IBM QRadar SIEM Interview Questions

 IBM QRadar SIEM Interview Questions

Security information management (SIM),

1.What is Index?

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The index is a set of items describing the data in a file and its location in the system. Indexing of data is done in real-time or on request after data is collected. It facilitates easy and efficient search optimization

2- What is index management?

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Index management is used to control the indexing of the database on event and flow properties. The index management window in IBM QRadar contains some properties

3- What is the function of the index management toolbar?

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Enabling the index: 

choose the property you want to index in the index management toolbar and click on enable the index  icon.

Disabling the index:

choose the property in the index management list and disable it by clicking on the icon of disabling  the index.

Quick search: 

one can search the property in the index management list by typing the keyword related to that property in the quick search field.

4- What is the reference set?

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In IBM Security QRadar, Reference sets are used to store the data in a listed format. The Reference set store the business data such as IP addresses and usernames collected through the events and flows occurring in the network. It contains unique values while searching, filtering, and testing rule conditions

5- What is the function of the QRadar Qflow collector?

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QRadar Qflow collects the network flows from all the devices connected in a network. It also collects live and recorded feeds such as Network taps, Netflow, QRadar flow logs.

6-  How can we schedule the updates?

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IBM Security QRadar updates automatically on a recurring schedule as per settings on the update configuration page. Users can schedule a large update to run during off-hours, so that system’s performance is not affected

We can follow the below steps to schedule -

1- Open the navigation menu and click on Admin to open the admin tab

2- In the system configuration section, click on Auto-update.

3- From the schedule, the list selects the type of updates that you want to schedule.

4- Use the calendar to choose the day and time when you want to begin the update.

7- What is a retention bucket?

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Retention buckets determine for how long the event data and flow data will remain in IBM Security QRadar. Each event or flow data received by QRadar is compared and stored in the retention bucket following the retention bucket filter criteria. The data is automatically deleted after the deletion time period is ever. By default, this period is set to 30 days

8- What is the workflow for an app

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9 - How can we define our Network hierarchy in IBM Security QRadar?

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Network hierarchy in IBM Security QRadar monitors the activity and monitor groups or services in the network

We can edit the objects and groups or add a new group of objects by following the procedure mentioned below:

-->> Open the admin tab in the navigation menu, click ‘System Configuration’ and select ‘Network Hierarchy.’

-->> On the network view window, select the part of the network in which you want to work. To add network objects: Add the name and description for the object. From the group-list, select the group. Type a CIDR range for the object and click Add. Repeat the above steps for all group objects

-->> Click Edit or Delete to manipulate already existing network objects

10 - What is an event processor?

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The Event processor in IBM QRadar processes the event data collected from various event collectors. Event processors are assigned with local storage

11-  How to create an on-demand backup archive?

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BM QRadar SIEM automatically creates a backup of the configured information at midnight. The user can schedule the timing of backing up the archive as per his convenience.

Create on-demand backup use below steps -

1- Open the Admin tab.

2- Select the System Configuration section. Click on backup & recovery.

3- Select On-demand Backup.

4- Enter the values for name and description.

5- Click on run backup.

12 -  What is the use of remote networks and service groups ?

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Remote network and service groups represent traffic activity on the network. All remote networks and services have group levels and leaf object levels. Remote network groups show the user traffic coming from the specific remote network. Users can edit the remote network and service groups by adding objects to the existing group or by making the changes in the predefined properties.

13 - How can we reset the SIM Module?

SIM module facilitates to eliminate all offense, IP address source, & information of the destination IP address from the database and the disk. The reset option is useful after fine-tuning the installation to evade receiving any additional false information.

There are two options available to rest -

1- Soft Clean, which closes all the offenses in the database. we can select Deactivate all offenses.

2- Hard Clean – It purges all the historical & current SIM data including the offenses, destination IP addresses & source IP addresses.

14 - What do you understand by High Availability?

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The high availability (HA) attribute makes sure the accessibility of QRadar SIEM data in any event of hardware/network breakdown. Each cluster of HA contains of one primary host & one secondary host as standby. The secondary host continues with the same data as the primary host. Either by replicating the data of primary hosts, or accesses the shared data on external storage. The secondary host in the network sends a heartbeat ping to the primary host every 10 seconds by default to detect any hardware or network failure. As soon as the secondary host identifies a failure, the secondary host assumes all responsibilities of the primary host, automatically.

15 - What are the types of user authentication?

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->>System Authentication -QRadar SIEM authenticates Users locally, which is the default type -of authentication.
-->> TACACS Authentication – Authentication via Terminal Access Controller Access Control System server.
-->> RADIUS Authentication – Authentication via Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service server.
-->> Active Directory – Authentication via Lightweight Directory Access Protocol server using Kerberos.
-->> LDAP – Authentication via the Native LDAP server.

16 - What is a Magistrate?

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Magistrate offers the core components for processing of SIEM system. One Magistrate component can be added for each installation. Magistrate provides reports, views, alerts, network traffic, and events. Magistrate processes events against the determined custom rules to generate offense. Magistrate uses the default set rule to process the offending flow if there is no set rule.

17 - What is the encryption process?

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Encryption takes place between the deployed hosts; therefore, deployment must contain more than one managed host. Encryption is enabled through SSH tunnels initiated from the client. The client is the system, which initiates a connection in a client/server relationship. Enabling encryption within hosts, which are without the console, encryption tunnels will be created automatically for all the databases & support services connected with the Console. Encryption is administered within hosts, the tunnels are created for all the client applications on the managed hosts to offer protected entrance to the relevant servers only

18 -  What is an Offense?

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The offense is a flow processed through QRadar SIEM through multiple inputs, individual and combined events, after behaviors analysis. Magistrate prioritizes the offenses & allocates a value based on factors, including the amount of severity & relevance.

19 - How to Configure an Accumulator?

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-->> Display the Database Bar (see Display an Explorer Bar).

-->> In the Database Bar, right-click on the System or Group for which you want to add an Accumulator

-->> Select the Create New option.

-->> Select the Accumulator option.

20 - What is automate security intelligence to rapidly detect threats?

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21 - What is NetFlow?

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It is s proprietary accounting technology designed by Cisco, which monitors traffics through routers, & interprets the client, protocol, server & port used, calculates the number of bytes & packets to send the data to any NetFlow collector. The procedure of sending data from NetFlow is known as a NetFlow Data Export (NDE).

22- What are the databases present in IBM QRadar SIEM?

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-->> Ariel database

-->> PostgreSQL database 

23 - How the encryption process is enabled?

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IBM QRadar provides encryption support that uses OpenSSH to provide secure data transmission between the devices connected in your network. At least one managed host is required to enable the encryption process because encryption occurs between managed hosts only. After the enabling of the encryption process, a secure tunnel is created on the client that initiates the connection using an SSH protocol.

24- What is  QRadar architecture

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The QRadar architecture functions the same way regardless of the size or number of components in a deployment. The following three layers that are represented in the diagram represent the core functionality of any QRadar system.

25 - What does a SIEM tool do?

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SIEM software combines security information management (SIM) and security event management (SEM) to provide real-time analysis of security alerts generated by applications and network hardware

26 - SIEM a Darktrace?

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Darktrace can be configured to fit into SIEM dashboards, so alerts from threats detected by the Darktrace Cyber AI Platform can be sent to security teams via the SIEM. SIEMs can be a useful tool for data correlation and the convergence of security tools.

27 - What is SOC and NOC?

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A Network Operations Center (NOC) maintains optimal network performance, while a Security Operations Center (SOC) identifies, investigates, and resolves threats and cyber attacks.

28 - What should a SOC analyst know?

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1- Ability to work under pressure

2- Strong fundamental skills

3- An inquisitive mind

4- Critical thinking

29 - What is Implementation Flow-Chart?

30 - Types License used in IBM Qradar ?

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QRadar SIEM Console provides a default license key to access the QRadar SIEM user interface for 5 weeks. If we log in after the license key has expired, we are directed to the System & License Management window. We should update the license key to continue. If any of the non-Console systems has an expired license key, a message will be displayed at the time of login, which indicates the requirement of a new license key & navigates to the System and License Management window for updation.

31- What are the benefits of using NAT with QRadar SIEM?

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Network Address Translation (NAT) actually translates an IP address of one network to another IP address in different networks. NAT offers enhanced securities for the deployment since needs are managed through the translation process and hides internal IP addresses. Prior to enabling NAT for QRadar SIEM managed host, we must configure the NATed network through static NAT translations, which ensures the communications between hosts that are managed & exists within different NATed networks

32 - What is dark trace tool?

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Darktrace (DARK:L), a global leader in cyber security AI, delivers world-class technology that protects over 5,000 customers worldwide from advanced threats, including ransomware and cloud and SaaS attacks. “Darktrace is a game-changer. It allows us to remain resilient in a rapidly changing threat landscape.”

33- What is IBM QRadar tool?

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IBM QRadar Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) helps security teams accurately detect and prioritize threats across the enterprise, and it provides intelligent insights that enable teams to respond quickly to reduce the impact of incidents.

34 - What is QRadar Vulnerability Manager?

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IBM QRadar Vulnerability Manager is a network scanning platform that detects vulnerabilities within the applications, systems, and devices on your network or within your DMZ.

QRadar Vulnerability Manager uses security intelligence to help you manage and prioritize your network vulnerabilities.

35 - How does QRadar collect layer 7 application data?

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IBM QRadar correlates flows into an offense when it identifies suspicious activity in network communications. The flow analysis provides visibility into layer 7, or the application layer, for applications such as web browsers, NFS, SNMP, Telnet, and FTP. … For more information, see the IBM QRadar Administration Guide.

36 -  What is the benefit of indexing the event properties in QRadar?

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The indexed filter eliminates portions of the data set and reduces the overall data volume and number of event or flow logs that must be searched. Without any filters, QRadar takes more time to return the results for large data sets.

37 -  What types of events can QRadar collect?

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QRadar accepts events from log sources by using protocols such as syslog, syslog-tcp, and SNMP. QRadar can also set up outbound connections to retrieve events by using protocols such as SCP, SFTP, FTP, JDBC, Check Point OPSEC, and SMB/CIFS.

38 - What are offenses QRadar?

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QRadar SIEM generates offenses whenever it detects a threat in the environments, servers, or the networks it is monitoring, such as malware injection.

QRadar SIEM generates offenses whenever it detects a security threat to the organization data.

39 -  Which connection type to the console is required to run Qchange_netsetup?

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Log in to as the root user. Note: If you attempt to run qchange_netsetup over a serial connection, the connection can be misidentified as a network connection. To run over a serial connection use qchange_netsetup -y . This command allows you to bypass the validation check that detects a network connection.

40 - What QRadar component does event storage in the Ariel DB?

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Event storage (Ariel) A time-series database for events where data is stored on a minute by minute basis. Data is stored where the event is processed.

The Event Collector sends normalized event data to the Event Processor where the events are processed by Custom Rules Engine (CRE).

41- What is parser and its types?

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