A great way to start the Palo Alto Networks Certified Detection and Remediation Analyst (PCDRA) preparation is to begin by properly appreciating the role that syllabus and study guide play in the Palo Alto PCDRA certification exam. This study guide is an instrument to get you on the same page with Palo Alto and understand the nature of the Palo Alto PCDRA exam.
Our team of experts has composed this Palo Alto PCDRA exam preparation guide to provide the overview about Palo Alto Detection and Remediation Analyst exam, study material, sample questions, practice exam and ways to interpret the exam objectives to help you assess your readiness for the Palo Alto PCDRA exam by identifying prerequisite areas of knowledge. We recommend you to refer the simulation questions and practice test listed in this guide to determine what type of questions will be asked and the level of difficulty that could be tested in the Palo Alto PCDRA certification exam.
Palo Alto PCDRA Exam Overview:
|
Exam Name
|
Detection and Remediation Analyst |
| Exam Number | PCDRA |
| Exam Price | $155 USD |
| Duration | 80 minutes |
| Number of Questions | 60 |
| Passing Score | Variable (70-80 / 100 Approx.) |
| Recommended Training |
Cortex XDR - Prevention and Deployment (EDU-260) Cortex XDR - Investigation and Response (EDU-262) |
| Exam Registration | PEARSON VUE |
| Sample Questions | Palo Alto PCDRA Sample Questions |
| Practice Exam | Palo Alto Networks Certified Detection and Remediation Analyst Practice Test |
Palo Alto PCDRA Exam Topics:
| Section | Objectives |
|---|---|
Threats and Attacks - 10% |
|
| Recognize the different types of attacks |
- Differentiate between exploits and malware. - Define a file-less attack. - Define a supply chain attack. - Outline ransomware threats. |
| Recognize common attack tactics |
- List common attack tactics - Define various attack tactics. - Outline MITRE framework steps. |
| Recognize various types of threats/vulnerabilities |
- Differentiate between threats and attacks. - Define product modules that help identify threats. - Identify legitimate threats (true positives) vs. illegitimate threats (false positives). - Summarize the generally available references for vulnerabilities. |
Prevention and Detection - 20% |
|
| Recognize common defense systems |
- Identify ransomware defense systems. - Summarize device management defenses. |
| Identify attack vectors. |
- Summarize how to prevent agent attacks. - Describe how to use XDR to prevent supply chain attacks. - Describe how to use XDR to prevent phishing attacks. - Characterize the differences between malware and exploits. - Categorize the types and structures of vulnerabilities. |
| Outline malware prevention. |
- Define behavioral threat protection. - Identify the profiles that must be configured for malware prevention. - Outline malware protection flow. - Describe the uses of hashes in Cortex XDR. - Identify the use of malware prevention modules (MPMs). |
| Outline exploit prevention |
- Identify the use of exploit prevention modules (EPMs). - Define default protected processes. - Characterize the differences between application protection and kernel protection. |
| Outline analytic detection capabilities |
- Define the purpose of detectors. - Define machine learning in the context of analytic detection. - Identify the connection of analytic detection capabilities to MITRE. |
Investigation - 20% |
|
| Identify the investigation capabilities of Cortex XDR |
- Describe how to navigate the console. - Identify the remote terminal options. - Characterize the differences between incidents and alerts. - Characterize the differences between exclusions and exceptions. |
| Identify the steps of an investigation |
- Clarify how incidents and alerts interrelate. - Identify the order in which to resolve incidents. - Identify which steps are valid for an investigation. - List the options to highlight or suppress incidents. |
| Identify actions to investigate incidents |
- Describe when to perform actions using the live terminal. - Describe what actions can be performed using the live terminal. - Describe when to perform actions using a script. - Identify common investigation screens and processes. |
| Outline incident collaboration and management using XDR. |
- Outline, read, and write attributes. - Characterize the difference between incidents and alerts. |
Remediation - 15% |
|
| Describe basic remediation |
- Describe how to navigate the remediation suggestions. - Distinguish between automatic vs. manual remediations. - Summarize how/when to run a script. - Describe how to fix false positives. |
| Define examples of remediation |
- Define ransomware. - Define registry. - Define file changes/deletions. |
| Define configuration options in XDR to fix problems |
- Define blocklist. - Define signers. - Define allowlist. - Define exceptions. - Define quarantine/isolation. - Define file search and destroy. |
Threat Hunting - 10% |
|
| Outline the tools for threat hunting |
- Explain the purpose and use of the IOC technique. - Explain the purpose and use of the BIOC technique. - Explain the purpose and use of the XQL technique. - Explain the purpose and use of the query builder technique. |
| Identify how to prevent the threat | - Convert BIOCs into custom prevention rules. |
| Manage threat hunting | - Describe the purpose of Unit 42. |
Reporting - 10% |
|
| Identify the reporting capabilities of XDR | - Leverage reporting tools. |
| Outline how to build a quality report |
- Identify what is relevant to a report given context. - Interpret meaning from a report. - Identify the information needed for a given audience. - Outline the capabilities of XQL to build a report. - Outline distributing and scheduling capabilities of Cortex XDR. |
Architecture - 15% |
|
| Outline components of Cortex XDR |
- Define the role of Cortex XDR Data Lake. - Define the role of Cortex Agent. - Define the role of Cortex Console. - Define the role of Cortex Broker. - Distinguish between different proxies. - Define the role of Directory Sync. - Define the role of Wildfire. |
| Describe communication among components |
- Define communication of data lakes. - Define communication for Wildfire. - Define communication options/channels to and from the client. - Define communication for external dynamic list (EDL). - Define communication from the broker. |
| Describe the architecture of agent related to different operating systems |
- Recognize different supported operating systems. - Characterize the differences between functions or features on operating systems. |
| Outline how Cortex XDR ingests other non-Palo Alto Networks data sources. |
- Outline all ingestion possibilities. - Describe details of the ingestion methods. |
| Overview of functions and deployment of Broker |
- Outline deployment of Broker. - Describe how to use the Broker to ingest third party alert. - Describe how to use the Broker as a proxy between the agents and XDR in the Cloud. - Describe how to use the Broker to activate Pathfinder. |
Palo Alto PCDRA Exam Description:
The Palo Alto Networks Certified Detection and Remediation Analyst (PCDRA) certification is a knowledge-based certification that validates candidates' understanding of fundamental cybersecurity, network security, cloud security, and SOC security.