Security Intelligence. This mode is particularly advantageous for environments where network redesign is not feasible or where security must be retrofitted into an existing infrastructure. By operating at Layer 2, Transparent Mode bridges interfaces while performing full packet inspection, effectively combining visibility, control, and threat prevention without impacting the network topology. Therefore, Transparent Mode is the correct choice for inline inspection without modifying routing.
Question 5
In Cisco Firepower, what does an Access Control Rule action of “Trust” mean?
A) Block the traffic
B) Allow the traffic
C) Inspect and log the traffic
D) Bypass all inspections
Answer: B) Allow the traffic
Explanation:
The Access Control Rule action “Trust” in Cisco Firepower allows traffic to flow freely through the network without restriction. When a rule is configured to trust traffic, it signifies that the traffic is deemed safe and does not require additional inspection or blocking. Trusting traffic ensures minimal latency and resource consumption since no further analysis or enforcement occurs for that traffic beyond routing through the device.
Blocking traffic denies passage entirely. Traffic that matches a block rule is prevented from reaching its destination. Block actions are typically applied to malicious, unauthorized, or policy-violating traffic. Unlike trust, blocking focuses on mitigating threats and enforcing strict security boundaries.
Inspect and log traffic is a rule action that allows traffic while applying deep inspection using engines like Snort, Security Intelligence, and Malware Detection. This action also generates logs for monitoring and auditing. Inspect and log is more resource-intensive than trusting traffic, as it requires analysis of each packet and potential logging of events. Trust does not perform inspection or logging—it simply permits the traffic.
Bypassing all inspections allows traffic to flow without triggering any inspection engines, somewhat similar to trust. However, bypassing all inspections can be applied in scenarios where inspection engines are enabled globally but need to be skipped for certain traffic flows. Trust specifically represents an intentional policy decision to allow traffic because it is considered safe, whereas bypass may be applied for performance optimization rather than security assurance.
Trust simplifies security policy management by allowing known-good traffic to flow without unnecessary scrutiny. It is typically applied to internal traffic between trusted network segments, traffic from authenticated users, or traffic from secure, verified endpoints. Using trust judiciously ensures that FTD resources are allocated efficiently while maintaining strong protection for untrusted or unknown traffic. Trust represents an intentional allowance within the Access Control Policy framework, and understanding its role is critical for designing effective and efficient security rules.
Question 6
Which inspection engine in Cisco FTD can detect malware in files transmitted over HTTP or SMTP?
A) Snort
B) File Policy with Malware Detection
C) URL Filtering
D) SSL Decryption
Answer: B) File Policy with Malware Detection
Explanation:
File Policy with Malware Detection in Cisco FTD enables inspection of files transmitted over protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and SMTP. It scans files for malicious content, including viruses, ransomware, spyware, and other malware, before they reach end users. This inspection is critical for preventing malware infections from entering the network through common file-sharing channels or email attachments. File policies can be configured to block, allow, or quarantine suspicious files and integrate with Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for enhanced threat intelligence and retrospective analysis.
Snort is primarily designed for intrusion detection and prevention based on known exploit signatures. While it can detect network-based attacks, protocol anomalies, and exploit attempts, Snort does not inspect the actual contents of files for malware. Snort is focused on attack patterns and network threats rather than file-based malicious payloads.
URL Filtering is used to control access to websites based on categories, reputation, or content type. It is effective for enforcing acceptable use policies and blocking access to malicious or inappropriate websites, but it does not analyze the content of files or detect malware embedded within files transmitted over network protocols. URL Filtering is a complementary layer of security rather than a malware detection mechanism.
SSL Decryption enables FTD to inspect encrypted traffic. While decryption is necessary to allow inspection engines such as Snort or File Policies to analyze SSL/TLS traffic, SSL Decryption alone does not perform malware detection. It is a supporting function that allows engines to access the content for analysis.
File Policy with Malware Detection directly addresses the need to inspect file contents for malware. By integrating with advanced threat intelligence, administrators can prevent infections before they reach endpoints or email servers. This engine provides real-time protection against malicious payloads, leveraging signature and behavior-based scanning techniques. File Policy with Malware Detection is thus the correct choice for detecting malware in files transmitted over HTTP or SMTP.
Question 7
Which Cisco Firepower feature allows administrators to decrypt SSL/TLS traffic for inspection?
A) URL Filtering
B) SSL Decryption Policy
C) Security Intelligence
D) Access Control Policy
Answer: B) SSL Decryption Policy
Explanation:
SSL Decryption Policy in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense allows administrators to decrypt SSL/TLS-encrypted traffic to enable inspection by other engines such as Snort, Malware Detection, and File Policies. With an increasing volume of traffic being encrypted, SSL/TLS has become a common medium for threats to hide from inspection. Without decryption, inspection engines cannot analyze the payload, potentially leaving malware, exploit attempts, or other malicious traffic undetected. The SSL Decryption Policy allows administrators to apply rules for decrypting traffic selectively, based on criteria like source/destination IPs, applications, or protocols.
URL Filtering is primarily used to control access to websites based on their content categories or reputation. It blocks or allows web traffic but does not decrypt encrypted traffic to inspect its contents. URL Filtering can detect malicious websites, phishing domains, or inappropriate content, but it relies on access to unencrypted traffic or metadata to function effectively.
Security Intelligence allows traffic to be allowed or blocked based on the reputation scores of IP addresses, URLs, or domains. While Security Intelligence is essential for proactive threat mitigation, it does not decrypt SSL/TLS traffic. Instead, it relies on threat feeds and intelligence lists to enforce blocking or allowing traffic. Decryption is required to inspect the actual payload content, which Security Intelligence alone cannot perform.
Access Control Policy defines rules to allow, block, inspect, or trust traffic between network zones. While Access Control Policies dictate how traffic should be treated, they rely on inspection engines to perform deep packet analysis. Without SSL decryption, Access Control Policy cannot fully inspect encrypted payloads.
SSL Decryption Policy is critical because modern attacks often leverage encrypted traffic to bypass security controls. It enables full visibility into otherwise opaque SSL/TLS traffic, allowing Snort, Malware Detection, and other engines to identify threats. Administrators can configure decryption selectively to balance security with privacy, ensuring that sensitive or private communications are handled appropriately. By decrypting traffic before inspection, the network can prevent malware, exploits, or unauthorized data exfiltration that would otherwise remain hidden. This makes SSL Decryption Policy the correct answer.
Question 8
Which FTD feature allows administrators to categorize and block websites based on content type?
A) URL Filtering
B) Snort
C) Security Intelligence
D) Access Control Policy
Answer: A) URL Filtering
Explanation:
URL Filtering in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense allows administrators to control access to websites by categorizing them into content types such as social media, gambling, or malware sites. URL Filtering can block or allow web traffic based on these categories or on the reputation of individual domains. This provides organizations with granular control over user activity while preventing access to potentially harmful or non-work-related sites. URL Filtering leverages Cisco’s Talos threat intelligence to ensure that categories and reputations are constantly updated.
Snort is an inspection engine that analyzes network traffic for known exploit signatures. It is essential for intrusion detection and prevention, but it does not categorize websites or filter traffic based on content type. Snort is focused on protocol-level and packet-level threats rather than web content management.
Security Intelligence allows blocking or allowing traffic based on IP addresses, URLs, or domain reputation. While it provides dynamic threat-based control, it does not categorize websites by content type. Security Intelligence is more suited for preventing access to known malicious resources rather than implementing content-based policies.
Access Control Policy defines the overall rules for traffic handling, including allow, block, inspect, and trust. It works in conjunction with engines like URL Filtering or Snort to enforce policies, but does not inherently categorize websites by content type. The rules can refer to URL Filtering, but categorization is performed by the URL Filtering engine itself.
URL Filtering is critical for organizations that want to enforce acceptable use policies or prevent access to malicious or non-productive sites. By categorizing websites and applying policies accordingly, administrators can protect users and the network while maintaining productivity. This makes URL filtering the correct answer for content-based web blocking.
Question 9
What is the primary purpose of Cisco Firepower Access Control Policy’s “Inspect” action?
A) Allow traffic without inspection
B) Block traffic immediately
C) Analyze and enforce inspection engines on traffic
D) Redirect traffic to another device
Answer: C) Analyze and enforce inspection engines on traffic
Explanation:
The “Inspect” action in Cisco Firepower Access Control Policy is designed to allow traffic to pass while applying multiple inspection engines to analyze the packets. These engines can include Snort for exploit detection, Malware Detection for scanning files, Security Intelligence for reputation-based blocking, and URL Filtering for web content control. Inspect ensures that traffic is thoroughly analyzed and that any identified threats are mitigated before reaching the intended destination. This action balances the need for security with the requirement to allow legitimate traffic to continue flowing.
Allow traffic without inspection permits traffic to flow freely without any analysis. While this improves performance and reduces latency, it does not provide threat detection or mitigation. This action is represented by the “Trust” policy rather than “Inspect.”
Block traffic immediately prevents traffic from passing through the FTD device. While blocking is essential for stopping malicious or unauthorized communications, it does not analyze the content of the traffic—it simply denies passage. Block is a separate action and serves a more preventive role rather than inspection.
Redirect traffic to another device sends traffic to an external device for processing, often used in specialized scenarios like third-party security appliances or traffic analysis tools. Redirect is not used to apply the FTD’s inspection engines internally and is a distinct function from Inspect.
The Inspect action is central to applying the full suite of Cisco FTD inspection engines to traffic. It allows safe passage of legitimate traffic while simultaneously detecting exploits, malware, and policy violations. By enforcing multiple layers of inspection, Inspect provides robust protection without unnecessarily blocking non-malicious communications. Administrators use Inspect to enforce a proactive, multi-engine security strategy while minimizing disruption to normal operations. This makes Analyze and enforce inspection engines on traffic the correct answer.
Question 10
Which Cisco Firepower feature allows administrators to automatically block traffic from known malicious IP addresses?
A) Access Control Policy
B) Security Intelligence
C) URL Filtering
D) File Policy
Answer: B) Security Intelligence
Explanation:
Security Intelligence in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense provides administrators with the ability to automatically block traffic originating from IP addresses, URLs, or domains known to be malicious. It leverages threat intelligence feeds from Cisco Talos and other reputable sources to create dynamic block or allow lists. By integrating Security Intelligence into Access Control Policies, organizations can prevent communication with sources that have a history of malicious behavior, such as botnets, command-and-control servers, or phishing domains.
Access Control Policy defines rules for traffic handling, including allow, block, inspect, and trust. While Access Control Policies can incorporate Security Intelligence feeds to enforce rules, they are not inherently responsible for determining which IP addresses are malicious. They act as the framework in which Security Intelligence operates. Without Security Intelligence, Access Control Policies rely on static rules rather than dynamic threat intelligence.
URL Filtering controls access to websites by categorizing domains based on content or reputation. It is effective for preventing access to malicious websites, inappropriate content, or non-productive sites. However, URL Filtering does not block traffic based on IP reputation; it focuses primarily on web content and domain categorization rather than general IP-level threat mitigation.
File Policy is used to scan files for malware or suspicious content transmitted over protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, or SMTP. While critical for preventing malware infections, File Policy does not block traffic based on IP addresses or network reputation. Its focus is on file content rather than the origin of traffic.
Security Intelligence stands out because it provides dynamic, real-time enforcement of threat intelligence. By continuously updating block lists based on the latest threat information, it helps prevent compromised IPs or malicious domains from interacting with the network. It automates threat mitigation, reducing administrative overhead and improving security posture. Administrators can configure actions to drop, trust, or inspect traffic based on the intelligence feeds, ensuring proactive network defense. Therefore, Security Intelligence is the correct answer for automatically blocking traffic from known malicious IP addresses.
Question 11
Which Cisco Firepower engine is best suited for inspecting encrypted traffic after SSL decryption?
A) Snort
B) URL Filtering
C) Security Intelligence
D) Access Control Policy
Answer: A) Snort
Explanation:
Snort is the primary engine used for inspecting network traffic for known exploit signatures and malicious activity. After SSL decryption, Snort can analyze previously encrypted packets for patterns, anomalies, or threats. Decrypting SSL traffic is essential because a large proportion of modern network traffic is encrypted, and without decryption, malicious payloads could pass undetected. Snort works in conjunction with SSL Decryption Policy to inspect decrypted traffic for known exploits, intrusions, and protocol anomalies.
URL Filtering allows control over website access based on content category or reputation. While URL Filtering can operate on encrypted traffic once decrypted, its primary function is web content control rather than exploit detection. It does not analyze general network traffic or protocol-level payloads for malicious activity.
Security Intelligence uses threat reputation feeds to block or allow traffic based on IP addresses, domains, or URLs. While Security Intelligence is highly effective for dynamic threat mitigation, it does not perform deep packet inspection or identify exploits within traffic payloads. SSL decryption primarily benefits inspection engines like Snort rather than Security Intelligence.
Access Control Policy provides the framework for traffic handling, including actions such as allow, block, trust, or inspect. While Access Control Policies can direct traffic to engines for inspection, they themselves do not perform content-level analysis. Inspecting decrypted traffic requires an engine like Snort to detect malicious patterns or attacks.
Snort is uniquely suited for post-decryption inspection because it can analyze decrypted traffic at multiple layers, detect known exploits, and generate alerts or block malicious activity in real-time. By combining SSL Decryption with Snort inspection, organizations gain visibility into encrypted traffic while maintaining robust network security. This makes Snort the correct answer for inspecting encrypted traffic after SSL decryption.
Question 12
Which action in an Access Control Policy would allow traffic but log it for monitoring purposes?
A) Trust
B) Block
C) Inspect
D) Monitor
Answer: D) Monitor
Explanation:
The “Monitor” action in Cisco Firepower Access Control Policy allows traffic to flow while generating logs and alerts for monitoring purposes. This action is particularly useful for auditing, compliance, or testing new policies without impacting network operations. Monitor can help administrators observe traffic behavior, identify potential threats, and refine policies before enforcing more restrictive actions. By logging the traffic, organizations gain visibility into user activity, protocol usage, and potential security risks.
Trust allows traffic to pass freely without inspection or logging. This action is used for known-safe traffic where minimal overhead and maximum performance are desired. Trust does not provide visibility into traffic behavior, which makes it unsuitable for monitoring purposes.
Block denies traffic entirely, preventing it from reaching its destination. While effective for stopping unauthorized or malicious communications, block does not allow traffic to flow, and therefore does not provide operational insights into legitimate or suspicious traffic.
Inspect allows traffic to pass while applying multiple inspection engines such as Snort, Malware Detection, and URL Filtering. While Inspect provides deep security enforcement, it does not necessarily log all traffic solely for monitoring purposes; its primary function is threat detection and mitigation.
Monitor is uniquely suited for observing traffic while allowing it to pass. Administrators can use Monitor to evaluate the impact of potential policy changes, gather statistical data, and detect anomalies without blocking legitimate communication. This provides both operational visibility and a controlled environment for policy testing. By enabling logging without enforcement, Monitor ensures that administrators can proactively adjust security policies based on actual traffic patterns. This makes Monitor the correct answer for allowing traffic while logging it for monitoring purposes.
Question 13
Which Cisco FTD feature allows administrators to control network access based on user identity?
A) Security Intelligence
B) URL Filtering
C) Identity Policy
D) Snort
Answer: C) Identity Policy
Explanation:
Identity Policy in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense allows administrators to enforce network access controls based on user identity rather than just IP addresses or network zones. By integrating with Active Directory, LDAP, or other authentication systems, Identity Policy can associate traffic with specific users or groups. This enables granular enforcement of policies, such as restricting access to certain applications or segments based on role, department, or compliance requirements. Identity Policy is particularly useful in environments where multiple users share the same IP addresses, such as in dynamic or NAT-based networks, because it provides a user-centric approach to security enforcement.
Security Intelligence relies on reputation-based blocking of IP addresses, domains, or URLs. While it is essential for proactive threat mitigation, it is not tied to user identity. Security Intelligence acts on known malicious sources rather than making policy decisions based on who is generating the traffic.
URL Filtering controls access to websites based on content categories, URL reputation, or specific domains. It can restrict users from accessing non-compliant or dangerous websites but does not inherently associate traffic with user identity. URL Filtering is content-based, while Identity Policy is user-based.
Snort is the intrusion detection and prevention engine that analyzes traffic for exploit signatures and anomalies. While Snort provides deep packet inspection and can generate alerts based on malicious activity, it does not use user identity as a decision criterion for access control. Snort focuses on threats rather than role-based access control.
Identity Policy allows administrators to implement role-based network access, combining security with operational efficiency. For example, employees in the finance department can be restricted to financial applications and servers, while marketing personnel may access collaboration tools. This ensures both security and productivity. By mapping user identity to network policies, Identity Policy enables targeted enforcement that static IP-based policies cannot achieve. Therefore, Identity Policy is the correct answer for controlling network access based on user identity.
Question 14
Which engine in Cisco FTD can inspect files for advanced malware and integrate with Cisco AMP for threat intelligence?
A) Snort
B) URL Filtering
C) File Policy with Malware Detection
D) Security Intelligence
Answer: C) File Policy with Malware Detection
Explanation:
File Policy with Malware Detection in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense is designed to inspect files transmitted over protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, FTP, and SMB. It can detect advanced malware using both signature-based and behavior-based techniques. The engine can integrate with Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) to leverage threat intelligence, retrospective analysis, and continuous monitoring for newly discovered threats. By scanning files before they reach endpoints or email servers, this engine prevents infections, ransomware attacks, and the spread of malicious content across the network.
Snort is a widely used network intrusion detection and prevention engine that plays a central role in identifying and mitigating network-based threats. It operates primarily using a signature-based detection methodology, which allows it to compare network traffic against a database of known attack patterns or signatures. By analyzing the characteristics of packets flowing through the network, Snort can detect attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in systems, abnormal protocol behaviors, and other indicators of malicious activity. Its primary strength lies in its ability to scrutinize packet payloads and header information, allowing it to identify threats at the network layer before they can reach internal systems. Unlike antivirus software or endpoint malware scanners, Snort is not designed to inspect the content of files for viruses or other forms of malware. Instead, its focus is on network traffic analysis, identifying malicious behaviors that indicate an intrusion attempt or exploitation effort. This distinction is important because while malware detection often requires deep inspection of file contents and behavior within an endpoint environment, Snort operates at the network perimeter or within the network fabric, providing a proactive layer of defense by monitoring and filtering traffic in real-time. Snort can detect a wide range of attacks, including buffer overflows, SQL injection attempts, cross-site scripting attacks, denial of service attempts, and protocol-specific anomalies, such as malformed packets or unusual traffic patterns. By doing so, it helps organizations prevent attackers from successfully exploiting vulnerabilities and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive systems. The system can operate in various modes, including passive monitoring for intrusion detection or inline deployment for active prevention, where it can block or drop suspicious packets based on configured rules. One of the key advantages of Snort is its flexibility and extensibility, allowing administrators to customize detection rules to match the unique traffic patterns and security requirements of their environment. This adaptability ensures that new threats can be addressed quickly by updating signatures or adding custom rules that reflect emerging attack techniques. While Snort excels at analyzing network traffic, its limitation lies in its inability to perform deep content inspection of files. It cannot, for example, identify a malicious executable hidden within a document or a malware payload embedded in an email attachment. Instead, it focuses on the behavior of traffic flows, such as suspicious connection attempts, unusual port usage, or protocol violations, which often serve as early indicators of compromise. Despite this limitation, Snort remains a critical component of network security architecture because it provides real-time detection and prevention capabilities, complementing endpoint protection and other security mechanisms. By combining signature-based detection with traffic analysis, Snort enables organizations to detect and respond to threats rapidly, reducing the likelihood of successful intrusions and minimizing the potential impact of attacks. Its integration into firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and unified threat management solutions allows for a comprehensive security posture that leverages both network-level and endpoint-level defenses. In essence, Snort serves as a network sentinel, monitoring the flow of data, identifying malicious patterns, and providing actionable insights to protect networks from a wide variety of exploitation attempts, even though it does not engage in file-level malware analysis.
URL Filtering controls website access based on content type, category, or domain reputation. URL Filtering helps enforce acceptable use and block malicious websites, but it does not scan files for malware. It is complementary to malware inspection but not responsible for file-level threat detection.
Security Intelligence uses reputation-based feeds to block or allow traffic from known malicious IP addresses or domains. While Security Intelligence prevents communication with dangerous sources, it does not analyze individual files for malware or integrate with AMP for detailed threat intelligence.
File Policy with Malware Detection is essential for protecting networks against file-based threats. Its integration with AMP provides enhanced detection, continuous monitoring, and retrospective protection, allowing organizations to identify previously missed threats. By analyzing the contents of files in transit, this engine ensures malware is blocked before it reaches endpoints, making it the correct answer.
Question 15
Which deployment mode of Cisco FTD is best suited for passive network monitoring without impacting traffic flow?
A) Routed Mode
B) Transparent Mode
C) Tap Mode
D) Routed IPsec Mode
Answer: C) Tap Mode
Explanation:
Tap Mode in Cisco Firepower Threat Defense allows the device to passively monitor network traffic without actively forwarding or blocking it. This mode is ideal for network analysis, threat detection, policy testing, and compliance auditing. Since Tap Mode does not interfere with the actual traffic flow, it allows administrators to observe network behavior, identify potential threats, and fine-tune security policies without affecting production traffic. Tap Mode provides full visibility into traffic for engines like Snort, Security Intelligence, and Malware Detection while remaining non-intrusive.
Routed Mode is a deployment method in which the Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) device functions as a full Layer 3 router, actively participating in network routing and traffic forwarding. In this mode, each interface on the FTD device is treated as a routed interface with its own IP address, enabling the device to route packets between different network segments. Unlike transparent mode, where the device operates at Layer 2 and simply inspects traffic passing through, routed mode requires careful planning of IP addressing, routing protocols, and network topology to ensure proper connectivity and efficient traffic flow. This configuration allows the FTD device to apply security policies directly to routed traffic, making it possible to enforce access control, intrusion prevention, and other security measures on all packets traversing the device. Because the device is actively involved in routing decisions, it must be integrated into the network’s routing architecture, whether using static routes or dynamic routing protocols such as OSPF or EIGRP. The active routing capability provides greater flexibility for complex networks where multiple subnets or VLANs need to communicate securely while being inspected for threats. Implementing routed mode also requires consideration of high availability and redundancy, as the device becomes a critical point for both routing and security. Careful configuration of failover mechanisms, such as clustering or redundant interfaces, helps maintain network uptime and ensures that traffic continues to flow even if one path or device fails. Additionally, routed mode enables the segmentation of network traffic based on security requirements, allowing organizations to define policies specific to internal, external, or DMZ networks. This level of control is particularly useful for environments where regulatory compliance or sensitive data protection is essential, as it ensures that traffic between different zones is monitored and filtered according to organizational policies. However, because the FTD device in routed mode is actively participating in routing, misconfigurations can lead to network disruptions, such as routing loops, unreachable subnets, or degraded performance. Therefore, careful planning of IP addressing schemes, route prioritization, and interface configurations is crucial to prevent operational issues. The deployment of routed mode often involves more administrative overhead than transparent mode due to the need for ongoing management of routing tables, interface assignments, and policy enforcement. Despite these challenges, routed mode provides significant advantages in terms of security enforcement, traffic visibility, and granular control over inter-network communication. Organizations seeking to integrate security deeply into their network infrastructure often choose routed mode because it combines the functions of a firewall and router into a single device, streamlining management while providing robust protection. By actively participating in IP routing, the FTD device not only secures traffic but also enables advanced network segmentation, policy enforcement, and monitoring capabilities that are critical for modern enterprise networks.
Transparent Mode operates as a Layer 2 bridge, inspecting traffic inline while leaving IP addressing intact. While it allows traffic inspection without routing changes, Transparent Mode actively processes traffic and can block or inspect packets. Therefore, it is not fully passive.
Routed IPsec Mode is designed for routing traffic through encrypted IPsec tunnels. This mode impacts routing, encryption endpoints, and traffic flow, making it an active deployment. It is useful for secure communications but is not intended for passive monitoring.
Tap Mode is the correct choice for passive monitoring because it provides visibility without affecting network operations. Administrators can deploy Tap Mode to observe traffic, collect logs, analyze potential threats, and test security policies before enforcing them. It is particularly useful in environments where maintaining uninterrupted network flow is critical while still gaining actionable insights into network security. By enabling passive monitoring, Tap Mode allows organizations to identify risks, refine policies, and enhance threat detection capabilities without introducing latency or traffic disruption.