Free Practice Questions for CyberArk PAM-DEF Exam

The Central Policy Manager (CPM) in CyberArk most commonly uses the ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) interface when connecting to a database. ODBC is a standard API for accessing database management systems (DBMS). The CPM supports remote password management on all databases that support ODBC connections, and the machine running the CPM must support ODBC, version 2.7 and higher1. References:

CyberArk Docs: Databases that support ODBC connections1

 When setting up a Dual Control workflow for a team’s safe in CyberArk’s Privileged Access Management (PAM), the Approvers group must be granted specific permissions to function effectively within the workflow. The permissions required for the Approvers group are to ‘Retrieve accounts’ and ‘Authorize account request’. This allows the Approvers to retrieve the necessary account details and also to authorize requests for access as part of the dual control mechanism. These permissions ensure that the workflow operates smoothly and securely, with the Approvers having the ability to review and approve access requests as needed.

References: The answer is derived from the best practices and guidelines provided in the CyberArk Defender PAM course and learning resources, which include the official CyberArk documentation and study guides. Specifically, the CyberArk documentation outlines the importance of the ‘Retrieve accounts’ and ‘Authorize account request’ permissions for Approvers in a Dual Control workflow

 During the Windows discovery process in CyberArk Defender PAM, accounts that can be selected for use include an account that is already stored in the Vault and an account that is specified by the user. The discovery process scans predefined machines for new and modified accounts and their dependencies. After the scan, accounts that should be onboarded into the Vault for secure and automatic management are identified12. References: The information provided is based on general knowledge of CyberArk PAM best practices and the account discovery process as outlined in CyberArk’s official documentation1

Comprehensive Explanation: The Privileged Threat Analytics (PTA) sensors are designed to collect specific types of data to detect potential security threats. For the alert category of Unmanaged privileged account, the Network Sensor and PTA Windows Agent are responsible for collecting the relevant data. Similarly, for the alert category of Anomalous access to multiple machines, data is collected from Logs, the Vault, and optionally from AWS and Azure. The Suspicious activities detected in a privileged session category relies on data from Logs, the Vault, and optionally from AD, AWS, and Azure. Lastly, the Suspected credentials theft category also utilizes the Network Sensor and PTA Windows Agent for data collection.

References:

CyberArk’s official training materials and documentation provide detailed information on PTA sensors and the types of data they collect for different alert categories.

 In the PrivateArk client, to update users’ Vault group memberships, you use the Member Of tab. After logging in as an administrative user and navigating to the Users and Groups window, you select a user and click Update. In the Member Of tab, you can manage the user’s group memberships by adding or removing them from groups within the Vault1.

References:

CyberArk Docs - Manage users in PrivateArk client1

The user that is automatically added to all Safes and cannot be removed is the Master user. The Master user is a predefined user that is created during the Vault installation and has full permissions on all Safes and accounts. The Master user is the only user that can perform certain tasks, such as creating other predefined users, managing the Vault configuration, and restoring the Vault from a backup. The Master user cannot be deleted or modified by any other user, and is always a member of every Safe12. References:

Predefined users and groups - CyberArk, section “Master”

Safes and Safe members - CyberArk, section “Safe members overview”

Customers who have the ‘Access Safe without confirmation’ safe permission on a safe where accounts are configured for Dual control, do not need to request approval to use the account. The ‘Access Safe without confirmation’ safe permission allows users to access accounts without confirmation from authorized users, even if the Master Policy or an exception enforces Dual Control1. This means that users who have this permission can bypass the workflow process and access the account password or connect to the target system immediately. This permission can be granted to users or groups on a safe level by the safe owner or another user with the Manage Safe authorization2. References:

1: Dual Control, Advanced Settings subsection

2: CyberArk Privileged Access Security Implementation Guide, Chapter 3: Managing Safes, Section: Safe Authorizations, Table 2-1: Safe Authorizations

The platform configuration defines the password management settings for each type of account, such as the password complexity, rotation frequency, verification method, and reconciliation options. You can set the regulatory requirement for password rotation in the platform configuration by specifying the number of days in the Password Change Interval parameter. This parameter determines how often the CPM will change the passwords of the accounts that are associated with the platform. For example, if you set the Password Change Interval to 90, the CPM will change the passwords every 90 days. References: Credentials Rotation - CyberArk, How do I manage or change passwords stored in CyberArk?

For a Privileged Threat Analytics (PTA) detection of a “Suspected Credential Theft,” the automatic remediation that can be configured is Rotate Credentials. This remediation action is designed to automatically initiate password changes when PTA identifies a suspected credential threat, such as a credential theft event. By rotating the credentials, CyberArk ensures that the potentially compromised credentials are changed, thus mitigating the risk of unauthorized access1.

References:

CyberArk’s official documentation on configuring PTA remediations, which includes information on automatic password rotation for suspected credential threats2.

Additional details on the remediation actions that can be configured for different types of PTA detections, including Suspected Credential Theft1.

https://docs.cyberark.com/Product-Doc/OnlineHelp/PAS/Latest/en/Content/PTA/Security-Events.htm?TocPath=End%20User%7CSecurity%20Events%7C_____2#Permissions