Splunk SPLK-2003 Exam Dumps

Indicators in Splunk SOAR (formerly Phantom) are crucial elements used to detect and respond to security incidents. Let's break down what indicators are and their significance:

Definition of Indicators:

Indicatorsare data points or patterns that suggest the presence of malicious activity or potential security threats.

They can be anything from IP addresses, domain names, file hashes, URLs, email addresses, or other observable artifacts.

Indicators help security teams identify and correlate events across different sources to understand the scope and impact of an incident.

Types of Indicators:

Observable Indicators: These are directly observable artifacts, such as IP addresses, domain names, or file hashes.

Behavioral Indicators: These describe patterns of behavior, such as failed login attempts, lateral movement, or suspicious network traffic.

Contextual Indicators: These provide additional context around an event, such as the user account associated with an action or the time of occurrence.

Use Cases for Indicators:

Threat Detection: Security analysts create rules or playbooks that trigger based on specific indicators. For example, an indicator like a known malicious IP address can trigger an alert.

Incident Response: During an incident, indicators help identify affected systems, track lateral movement, and prioritize response efforts.

Threat Intelligence Sharing: Organizations share indicators with each other to improve collective security posture.

Multiple Containers:

Indicators can appear in multiple containers (playbooks, actions, etc.) within Splunk SOAR.

For example, an IP address associated with a suspicious domain might appear in both a threat intelligence playbook and an incident response playbook.

Artifact Values vs. Indicators:

While artifact values are related, they are not the same as indicators.

Artifact valuesrepresent specific data extracted from an artifact (e.g., extracting an IP address from an email header).

Indicatorsencompass a broader range of data points and are used for detection and correlation.

Splunk SOAR Documentation: Indicators

Splunk SOAR Community: Understanding Indicators

In a Splunk SOAR playbook, if no data matches the conditions specified within a filter block, the playbook execution will proceed to the next block that is configured to follow the filter block. The 'next block' refers to whatever action or decision block is designed to be next in the sequence according to the playbook's logic.

Filters in Splunk SOAR are used to make decisions based on data conditions, and they control the flow of the playbook. If the conditions in a filter block are not met, the playbook does not simply end or restart; rather, it continues to execute the subsequent blocks that have been set up to handle situations where the filter conditions are not met.

A filter block will typically have different paths for different outcomes---matching and non-matching. If the conditions are matched, one set of blocks will execute, and if not, another set of blocks, which could simply be the next one in the sequence, will execute. This allows for complex logic and branching within the playbook to handle a wide range of scenarios.

In a Splunk SOAR playbook, when no data matches any filter conditions, the playbook continues to run by proceeding to the next block in the sequence.The filter block is designed to specify a subset of artifacts before further processing, and only artifacts matching the specified condition are passed along to downstream blocks for processing1.If no artifacts meet the conditions, the playbook does not end or restart; instead, it moves on to the next block, which could be any type of block depending on the playbook's design1.

Use filters in your Splunk SOAR (Cloud) playbook to specify a subset of artifacts before further processing - Splunk Documentation

In Splunk SOAR, a child playbook can access both the container data and the action result data from the parent playbook. This capability allows child playbooks to continue processing data or actions that were initiated by the parent playbook, ensuring smooth data flow and facilitating complex workflows across multiple playbooks. When a parent playbook calls a child playbook, the container (which holds the event and artifact data) and action results (which hold the outputs of previously executed actions) are passed to the child playbook.

This access enables more flexible and powerful automation by allowing the child playbook to build upon the work done by the parent.

Splunk SOAR Playbook Documentation.

Splunk SOAR Playbook Development Best Practices.

In Splunk SOAR, when a playbook is designed such that more than one Action block is active at the same time, it is referred to as 'Parallel Processing'. This allows for multiple actions to be executed concurrently, which can significantly speed up the execution of a playbook as it does not have to wait for one action to complete before starting another. Parallel processing enables more efficient use of resources and time, particularly in complex playbooks that perform numerous actions.

The Files tab on the Investigate page allows the user to upload, download, and view files related to an investigation. A user can upload the output from a detonate action to the Files tab for further investigation, such as analyzing the file metadata, content, or hash. Files tab items and artifacts are not the only data sources that can populate active cases, as cases can also include events, tasks, notes, and comments. Files tab items can be added to investigations by using the add file action block or the Add File button on the Files tab. Phantom memory requirements may increase depending on the Files tab usage, as files are stored in the Phantom database.

The Files tab on the Investigate page in Splunk Phantom is an area where users can manage and analyze files related to an investigation. Users can upload files, such as outputs from a 'detonate file' action which analyzes potentially malicious files in a sandbox environment. The files tab allows users to store and further investigate these outputs, which can include reports, logs, or any other file types that have been generated or are relevant to the investigation. The Files tab is an integral part of the investigation process, providing easy access to file data for analysis and correlation with other incident data.