Explanation: In network security, the principle of least privilege suggests that only necessary access should be granted while everything else is denied. The default deny approach aligns with this principle by blocking all traffic by default and then selectively allowing authorized traffic through specific rules. This approach minimizes the attack surface and reduces the risk of unauthorized access or malicious activities. Therefore, option d is the correct answer.

Explanation: The Firepower Management Center (FMC) is a centralized management platform for configuring, managing, and monitoring Cisco Firepower devices across the network. It provides a single interface for policy configuration, event monitoring, and reporting. FMC streamlines security management tasks, such as creating access control policies, intrusion policies, and application control policies, across multiple Firepower devices, ensuring consistency and ease of management. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: Customizing IPS policies involves tailoring them to the specific needs and characteristics of the organization’s network environment. This customization considers factors such as the organization’s risk tolerance, network architecture, and prevalent threat landscape. By customizing IPS policies, organizations can effectively mitigate risks while minimizing false positives and optimizing network performance. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: SSL decryption policies in Cisco Firepower enable the inspection of encrypted traffic by decrypting it to detect any malicious content or activities hidden within. This process enhances security by allowing Firepower devices to analyze encrypted communication for threats, such as malware or intrusion attempts. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: The whitelist approach to application control policies allows organizations to define a list of permitted business applications while blocking access to all other applications. This approach ensures that employees can only access essential business applications, reducing distractions and enhancing productivity. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: Security Intelligence Feeds integration in Cisco Firepower involves incorporating real-time threat intelligence from external sources into Firepower devices. This integration enhances the effectiveness of threat detection and prevention capabilities by providing timely information about emerging threats, malicious IP addresses, and known attack patterns. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) in Cisco Firepower is specifically designed to detect and prevent advanced malware threats through continuous file analysis and sandboxing techniques. AMP analyzes file behavior in a sandbox environment to identify malicious activities and prevent them from causing harm to the network. Therefore, option d is the correct answer.

Explanation: Reviewing system logs on Firepower devices can provide valuable insights into any errors or issues related to network discovery settings. Error messages or warnings in the logs can help identify misconfigurations or connectivity problems, allowing administrators to troubleshoot and resolve the issues effectively. Therefore, option a is the correct answer.

Explanation: Event monitoring and correlation in Cisco Firepower involves analyzing network events and logs to identify potential security threats, policy violations, or anomalous activities. By correlating events from various sources, such as Firepower devices, intrusion detection systems, and authentication servers, organizations can detect and respond to security incidents more effectively. Therefore, option a is the correct answer.

Explanation: Configuring email authentication mechanisms, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks by verifying the authenticity of email senders and domains. These mechanisms enhance email security and ensure compliance with email security regulations and standards. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Backup, restore, and upgrade procedures in Cisco Firepower deployments are essential for maintaining the availability and integrity of critical data, configurations, and system settings. These procedures enable organizations to recover from hardware failures, software errors, or other unforeseen incidents by restoring backups or upgrading to newer versions with improved features and security patches. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: Tuning IPS policies involves adjusting severity levels, action settings, and other parameters based on the organization’s risk tolerance, operational requirements, and threat landscape. By customizing IPS policies, organizations can optimize detection accuracy, minimize false positives, and prioritize responses to potential threats effectively. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Incident detection and response workflows in Cisco Firepower deployments are designed to facilitate collaboration between security teams, IT personnel, and other stakeholders involved in incident response activities. These workflows help coordinate and streamline the detection, analysis, containment, and remediation of security incidents, ensuring a timely and effective response to threats. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Log management and analysis in Cisco Firepower deployments involve collecting, storing, and analyzing log data generated by Firepower devices to monitor network activities, track security events, and investigate security incidents. By analyzing log data, organizations can identify potential security threats, detect anomalous behavior, and respond to incidents effectively. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Using diagnostic commands to monitor CPU usage and identify resource-intensive processes is a common troubleshooting technique for identifying the cause of high CPU usage on Cisco Firepower devices. Commands such as “show processes cpu” provide real-time information about CPU utilization and the processes consuming the most resources, helping administrators pinpoint the underlying issue. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Implementing segmentation and isolation techniques, such as network segmentation, VLANs, and micro-segmentation, helps organizations limit the impact of security breaches by separating network resources into distinct zones or segments. This approach reduces the attack surface and prevents lateral movement of threats within the network. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Prioritizing correlation rules based on the organization’s risk assessment helps focus resources and attention on high-priority security events that pose the greatest risk to the organization. By prioritizing correlation rules, security teams can effectively manage alert volume, reduce false positives, and respond promptly to critical security incidents. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Automation and orchestration options in Cisco Firepower deployments enable organizations to automate repetitive administrative tasks, such as configuration management, policy enforcement, and incident response, to improve operational efficiency and reduce the risk of manual errors. By automating routine tasks, organizations can streamline security operations, free up resources for more strategic initiatives, and enhance overall productivity. Therefore, option a is the correct answer.

Explanation: Creating granular access control rules based on user roles, groups, or attributes enables organizations to enforce least privilege access control principles, ensuring that users only have access to the resources necessary for their roles or responsibilities. This approach enhances security by reducing the attack surface and minimizing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data and applications. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: Security posture assessment and improvement strategies involve evaluating the effectiveness of existing security controls, identifying gaps or weaknesses in the security posture, and implementing measures to enhance overall security resilience. These strategies help organizations continuously monitor and improve their security posture to adapt to evolving threats and mitigate emerging risks effectively. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: File analysis in Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) involves examining the behavior and characteristics of files to identify and block advanced malware threats. By analyzing file content, structure, and behavior, AMP can detect and prevent the execution of malicious code or activities hidden within files. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Tailoring report generation criteria to specific stakeholder requirements ensures that reports generated by Firepower Management Center (FMC) contain relevant data and metrics for decision-making. By focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs) and stakeholder priorities, organizations can derive actionable insights from reports to improve security posture and address identified risks effectively. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Reviewing firewall rules and access control policies is a common troubleshooting technique for resolving connectivity issues on Cisco Firepower devices. Misconfigured firewall rules or access control policies may inadvertently block legitimate traffic, causing connectivity problems. By reviewing and verifying these configurations, administrators can identify and correct any issues affecting network connectivity. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: The primary purpose of security event analysis and investigation in Cisco Firepower deployments is to identify potential security threats, policy violations, or anomalous activities for timely detection and response. By analyzing security events and logs, organizations can proactively detect security incidents, investigate their root causes, and take appropriate actions to mitigate risks and minimize impact. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Using diagnostic commands to monitor memory usage and identify resource-intensive processes is a common troubleshooting technique for identifying the cause of high memory usage on Cisco Firepower devices. Commands such as “show memory” provide real-time information about memory utilization and the processes consuming the most resources, helping administrators pinpoint the underlying issue. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Tuning IPS policies involves adjusting severity levels, action settings, and other parameters to prioritize security alerts and responses based on organizational priorities and risk tolerance. By customizing IPS policies, organizations can optimize threat detection accuracy, minimize false positives, and focus resources on addressing critical security threats effectively. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: Selectively integrating security intelligence feeds based on their relevance to the organization’s industry, geographic location, and threat landscape ensures that the threat intelligence received is actionable and aligned with the organization’s security priorities. This approach allows organizations to focus resources on addressing specific threats that are most likely to impact their environment effectively. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: The primary purpose of incident response and management workflows in Cisco Firepower deployments is to facilitate collaboration between security teams, IT personnel, and other stakeholders involved in incident response activities. These workflows help coordinate and streamline the detection, analysis, containment, and remediation of security incidents, ensuring a timely and effective response to threats. Therefore, option b is the correct answer.

Explanation: Network discovery and object management in Cisco Firepower automate the process of identifying, categorizing, and managing network assets, such as hosts, applications, and services, for inventory and asset management purposes. By maintaining an accurate inventory of network objects, organizations can streamline security policy management, improve visibility, and enhance overall network security. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.

Explanation: Tailoring IPS policies based on known vulnerabilities, attack patterns, and threat intelligence relevant to the e-commerce industry allows organizations to address specific security risks and threats effectively. By customizing IPS policies, organizations can mitigate risks, minimize false positives, and ensure that the website is adequately protected against potential threats. Therefore, option c is the correct answer.