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

According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, the Protocol Intelligence dashboards are the dashboards that support the ability to view and analyze network Stream data. The Protocol Intelligence dashboards provide a summary of network traffic by protocol, such as TCP, UDP, ICMP, and others. They also show the top sources, destinations, ports, and applications for each protocol. The dashboards allow you to filter the data by time range, protocol, source, destination, port, and application. The dashboards also provide drilldown links to other dashboards, such as the Network Resolution dashboard and the Traffic Size Analysis dashboard, for further analysis. The Protocol Intelligence dashboards require the Splunk App for Stream and the Splunk Add-on for Stream to capture and parse network traffic data. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Protocol Intelligence dashboards. References = Protocol Intelligence dashboards.

Anomali ThreatStream App for Splunk | Splunkbase

 One way to test for a properly normalized data model is to run a | datamodel search against the data model or a dataset within the data model and compare the results to the CIM documentation for the datamodel. The CIM documentation provides the expected fields, tags, and constraints for each data model and dataset, as well as examples of normalized events. By running a | datamodel search, you can examine the JSON output of the data model or dataset and verify that it matches the CIM specifications. You can also use the search mode option of the | datamodel command to return either results or a search string that you can further inspect or modify. For more information, see datamodel - Splunk Documentation1 and Overview of the Splunk Common Information Model2. References = 1: datamodel - Splunk Documentation 2: Overview of the Splunk Common Information Model

 The Risk Analysis dashboard provides tools to analyze the risk scores and risk modifiers of various objects, such as systems, users, hashes, and network artifacts. The dashboard shows the risk score by object, the most active sources of risk, the risk score by category, the risk score over time, and the risk modifiers by object. The dashboard also allows you to create ad hoc risk entries, view the risk details of an object, and export the risk data as a CSV file. The other options, A, B, and D, are not correct. The Risk Analysis dashboard does not provide tools to show high risk threats, notable event domains, or key indicators of correlation searches. These are features of other dashboards in Splunk Enterprise Security, such as the Threat Activity dashboard, the Domain Analysis dashboard, and the Correlation Search Audit dashboard. References =

• Analyze risk in Splunk Enterprise Security
• Risk Analysis dashboard

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

To navigate to the ES graphical Navigation Bar editor, you need to click the Configure menu in the ES app bar, then select General, and then select Navigation. The Navigation page allows you to customize the navigation bar of the ES app by adding, removing, or reordering the menu items. You can also edit the labels, icons, and links of the menu items. You can use the graphical editor to drag and drop the menu items, or you can edit the navigation XML directly. For more information, see Customize the navigation bar in Splunk Enterprise Security1. The other options, A, C, and D, are not correct. There is no Navigation Menu option under the Configure menu. The Settings menu does not allow you to edit the navigation bar of the ES app. The Settings menu only allows you to edit the navigation menus of the Splunk platform, such as the app launcher and the user menu. References =

• Customize the navigation bar in Splunk Enterprise Security

Design navigation graphs | Android Developers1

Design navigation graphs | Android Developers

 The role that should be assigned to a security team member who will be taking ownership of notable events in the incident review dashboard is the ess_analyst role. The ess_analyst role is a predefined role in Splunk Enterprise Security that grants the user the ability to view, edit, comment, and change the status and owner of notable events. The ess_analyst role also allows the user to access the dashboards, reports, and searches related to security analysis and investigation12. References = 1: Overview of roles and capabilities in Splunk Enterprise Security - Splunk Documentation - ess_analyst role. 2: Incident Review - Splunk Documentation - Triage notable events on the Incident Review dashboard.

A key feature of a glass table is customization. A glass table is a dashboard that allows you to create dynamic and interactive visualizations of your security data. You can customize a glass table by adding static images and text, the results of ad-hoc searches, and security metrics that show the values of KPIs, service health scores, or notable events. You can also configure the appearance, behavior, and drilldown options of the glass table elements. A glass table is not rigid, but flexible and adaptable to your security needs. A glass table is not designed for interactive investigations, but for high-level monitoring and analysis. A glass table does not store data for later retrieval, but shows real-time data generated by KPIs and services. References =

• Create and manage glass tables in Splunk Enterprise Security
• Add security metrics to a glass table in Splunk Enterprise Security

When creating custom correlation searches, you can use the fieldname format to embed field values in the title, description, and drill-down fields of a notable event. This allows you to customize the notable event with dynamic information from the search results. For example, you can use src to include the source IP address of the event, or user to include the user name of the event1. References = 1: Create a correlation search - Splunk Documentation - Define the notable event.

The Add-On Builder is available from SplunkBase, which is the official source of apps and add-ons for the Splunk platform. SplunkBase allows you to browse, download, and install apps and add-ons that are compatible with your Splunk deployment. You can also upload and share your own apps and add-ons with the Splunk community. The Add-On Builder is a Splunk app that helps you build and validate technology add-ons for your Splunk Enterprise deployment. Technology add-ons are specialized add-ons that help to collect, transform, and normalize data feeds from specific sources in your environment. The Add-On Builder guides you through the process of creating an add-on, following best practices and naming conventions, maintaining CIM compliance, and testing and validating the add-on1. The Add-On Builder is not available from GitHub, www.splunk.com, or the ES installation package. References =

• Splunk Add-on Builder | Splunkbase

Splunk Add-on Builder | Splunkbase

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.

After data is ingested, the data management step that is essential to ensure raw data can be accelerated by a data model and used by ES is normalization to the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM). The CIM is a standard and consistent way of naming and structuring the fields and tags for different types of data, such as network, web, email, authentication, and malware. The CIM allows you to use the same search queries and dashboards across different data sources, even if they have different formats or schemas. Normalizing data to the CIM involves mapping the raw data fields and tags to the CIM fields and tags using technology add-ons. Technology add-ons are Splunk apps that provide the necessary configurations and extractions for specific data sources. By normalizing data to the CIM, you can enable data model acceleration for the data models that use the CIM fields and tags. 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. Data model acceleration is required for most of the dashboards and correlation searches in Splunk Enterprise Security. References =

• Data models in the Splunk Common Information Model
• Data model acceleration

 A prefix of Splunk_TA_ would allow an add-on to be automatically imported into Splunk Enterprise Security. Splunk Enterprise Security uses a naming convention to identify and import add-ons that are compatible with the Common Information Model (CIM). Add-ons that start with Splunk_TA_ are automatically imported into Splunk Enterprise Security and mapped to the appropriate data models. Add-ons that do not follow this naming convention must be manually imported and configured in Splunk Enterprise Security1. A prefix of CIM_ or TECH_ does not indicate an add-on that can be automatically imported. A suffix of .spl is the file extension for Splunk apps and add-ons, but it does not guarantee that they are compatible with Splunk Enterprise Security. References =

• Import add-ons into Splunk Enterprise Security

The Splunk Add-on Builder helps you create technology add-ons, which are specialized add-ons that help to collect, transform, and normalize data feeds from specific sources in your environment. Technology add-ons are often referred to as TAs, and they start with the prefix TA-12. References = 1: Splunk Add-on Builder User Guide - About the Splunk Add-on Builder 2: Splunk Developer Portal - Develop Splunk Apps

 According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, the way to make the Threat Activity dashboard the default landing page in ES is to use the Edit Navigation page and click the ‘Set this as the default view’ checkmark for Threat Activity. The Edit Navigation page allows you to customize the menu bar of ES and add links to custom dashboards, reports, or other views. You can also set the default view for each app context, which determines the landing page when you open the app. To set the Threat Activity dashboard as the default view, you need to do the following steps:

• On the Enterprise Security menu bar, select Configure > General > Navigation.
• In the Edit Navigation page, select the Enterprise Security app context from the drop-down menu.
• In the Navigation XML section, find the line that contains the view name ‘threat_activity’.
• Add the attribute default=“true” to the line and remove the same attribute from any other line in the same app context.
• Click Save Changes to apply the changes to the Edit Navigation page.

This will make the Threat Activity dashboard the default landing page when you open the Enterprise Security app. See Customize the navigation bar for more details.

The other options are not the correct ways to make the Threat Activity dashboard the default landing page in ES. Dragging and dropping the Threat Activity view to the top of the page will not change the default view, but only the order of the menu items. Selecting Enterprise Security as the default application will not change the default view within the app, but only the app that opens when you log in to Splunk. Editing the Threat Activity view settings will not change the default view, but only the title, description, permissions, and schedule of the dashboard. Therefore, the correct answer is C. From the Edit Navigation page, click the 'Set this as the default view" checkmark for Threat Activity. References = Customize the navigation bar.

 According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, only users with the ess_admin role or the Manage All Investigations capability can delete an investigation. The investigation owner and collaborators can edit the investigation, but not delete it. Therefore, the correct answer is A. ess_admin users only. References = Manage investigations in Splunk Enterprise Security

According to the Splunk Add-on Builder documentation, after managing source types and extracting fields, the key step that comes next in the Add-on Builder is to map to data models. Data models are predefined schemas that provide a common standard for organizing and naming data fields across different data sources. Splunk Enterprise Security uses the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) to enable cross-source analysis and correlation of security events. The Add-on Builder helps you to map your data fields to the CIM data models, such as Authentication, Change, Endpoint, and others. You can use the Data Model Mapper tool to select the data models that are relevant to your data source and map the fields accordingly. You can also validate the data model mappings and preview the results. See Map to data models for more details.

The other options are not the correct steps that come next in the Add-on Builder. Validate and package is the last step in the Add-on Builder, where you can check the quality and readiness of your add-on and create a package file for distribution. See Validate and package for more details. Configure data collection is the first step in the Add-on Builder, where you can specify the method and parameters for collecting data from your data source. See Configure data collection for more details. Create alert actions is an optional step in the Add-on Builder, where you can build custom alert actions or adaptive response actions for Splunk Enterprise Security. See [Create alert actions] for more details. Therefore, the correct answer is D. Map to data models. References =

• Map to data models
• Validate and package
• Configure data collection
• [Create alert actions]

Splunk Add-on Builder | Splunkbase3

Splunk Add-on Builder | Splunkbase

Splunk Enterprise Security supports downloading threat intelligence from STIX/TAXII servers. STIX is a structured language for describing cyber threat information, and TAXII is a protocol for exchanging STIX data. Splunk Enterprise Security can download STIX/TAXII feeds from any server that supports the TAXII 1.1 specification and the STIX 1.1.1 or 1.2 specification. Splunk Enterprise Security does not support downloading threat intelligence from text, VulnScanSPL, or Splunk Enterprise Threat Generator sources. References = Add threat intelligence to Splunk Enterprise Security, Upload a STIX or OpenIOC structured threat intelligence file

The Status Configuration window in Splunk Enterprise Security allows you to manage and customize the investigation statuses and the status transitions for notable events. You can specify which roles can change the status of a notable event from one status to another. For example, you can restrict the ess_user role from changing the status of Resolved notable events to Closed by removing the ess_user role from the status transitions for the Closed status. This way, only the roles that have the permission to change the status to Closed can close the Resolved notable events. References =

• Manage and customize investigation statuses in Splunk Enterprise Security

 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.

 According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, the best way to integrate a newly built custom dashboard to a team of security analysts in ES is to set the dashboard permissions to allow access by es_analysts and use the navigation editor to add it to the menu. This will ensure that the dashboard is visible and accessible to the users with the es_analyst role, which is the default role for security analysts in ES. The navigation editor allows you to customize the menu bar of ES and add links to custom dashboards, reports, or other views. See Customize Splunk Enterprise Security dashboards to fit your use case and Customize the navigation bar for more details.

The other options are not recommended, because they either do not integrate the dashboard properly or they create unnecessary complexity. Adding links on the ES home page to the new dashboard is not a good option, because it does not integrate the dashboard into the menu bar and it may clutter the home page. Creating a new role inherited from es_analyst, making the dashboard permissions read-only, and making this dashboard the default view for the new role is not a good option, because it creates a redundant role and it may confuse the users who expect to see the Security Posture dashboard as the default view. Adding the dashboard to a custom add-in app and installing it to ES using the Content Manager is not a good option, because it requires creating and maintaining a separate app and it may cause conflicts or performance issues with ES. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Set the dashboard permissions to allow access by es_analysts and use the navigation editor to add it to the menu. References =

• Customize the navigation bar
• Roles and capabilities in Splunk Enterprise Security
• Content Management
• Customize Splunk Enterprise Security dashboards to fit your use case

How to Create Custom Dashboards and Alerts to Achi ... - Splunk Community

The tstatsHomePath setting in indexes.conf allows you to specify an alternate location for accelerated storage. Accelerated storage is where Splunk Enterprise stores the summary data for data models that are accelerated. The summary data is used to speed up searches and reports that use the data models. By default, the accelerated storage is located in the same volume as the index that contains the events referenced by the data model. However, you can use the tstatsHomePath setting to change the location of the accelerated storage to a different volume or path. This can help you optimize the performance and disk space usage of your Splunk Enterprise deployment. References =

• Use the tstatsHomePath setting in indexes.conf if you need to specify alternate locations for your accelerated storage
• tstatsHomePath setting in indexes.conf.spec

By default, the CIM data models search all indexes in Splunk Enterprise Security. This means that any event that matches the tags and fields of a data model can be included in the data model, regardless of the index where it is stored. However, this can also affect the performance and efficiency of the data model searches, especially if there are many indexes that do not contain relevant data for the data model. Therefore, it is recommended to use the indexes allow list setting in the CIM add-on to constrain the indexes that each data model searches. The indexes allow list is a comma-separated list of indexes that you want to include in the data model search. You can specify index names or index macros. For example, you can set the indexes allow list for the Authentication data model to index=main, index=security, index=auth to limit the search to only those three indexes12. References = 1: Managing data models in Enterprise Security - Splunk Lantern - Indexes allow list. 2: Overview of the Splunk Common Information Model - Splunk Documentation - Why the CIM exists.

The setting that is used in indexes.conf to specify alternate locations for accelerated storage is tstatsHomePath. Accelerated storage is the location where Splunk Enterprise stores the summary data for accelerated data models and reports. By default, acceleration storage is allocated in the same location as the index containing the raw events being accelerated. However, if you need to specify alternate locations for your accelerated storage, you can use the tstatsHomePath setting in indexes.conf. This setting allows you to define a different path for the summary data, which can improve the performance and efficiency of the data model acceleration. For example, you can set the tstatsHomePath to a faster disk or a different volume than the index homePath12. References = 1: Managing data models in Enterprise Security - Splunk Lantern - Indexes allow list. 2: indexes.conf - Splunk Documentation - tstatsHomePath.

 According to the Splunk Enterprise Security documentation, the Status Configuration window allows you to customize the status values and transitions for notable events. You can define which roles can change the status of a notable event from one value to another, and which roles can view the notable events with a specific status. To restrict the users with the ess_user role from being able to change the status of Resolved notable events to closed, you need to do the following steps:

• On the Enterprise Security menu bar, select Configure > Incident Management > Status Configuration.
• In the Status Configuration window, select the Resolved status from the list of values.
• In the Status Transitions section, find the row for the closed status and click the Edit icon.
• In the Edit Status Transition dialog box, remove the ess_user role from the Roles field and click Save.
• Click Save Changes to apply the changes to the Status Configuration window.

This will prevent the users with the ess_user role from changing the status of any notable event from Resolved to closed. They will still be able to change the status of other notable events to closed, if they have the permission to do so. Therefore, the correct answer is A. From the Status Configuration window select the Resolved status. Remove ess_user from the status transitions for the closed status. References = Customize status values and transitions for notable events.

The Content Management page in Splunk Enterprise Security allows you to export any content type that is listed on the page as an app. The content types include correlation searches, glass tables, dashboards, reports, saved searches, key indicators, workbench panels, and managed lookups. You can use the export option to share custom content with other ES instances, such as migrating customized searches from a development or testing environment into production. You can also import content from other ES instances or from Splunkbase using the Content Management page. References =

• Export content from Splunk Enterprise Security as an app
• Import content to Splunk Enterprise Security as an app