Practice Free ICS-SCADA ICS/SCADA Cyber Security Exam Exam Questions Answers With Explanation

The term "Dropper" in cybersecurity refers to a small piece of software used in malware deployment that is designed to install or "drop" malware (like viruses, ransomware, spyware) onto the target system.

The Dropper itself is not typically malicious in behavior; however, it is used as a vehicle to install malware that will perform malicious activities without detection.

During the infection process, the Dropper is usually the first executable that runs on a system. It then unpacks or downloads additional malicious components onto the system.

References

Common Malware Enumeration (CME): http://cme.mitre.org

Microsoft Malware Protection Center:https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi

Modification attacks directly impact the integrity of data within the IT Security Model. Integrity ensures that information is accurate and unchanged from its original form unless altered by authorized means. An attack that involves modification manipulates data in unauthorized ways, thereby compromising its accuracy and reliability.References:

Shon Harris, "CISSP Certification: All-in-One Exam Guide".

Within IPsec, the SPI (Security Parameter Index) is a critical component that uniquely identifies a Security Association (SA) for the IPsec session. The SPI is used in the IPsec headers to help the receiving party determine which SA has been agreed upon for processing the incoming packets. This identification is crucial for the proper operation and management of security policies applied to the encrypted data flows.References:

RFC 4301, "Security Architecture for the Internet Protocol," which discusses the structure and use of the SPI in IPsec communications.

LACNIC, the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry, is the regional internet registry (RIR) responsible for allocating and administering IP addresses and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Function: LACNIC manages the distribution of internet number resources (IP addresses and ASNs) in its region, maintaining the registry of domain owners and other related information.

Coverage: The organization covers over 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including countries like Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Mexico.

Services: LACNIC provides a range of services including IP address allocation, ASN allocation, reverse DNS, and policy development for internet resource management in its region.

Given this role, LACNIC is the correct answer for the registrar that contains information for domain owners in Latin America.

References

"About LACNIC," LACNIC, LACNIC Overview.

"Regional Internet Registries," Wikipedia,Regional Internet Registries.

IEC 62443 is a series of standards designed to secure Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS). It provides a framework for implementing cybersecurity measures in the context of industrial environments.

The Defense in Depth (DiD) approach outlined in IEC 62443 involves multiple layers of security measures to protect industrial networks. This method ensures that if one layer fails, others are in place to continue protection.

Specifically, the IEC 62443 framework describes six fundamental steps in setting up a Defense in Depth strategy, covering aspects from physical security to network segmentation and device hardening.

References

International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC 62443 Series.

"Understanding IEC 62443 for Industrial Cybersecurity," by ISA99 Committee.

The IEC 62443 standard outlines a comprehensive framework for securing industrial automation and control systems (IACS). The Defense in Depth concept within this standard includes six steps designed to ensure robust security.

Step 1: Identification and Authentication Control (IAC): Ensuring only authorized users and devices can access the system.

Step 2: Use Control (UC): Managing permissions and access controls to restrict actions users can perform.

Step 3: System Integrity (SI): Ensuring the system remains in a trustworthy state, protected from unauthorized changes.

Step 4: Data Confidentiality (DC): Protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and disclosure.

Step 5: Restricted Data Flow (RDF): Controlling and monitoring data flows to prevent unauthorized data transmission.

Step 6: Timely Response to Events (TRE): Implementing mechanisms to detect, respond to, and recover from security incidents.

These steps collectively form the Defense in Depth strategy prescribed by IEC 62443.

References

"IEC 62443 - Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security," International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC 62443.

"Defense in Depth," Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Defense in Depth.

An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is designed to monitor network or system activities for malicious activities or policy violations and can perform several functions:

Monitor:Observing network traffic and system activities for unusual or suspicious behavior.

Detect:Identifying potential security breaches including both known threats and unusual activities that could indicate new threats.

Respond:Executing pre-defined actions to address detected threats, which can include alerts or triggering automatic countermeasures.References:

Cisco Systems, "Intrusion Detection Systems".

Port mirroring (also known as SPAN - Switched Port Analyzer) is considered one of the best ways to counter packet monitoring on a switch. This technique involves copying traffic from one or more switch ports (or an entire VLAN) to another port where the monitoring device is connected. Port mirroring allows administrators to monitor network traffic in a non-intrusive way, as it does not affect network performance and is transparent to users and endpoints on the network.References:

Cisco Systems, "Catalyst Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) Configuration Example".

In the context of monitoring and alerts within cybersecurity, the classification of alerts includes true positives, false positives, true negatives, and false negatives.

A false negative is considered the most dangerous type of alert because it occurs when an actual security threat is present but the monitoring system fails to detect and alert it. This allows malicious activities to occur undetected, potentially leading to significant damage or data loss.

The risk with false negatives is that they provide a false sense of security, assuming that systems are secure while in reality, they are compromised.

References

"Security and Network Monitoring Basics," Cisco Systems.

"Understanding Alert Classifications in Cybersecurity," Journal of Information Security.

Among the options listed, Nessus is primarily a vulnerability assessment tool, not an exploit tool. It is used to scan systems, networks, and applications to identify vulnerabilities but does not exploit them. On the other hand, Canvas, Core Impact, and Metasploit are exploit tools designed to actually perform attacks (safely and legally) to demonstrate the impact of vulnerabilities.References:

Tenable, Inc., "Nessus FAQs".

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a connection-oriented protocol used in the majority of internet communications.

Connection-oriented protocols like TCP require a connection to be established between the communicating devices before data is transmitted. This ensures reliable and ordered delivery of data.

TCP manages this by establishing a handshake mechanism (TCP three-way handshake) to set up the connection prior to transmitting data and properly terminating the connection once the communication session has completed.

References

"TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols" by W. Richard Stevens.

Postel, J., "Transmission Control Protocol," RFC 793.

Code Red is not ICS specific malware; it was a famous worm that targeted computers running Microsoft's IIS web server. Unlike Flame, Havex, and Stuxnet, which were specifically designed to target industrial control systems or perform espionage related to ICS environments, Code Red was aimed at exploiting vulnerabilities in internet-facing software to perform denial-of-service attacks and other malicious activities.References:

CERT Coordination Center, "Code Red Worm Exploiting Buffer Overflow In IIS Indexing Service DLL".

IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) has two modes: Transport mode and Tunnel mode.

Tunnel mode is used to create a secure connection tunnel between two endpoints (e.g., two gateways, or a client and a gateway) and it encapsulates the entire IP packet.

This mode not only protects the payload but also the header information of the original IP packet, thereby providing a higher level of security compared to Transport mode, which only protects the payload.

References

Kent, S. and Seo, K., "Security Architecture for the Internet Protocol," RFC 4301, December 2005.

"IPsec Services," Microsoft TechNet.

Eavesdropping and interception primarily attack the confidentiality component of the IT Security Model. Confidentiality is concerned with protecting information from beingaccessed by unauthorized parties. Eavesdropping involves listening to private communication or capturing data as it is transmitted over a network, thereby breaching the confidentiality of the information.References:

William Stallings, "Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice".

IEC 62443 defines multiple security levels (SLs) tailored to address different types of threats and attackers in industrial control systems.

Security Level 4 (SL4) is designed to protect against sophisticated attacks by adversaries such as hacktivists or terrorists. SL4 involves threats that are targeted with specific intent against the organization, using advanced skills and means.

This level assumes that the adversary is capable of sustained and focused efforts with significant resources, including state-level actors or well-funded groups, aiming at causing widespread disruption or damage.

References

IEC 62443-3-3: System security requirements and security levels.

"Industrial Network Security: Securing Critical Infrastructure Networks for Smart Grid, SCADA, and Other Industrial Control Systems," by Eric Knapp.

LACNIC (Latin American and Caribbean Network Information Centre) is the regional Internet registry for Latin America and parts of the Caribbean. It manages the allocation and registration of Internet number resources (such as IP addresses and AS numbers) within this region and maintains the registry of domain owners in South America.References:

LACNIC official website, "About LACNIC".

Thenetstatcommand is a versatile networking tool used for various network-related information-gathering tasks, including displaying all network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast memberships.

The specific option-rwith thenetstatcommand is used to display the routing table.

This information is critical for troubleshooting network issues and understanding how data is routed through a network, identifying possible points of failure or security vulnerabilities.

References

"Linux Network Administrator's Guide," by O'Reilly Media.

Man pages fornetstatin UNIX/Linux distributions.

Hacktivism refers to the act of hacking, or breaking into computer systems, for a politically or socially motivated purpose. Hacktivists use their skills to promote a cause, influence public opinion, or bring attention to social injustices. The term combines "hacking" and "activism," representing a form of activism that takes place within cyberspace.References:

Dorothy E. Denning, "Activism, Hacktivism, and Cyberterrorism: The Internet as a Tool for Influencing Foreign Policy".