A user reports falling for a phishing email to an analyst. Which of the following system logs would the analyst check FIRST?
A user reports falling for a phishing email to an analyst. Which of the following system logs would the analyst check FIRST?
When a user reports falling for a phishing email, the analyst would first check the message gateway logs. These logs provide information about incoming and outgoing emails, including their source, recipient, subject, and any attachments or links. This can help the analyst identify the phishing email, understand its nature, and determine its potential impact on the organization. Checking these logs allows the analyst to verify the report and take appropriate actions to mitigate any security threats before analyzing further logs like DNS or authentication.
This is a also a dumb question
We want to see DNS logs to see where the users was taken
any elaboration will be appreciated..
But your assuming that he clicked on a link and the question does not specify that
User report falling for the phishing mail
It does specify that
you don't have to click a link to fall for a phishing email, you can reply to it with sensitive info not having clicked anything. i go with message gateway; i also did this kind of work and that's the first thing i would check (see the sender, check header info, check to see if that sender sent emails to anyone else to get ahead of it before anybody else falls for it)
ChatGPT: B. Message gateway When a user reports falling for a phishing email, the analyst would first check the message gateway logs. The message gateway logs would provide information about the email's source, recipient, attachments, links, and any actions taken by the email security system. This information can help the analyst assess the nature of the phishing attempt, determine potential risks, and take appropriate actions to mitigate any potential security breaches.
DNS would only be useful if the link in the phishing email used a FQDN. If the link used an IP address, DNS is of no use.
B. Message Gateway. At first I thought it was DNS, but upon further reflection I have decided that Message Gateway is the best answer. The first thing the security team will do is attempt to determine if this if a True Positive or False Positive. Many reports and alerts are False Positives. They are NOT going to just assume straight away that it is a True Positive. They are going to check and validate that. As part of that work they would likely check the mail logs to see if the mail logs can help them determine whether it is a True Positive or False Positive. Once they have confirmed it is a True Positive then they will want to confirm if and when the link was actually clicked. That is when they will look at DNS.
Phishing emails doesnt always have to contain links. Sometimes attacker would pretend someone who needs to verify an identity to update an account and victim needs to reply the requested information. DNS does not apply to that scenario. So to gain some context about the phishing attack, you have to check the email gateway first.
Massage gateway logs
I'm leaning toward DNS because unless I'm mistaken Message Gateway is not in the objectives for the exam.
I have to say GPT does help at times but I have found it has been wrong as well. Please do't always trust it.
Message gateway. The message gateway logs would provide information about the incoming and outgoing emails, including details about the phishing email. It may include information about the sender, recipient, subject, attachments, and other relevant details related to the email's entry point into the organization's email system.
The Authentication logs would be the first system logs that the analyst should check in this scenario. These logs provide information about user authentication events, including login attempts, successful logins, and failed logins. By examining authentication logs, the analyst can identify any suspicious or unauthorized access attempts related to the user who fell for the phishing email.
The analyst would first check: B. Message gateway logs. Message gateway logs, such as those from email servers or email security appliances, often contain valuable information about incoming and outgoing emails, including details about email delivery, sender and recipient information, and any actions taken by the gateway, such as quarantining or blocking suspicious emails. These logs can help the analyst identify and investigate the phishing email reported by the user.
I would say DNS
Email issue. Check Email logs. The closet option is Mail gateway and I would hope it would keep a log of that email for admin inspection. Ironport and o365 does this.
From all sources, I can gather it is either Authentication, Message Gateway, or DNS. Except for this site, DNS is out. I cannot find a straignt correct answer. Chat GPT answers both, another site has the question listed twice with two different answers.
The answer is authentication on the actual exam and prep exam
you sure about that
That's what I have down also from another Exam prep course, Authentication.
check the logs for the dns
This email gateway allows you to examine all of the communication, both inbound and outbound, of your network.
First action is to check DNS logs which will help in getting an understanding of what the potential compromise is and how best to contain it. THEN you check the message gateway and those findings go into your incident report.