Free Practice Questions for Forescout FSCP Exam

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout Administration Guide, one policy can be set to run first by categorizing the Policy as a classifier. Classifier policies run before other policy types.​

Policy Categorization and Execution Order:

According to the Forescout Administration Guide:​

Forescout supports different policy categories, and these categories determine execution order:

Classifier Policies - Run FIRST

Used for initial device classification

Establish basic device properties (OS, Function, Network Function)

Must complete before other policies can evaluate classification properties

Assessment Policies - Run AFTER classifiers

Assess compliance based on classified properties

Depend on classifier output

Control/Action Policies - Run LAST

Apply remediation actions

Depend on assessment results

How Classifier Policies Run First:

According to the documentation:​

"When you categorize a policy as a classifier, it runs before assessment and action policies. This allows the classified properties to be established before other policies attempt to evaluate them."

Reason for Classifier Priority:

According to the policy execution guidelines:​

Classifier policies must run first because:

Dependency Resolution - Other policies depend on classification properties

Property Population - Classifiers populate device properties used by other policies

Execution Efficiency - Classifiers determine what type of device is being evaluated

Logical Flow - You must know what a device is before assessing or controlling it

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. There is no way to cause one policy to run first - Incorrect; categorization determines execution order

B. Setting Main Rule condition to utilize primary classification - While main rule conditions can reference classification, this doesn't change policy execution order

C. Categorizing the Policy as an assessment policy - Assessment policies run AFTER classifier policies, not first

E. Using Irresolvable criteria - Irresolvable criteria handling doesn't affect policy execution order

Policy Categorization Example:

According to the documentation:​

text

Policy Execution Order:

1. CLASSIFIER Policies (Run First)

- "Device Classification Policy" (categorized as Classifier)

- Resolves: OS, Function, Network Function

2. ASSESSMENT Policies (Run Second)

- "Windows Compliance Policy" (categorized as Assessment)

- Depends on classification from step 1

3. ACTION Policies (Run Last)

- "Remediate Non-Compliant Devices" (categorized as Control)

- Depends on assessment from step 2

In this workflow, because "Device Classification Policy" is categorized as a Classifier, it executes first, populating device properties that the subsequent Assessment and Action policies need.

Referenced Documentation:

ForeScout CounterACT Administration Guide - Policy Categorization​

Categorize Endpoint Authorizations - Policy Categories and Execution

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout IoT Security solutions documentation and policy best practices, proper policy flow should consist of: "Modify as little as possible in discovery, each classify sub-rule should flow to an assess policy, IoT classify policies typically test manageability, IT classify usually indicates ownership".​

Policy Flow Architecture:

According to the Forescout IoT Security documentation:​

text

Discovery Phase (Passive)

↓

Classification Phase (Determine device type)

├─ IoT Classify - Test MANAGEABILITY

└─ IT Classify - Indicate OWNERSHIP

↓

Assessment Phase (Evaluate compliance)

↓

Control Phase (Apply actions)

Discovery Phase - Minimal Modification:

According to the documentation:​

"Modify as little as possible in discovery. Discovery should remain passive and non-invasive, using only network traffic analysis and passive profiling to gain device visibility."

This approach prevents operational disruption and maintains passive-only visibility.

Classification Phase:

According to the Forescout solution brief:​

IT Device Classification Policies:

Typically indicate OWNERSHIP (corporate vs. BYOD)

Determine if device is managed or unmanaged

Establish if device belongs to organization

IoT Device Classification Policies:

Typically test MANAGEABILITY (can it be managed)

Determine if device can support agents or management

Assess remote accessibility capabilities

Assessment Phase Flow:

According to the documentation:​

"Each classify sub-rule should flow to an assess policy. This hierarchical flow ensures that assessment policies evaluate endpoints based on their classification, not before."

The workflow is:

text

Classify Sub-Rule → Assessment Policy

├─ If device matches classifier criteria

└─ Then assessment policy evaluates compliance

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. IoT classify policies typically test ownership - Incorrect; IT classify policies test ownership, IoT policies test manageability

C. Each sub-rule should flow to assess - Missing the critical "from classify" part; sub-rules flow from classify to assess

D. Discovery should include customized sub-rules - Incorrect; discovery should be minimal; sub-rules are for classify/assess phases

E. Each discovery sub-rule should flow to classify policy - Incorrect terminology; discovery doesn't have sub-rules that flow forward

Referenced Documentation:

Forescout IoT Security Solution Brief​

Internet of Things (IoT) Platform Overview​

Forescout IoT Security - Total Device Visibility​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide and HPS Applications Plugin documentation, the properties that can be determined by the HPS Plugin are: Operating System (C) and HTTP banner (E).​

HPS Plugin Capabilities:

According to the HPS Inspection Engine guide:​

"The HPS (Host Property Scanner) Inspection Engine provides host properties for detecting endpoint characteristics including operating system, services, and applications."

The HPS plugin determines:

Operating System - OS type, version, service pack level

HTTP Banner - Service versions from HTTP banner scanning

Services and Applications - Running processes and installed software

System Information - Hardware vendor, NIC vendor, etc.

Operating System Detection:

According to the HPS Applications Plugin guide:​

"Windows operating system information is detected by the HPS Applications Plugin, including: Release, Package/flavor, Service Pack"

The plugin detects:

Windows OS versions (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, etc.)

Server editions (2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, etc.)

Service pack levels

OS build information

HTTP Banner Detection:

According to the HPS Inspection Engine guide:​

"Service Banner: Indicates the service and version information, as determined by Nmap. HTTP banner scanning returns service identification information."

The HTTP banner property is resolved by NMAP scanning with the -sV parameter, which is part of the HPS plugin's classification capabilities.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Application installed on Mac OS - The HPS Applications Plugin is for Windows applications only; it does not detect Mac OS applications

B. External Device on Windows - External Device detection is a separate property unrelated to HPS plugin discovery

D. AD group membership - This is determined by the User Directory plugin via LDAP, not the HPS plugin

HPS Plugin vs. Other Plugins:

According to the documentation:​

Property

HPS Plugin

Other Plugins

Operating System

✓Yes

N/A

HTTP Banner

✓Yes (NMAP)

N/A

Windows Applications

✓Yes

N/A

AD Group Membership

✗No

User Directory

Mac OS Applications

✗No

macOS-specific

External Devices

✗No

Network discovery

Referenced Documentation:

CounterACT Endpoint Module HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide v10.8​

CounterACT HPS Applications Plugin Configuration Guide v2.1.4​

About the HPS Applications Plugin​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout Administration Guide - Policy Processing, when an admission event occurs, "Main rules process concurrently, sub-rules process sequentially".​

Policy Processing Flow:

According to the Main Rule Advanced Options documentation:​

When an admission event triggers policy evaluation:

Main Rules - Process concurrently/in parallel

All main rules are evaluated simultaneously

No ordering or sequencing

Each main rule evaluates independently

Sub-Rules - Process sequentially/in order

Sub-rules within each main rule execute one after another

First match wins - stops evaluating subsequent sub-rules

Order matters for sub-rule execution

Main Rule Concurrent Processing:

According to the documentation:​

"Main rules are evaluated independently and concurrently. Multiple main rules can be processed simultaneously for the same endpoint."

Sub-Rule Sequential Processing:

According to the Defining Policy Sub-Rules documentation:​

"Sub-rules are evaluated sequentially in the order defined. When an endpoint matches a sub-rule, that sub-rule's actions are taken and subsequent sub-rules are not evaluated."

Example Processing:

When admission event triggers:

text

CONCURRENT (Main Rules):

├─ Main Rule 1 evaluation → Sub-rule processing (sequential)

├─ Main Rule 2 evaluation → Sub-rule processing (sequential)

└─ Main Rule 3 evaluation → Sub-rule processing (sequential)

(All main rules evaluate at the same time)

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B. Parallel/Concurrently - "Concurrent" and "parallel" mean the same thing; sub-rules don't process concurrently

C. Concurrent/Parallel - Sub-rules don't process in parallel; they're sequential

D. Sequential/Concurrently - Main rules don't process sequentially; they're concurrent

E. Sequential/Parallel - Main rules don't process sequentially; they're concurrent

Referenced Documentation:

Main Rule Advanced Options​

Defining Policy Sub-Rules​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide Version 10.8, when using MS-WMI for Remote Inspection, MS-WMI Reachable property should be used to test for Windows Manageability.​

MS-WMI Reachable Property:

According to the documentation:​

"MS-WMI Reachable: Indicates whether Windows Management Instrumentation can be used for Remote Inspection tasks on the endpoint."

This Boolean property specifically tests whether WMI services are available and reachable on a Windows endpoint.

Remote Inspection Reachability Properties:

According to the HPS Inspection Engine guide:​

Three reachability properties are available for detecting services on endpoints:

MS-RRP Reachable - Indicates whether Remote Registry Protocol is available

MS-SMB Reachable - Indicates whether Server Message Block protocol is available

MS-WMI Reachable - Indicates whether Windows Management Instrumentation is available (THIS IS FOR MS-WMI)

How to Use MS-WMI Reachable:

According to the documentation:​

When Remote Inspection method is set to "Using MS-WMI":

Check the MS-WMI Reachable property value

If True - WMI services are running and available for Remote Inspection

If False - WMI services are not available; fallback methods or troubleshooting required

Property Characteristics:

According to the documentation:​

"These properties do not have an Irresolvable state. When HPS Inspection Engine cannot establish connection with the service, the property value is False."

This means:

Always returns True or False (never irresolvable)

False indicates the service is not reachable

No need for "Evaluate Irresolvable Criteria" option

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Windows Manageable Domain (Current) - This is not the specific property for testing MS-WMI capability

B. MS-RRP Reachable - This tests Remote Registry Protocol, not WMI

D. MS-SMB Reachable - This tests Server Message Block protocol, not WMI

E. Windows Manageable Domain - General manageability property, not specific to WMI testing

Remote Inspection Troubleshooting:

According to the documentation:​

When troubleshooting Remote Inspection with MS-WMI:

First verify MS-WMI Reachable = True

Check required WMI services:

Server

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

Verify port 135/TCP is available

If MS-WMI Reachable = False, check firewall and WMI configuration

Referenced Documentation:

CounterACT Endpoint Module HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide v10.8​

Detecting Services Available on Endpoints​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout Administration Guide - Remediate Actions, "Start Antivirus update" is an example of a remediation action.​

Remediation Actions Definition:

According to the Remediate Actions documentation:​

"Remediation actions are actions that address compliance issues by taking corrective measures on endpoints. These actions fix, update, or improve the security posture of non-compliant endpoints."

Examples of Remediation Actions:

According to the documentation:​

Remediation actions include:

Start Antivirus Update - Updates antivirus definitions on the endpoint

Update Antivirus - Updates antivirus software

Start Windows Updates - Initiates Windows security patches

Enable Firewall - Activates Windows firewall

Disable USB - Restricts USB access

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Start SecureConnector - This is a deployment action, not remediation

C. Assign to VLAN - This is a containment/isolation action (Switch Remediate Action), not a remediation action

D. Switch port block - This is a containment/restrict action (Switch Restrict Action), not remediation

E. HTTP login - This is authentication, not a remediation action

Action Categories:

According to the documentation:​

Category

Examples

Purpose

Remediate Actions

Start Antivirus, Windows Updates, Enable Firewall

Fix compliance issues

Restrict Actions

Switch Block, Port Block, ACL

Contain threats

Remediate Actions (Switch)

Assign to VLAN (quarantine)

Move to isolated VLAN

Deployment

Start SecureConnector

Deploy agents

Referenced Documentation:

Remediate Actions​

Switch Remediate Actions​

Switch Restrict Actions​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout Switch Plugin Configuration Guide, when verifying correct switch plugin configuration, you do NOT need to check: "IP address ranges are assigned to the correct appliance". This setting is network/appliance configuration, not switch plugin-specific configuration.​

Switch Plugin Configuration Verification Checklist:

According to the Switch Plugin documentation:​

When verifying switch plugin configuration, you MUST check:

A. The Switch plugin is running ✓

Plugin status must be active

Verify in plugin management interface

B. Correct switch management credentials ✓

SSH/CLI credentials configured

SNMP credentials (v1/v2/v3) configured

Must have appropriate permissions

D. Each switch passes the plugin test ✓

Use plugin test function to verify connectivity

Confirms credentials and permissions work

Validates communication protocols

E. Each switch is assigned to the correct appliance ✓

Switch must be assigned to managing appliance

Critical for multi-appliance deployments

Ensures proper VLAN management traffic routing

Why C is NOT Required:

According to the documentation:​

IP address range assignment (segment assignment) is:

Part of appliance channel/segment configuration

NOT part of switch plugin-specific configuration

Handled at appliance level, not plugin level

Related to appliance management, not switch management

Switch Plugin vs. Appliance Configuration:

According to the configuration guide:​

Item

Switch Plugin Config

Appliance Config

Plugin Running

✓Yes

N/A

Switch Credentials

✓Yes

N/A

Plugin Test

✓Yes

N/A

Switch Assignment

✓Yes

N/A

IP Address Ranges

✗No

✓Yes

Referenced Documentation:

CounterACT Switch Plugin Configuration Guide v8.12​

Switch Configuration Parameters​

Permissions Configuration – Switch​

Configuring Switches in the Switch Plugin

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

The correct command to monitor system memory and CPU load with 5 second update intervals is vmstat 5. According to the official Linux documentation and Forescout CLI reference materials, the vmstat command uses a straightforward syntax where the first numerical parameter specifies the delay interval in seconds.​

vmstat Command Syntax:

The vmstat (Virtual Memory Statistics) command uses the following syntax:​

bash

vmstat [options] [delay] [count]

Where:

delay - The time interval (in seconds) between updates

count - The number of updates to display (optional; if omitted, displays indefinitely)

vmstat 5 Command:

When you execute vmstat 5:​

Updates are displayed every 5 seconds

Continues indefinitely until manually stopped

Shows memory and CPU statistics in each update

Example output:

text

procs -----------memory---------- ---swap-- -----io---- -system-- ------cpu-----

r b swpd free buff cache si so bi bo in cs us sy id wa st

1 0 0 1166396 70768 2233228 0 0 0 13 10 24 0 0 100 0 0

0 0 0 1165568 70776 2233352 0 0 0 8 121 224 0 0 99 0 0

0 0 0 1166608 70784 2233352 0 0 0 53 108 209 0 0 100 0 0

Each line represents a new report generated at 5-second intervals.​

Memory and CPU Information Provided:

The vmstat output includes:​

Memory Columns:

free - Amount of idle memory

buff - Amount of memory used as buffers

cache - Amount of memory used as cache

swpd - Amount of virtual memory used

si/so - Memory swapped in/out

CPU Columns:

us - Time spent running user code

sy - Time spent running kernel code

id - Time spent idle

wa - Time spent waiting for I/O

st - Time stolen from virtual machine

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. watch -t 5 vmstat - Incorrect syntax; -t removes headers, not set intervals; interval flag is -n, not -t

C. vmstat -t 5 - The -t option adds a timestamp to output, but doesn't set the interval; the 5 would be ignored

D. watch uptime - The uptime command displays system uptime and load average but not detailed memory/CPU stats; watch requires -n flag for interval specification

E. watch -n 10 vmstat - While syntactically valid, this uses a 10-second interval, not 5 seconds; also unnecessary since vmstat already supports delay parameter directly

Additional vmstat Examples:

According to documentation:​

bash

vmstat 5 5 # Display 5 updates at 5-second intervals

vmstat 1 10 # Display 10 updates at 1-second intervals

vmstat -t 5 5 # Display 5 updates every 5 seconds WITH timestamps

First Report Note:

According to the documentation:​

"When you run vmstat without any parameters, it shows system values based on the averages for each element since the server was last rebooted. These results are not a snapshot of current values."

The first report with vmstat 5 shows averages since last reboot; subsequent reports show statistics for each 5-second interval.​

Referenced Documentation:

Linux vmstat Command Documentation​

RedHat vmstat Command Guide​

Oracle Solaris vmstat Manual​

Microsoft Azure Linux Troubleshooting Guide​

IBM AIX vmstat Documentation

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout Administration Guide and RADIUS Plugin Configuration Guide, the best practice for ordering sub-rules is that the first rule should capture the lowest number of endpoints.​

Sub-Rule Evaluation Order:

According to the documentation:​

"Endpoints are inspected against each sub-rule in the order listed. When an endpoint matches a sub-rule, subsequent sub-rules are not evaluated for that endpoint."

This sequential evaluation means that sub-rule order is critical to policy behavior.

Best Practice - Specific to General:

According to the guidelines:​

The correct approach is to order sub-rules from most specific to least specific:

First Sub-Rules (Most Specific) - Should capture the lowest number of endpoints

Very specific criteria

Narrow scope

Handles edge cases and special conditions

Middle Sub-Rules - Broader criteria

More endpoints matched

General conditions

Last Sub-Rule (Most General) - Catch-all sub-rule

Lowest specificity

Highest number of endpoints

Handles remaining unmatched endpoints

Why Specific Rules First:

According to the documentation:​

"When an endpoint is found to match a sub-rule, no subsequent rules are evaluated for the endpoint."

This "first match wins" behavior requires:

Most specific rules first - Ensure special cases are handled correctly

General rules last - Catch remaining endpoints that don't match specific criteria

Avoid premature matches - If a general rule appears first, specific rules never execute

Example Sub-Rule Ordering:

According to the RADIUS documentation:​

text

Sub-Rule 1 (Most Specific, Lowest Count):

Condition: Windows 7 AND Antivirus NOT Running AND Not Encrypted

Lowest number of endpoints - specific conditions

Sub-Rule 2 (More General, Moderate Count):

Condition: Windows Endpoint AND Missing Patches

More endpoints - broader criteria

Sub-Rule 3 (Least Specific, Highest Count - Catch-All):

Condition: Windows Endpoint (Any)

Highest number - captures all remaining Windows endpoints

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Last rule should capture the highest number - While the last rule may capture many endpoints, the key best practice is about the FIRST rule capturing the LOWEST

C. Second rule should capture the highest number - Sub-rule order is specific to general, not based on position 2

D. Last rule should not use a catch-all - Best practice is that the LAST rule should be the catch-all

E. First rule should capture the highest number - This is the OPPOSITE of correct practice

Referenced Documentation:

Forescout RADIUS Plugin Configuration Guide v4.3 - Sub-Rules section​

Defining Forescout Platform Policy Sub-Rules​

Sub-Rule Advanced Options​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout User Directory Plugin documentation, the two main uses of the User Directory plugin are: Verify authentication credentials (A) and Query user details (D).​

Main Functions of User Directory Plugin:

According to the official documentation:​

"The User Directory plugin resolves endpoint user details and performs user authentication via configured internal and external directory servers."

The plugin's two primary functions are:

Authenticate Users - Verify/validate authentication credentials

Resolve User Information - Query and retrieve user details from directory servers

Verifying Authentication Credentials:

According to the documentation:​

The User Directory plugin:

Validates user credentials against configured directory servers (Active Directory, LDAP, etc.)

Performs authentication for:

Endpoint user authentication

Console login authentication

Guest user registration

RADIUS authentication

Querying User Details:

According to the documentation:​

The User Directory plugin:

Resolves endpoint user information including:

User name and identity

Group membership

User properties and attributes

Department and organizational unit information

Retrieves details via LDAP queries when "Use as directory" is enabled

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B. Define authentication traffic - The plugin doesn't define traffic; it queries authentication servers for user information

C. Perform Radius authorization - This is the function of the RADIUS Plugin, not the User Directory plugin (though they work together)

E. Populate the Dashboard - Dashboard population is not a primary function of the User Directory plugin

User Directory vs. RADIUS Plugin:

According to the documentation:​

Function

User Directory

RADIUS

Authenticate credentials

✓Yes

✓Yes (primary)

Query user details

✓Yes (primary)

✗No

802.1X authentication

✗No

✓Yes

Authorization

Partial

✓Yes (primary)

Referenced Documentation:

User Directory plugin overview​

About the User Directory Plugin​

Initial Setup – User Directory​