SPLK-2003 Online Practice Questions and Answers

Correct Answer: B

If, after configuring an external Splunk search head for search in SOAR, the search results do not include content that was previously returned, one possible issue could be that the user account configured on the SOAR side does not have the required permissions (such as the 'phantomsearch' capability) enabled on the Splunk side. This capability is necessary for the SOAR server to execute searches and retrieve results from the Splunk search head.

Correct Answer: D

When working with complex data paths in Splunk SOAR, particularly within playbooks, the dot (.) operator is used to access sub-elements within a larger data structure. This operator allows for the navigation through nested data, such as dictionaries or objects within JSON responses, enabling playbook actions and decision blocks to reference specific pieces of data within the artifacts or action results. This capability is crucial for extracting and manipulating relevant information from complex data sets during incident analysis and response automation.

Correct Answer: B

The correct answer is B because an active playbook can be configured to operate on all containers that share a label. A label is a user-defined attribute that can be applied to containers to group them by a common characteristic, such as source, type, severity, etc. Labels can be used to filter containers and trigger active playbooks based on the label value. See Splunk SOAR Documentation for more details. In Splunk SOAR, labels are used to categorize containers (such as incidents or events) based on their characteristics or the type of security issue they represent. An active playbook can be configured to trigger on all containers that share a specific label, enabling targeted automation based on the nature of the incident. This functionality allows for efficient and relevant playbook execution, ensuring that the automated response is tailored to the specific requirements of the container's category. Labels serve as a powerful organizational tool within SOAR, guiding the automated response framework to act on incidents that meet predefined criteria, thus streamlining the security operations process.

Correct Answer: A

The error message "an empty parameters list was passed to phantom.act()" typically indicates that the action being called by the playbook does not have the required parameters to execute. This can happen if the playbook expects certain data to be present in the container's artifacts but finds none. Artifacts in Splunk SOAR (Phantom) are data elements associated with a container (such as an event or alert) that playbooks can act upon. If a playbook action is designed to use data from artifacts as parameters and those artifacts are missing or do not contain the expected data, the playbook cannot execute the action properly, leading to this error.

Correct Answer: D

The primary objective of using the I2A2 playbook design methodology in Splunk SOAR is to create playbooks that are simple, reusable, and modular. This design philosophy emphasizes the creation of playbooks that can be easily

understood and maintained, encourages the reuse of playbook components in different scenarios, and fosters the development of playbooks that can be modularly connected or used independently as needed.

I2A2 design methodology is a framework for designing playbooks that consists of four components:

Inputs: The data that is required for the playbook to run, such as artifacts, parameters, or custom fields.

Interactions: The blocks that allow the playbook to communicate with users or other systems, such as prompts, comments, or emails.

Actions: The blocks that execute the core logic of the playbook, such as app actions, filters, decisions, or utilities.

Artifacts: The data that is generated or modified by the playbook, such as new artifacts, container fields, or notes.

The I2A2 design methodology helps you to plan, structure, and test your playbooks in a modular and efficient way. The primary objective of using the I2A2 design methodology is to create simple, reusable, modular playbooks that can be

easily maintained, shared, and customized. Therefore, option D is the correct answer, as it states the primary objective of using the I2A2 design methodology. Option A is incorrect, because creating detailed playbooks is not the primary objective of using the I2A2 design methodology, but rather a possible outcome of following the framework. Option B is incorrect, because creating playbooks that customers will not edit is not the primary objective of using the I2A2 design methodology, but rather a potential risk of not following the framework. Option C is incorrect, because meeting customer requirements using a single playbook is not the primary objective of using the I2A2 design methodology, but rather a challenge that can be overcome by using the framework. Use a playbook design methodology in Administer Splunk SOAR (Cloud).

Correct Answer: B

On the Investigation page in Splunk SOAR, users have the ability to edit or delete comments associated with an event or a container. Comments are generally used for collaboration and to provide additional context to an investigation. While action results, approval records, and artifact values are typically not editable or deletable to maintain the integrity of the investigative data, comments are more flexible and can be managed by users to reflect the current state of the investigation.

Investigation page allows you to view and edit various information and data related to an event or a case. One of the things that you can edit or delete in the Investigation page is the comments that you or other users have added to the activity feed. Comments are a way of communicating and collaborating with other users during the investigation process. You can edit or delete your own comments by clicking on the three-dot menu icon next to the comment and selecting the appropriate option. You can also reply to other users' comments by clicking on the reply icon. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as it is the only option that can be edited or deleted in the Investigation page. Option A is incorrect, because action results are the outputs of the actions or playbooks that have been run on the event or case, and they cannot be edited or deleted in the Investigation page. Option C is incorrect, because approval records are the logs of the approval requests and responses that have been made for certain actions or playbooks, and they cannot be edited or deleted in the Investigation page. Option D is incorrect, because artifact values are the data that has been collected or generated by the event or case, and they cannot be edited or deleted in the Investigation page.

1: Start with Investigation in Splunk SOAR (Cloud)

Correct Answer: A

To get playbook results for a single artifact, a user can utilize the contextual menu option directly from the artifact itself. This method allows for targeted execution of a playbook on just that artifact, facilitating a focused analysis or action based on the data within that specific artifact. This approach is particularly useful when a user needs to drill down into the details of an individual piece of evidence or data point within a larger incident or case, allowing for granular control and execution of playbooks in the Splunk SOAR environment.

Correct Answer: C

The correct answer is C because creating artifacts using one playbook and collecting those artifacts in another playbook is a best practice for data sharing across playbooks. Artifacts are data objects that are associated with a container and can be used to store information such as IP addresses, URLs, file hashes, etc. Artifacts can be created using the add artifact action in any playbook block and can be collected using the get artifacts action in the filter block. Artifacts can also be used to trigger active playbooks based on their label or type. See Splunk SOAR Documentation for more details. In the context of Splunk SOAR, one of the best practices for data sharing across playbooks is to create artifacts in one playbook and use another playbook to collect and utilize those artifacts. Artifacts in Splunk SOAR are structured data related to security incidents (containers) that playbooks can act upon. By creating artifacts in one playbook, you can effectively pass data and context to subsequent playbooks, allowing for modular, reusable, and interconnected playbook designs. This approach promotes efficiency, reduces redundancy, and enhances the playbook's ability to handle complex workflows.

Correct Answer: D

Splunk SOAR (formerly Phantom) does not natively run on Windows servers as it is primarily designed for Linux environments. However, it can be deployed on a Windows server through virtualization. By running the Phantom OVA (Open Virtualization Appliance) as a virtual machine, users can utilize virtualization platforms like VMware or VirtualBox on a Windows server to host the Phantom environment. This approach allows for the deployment of Phantom in a Windows-centric infrastructure by leveraging virtualization technology to encapsulate the Phantom application within a supported Linux environment provided by the OVA.

Correct Answer: C

For a container in Splunk SOAR to utilize context-aware actions designed for notable events from Splunk, it is crucial to ensure that the notable event's unique identifier ( event_id) is included in the search results pulled into SOAR. Moreover, by adding a Common Event Format (CEF) definition for the event_id field within Phantom, and setting its data type to something that denotes it as a Splunk notable event ID, SOAR can recognize and appropriately handle these identifiers. This setup facilitates the correct mapping and processing of notable event data within SOAR, enabling the execution of context-aware actions that are specifically tailored to the characteristics of Splunk notable events.