Splunk SPLK-1005 Practice Test - Questions Answers, Page 3

In Splunk, when ingesting logs such as an Apache access log, the time zone for each event is typically determined by the time zone indicator present in the raw event data itself. In the log snippet you provided, the time zone is indicated by -0400, which specifies that the event's timestamp is 4 hours behind UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

Splunk uses this information directly from the event to properly parse the timestamp and apply the correct time zone. This ensures that the event's time is accurately reflected regardless of the time zone in which the Splunk instance or forwarder is located.

Splunk Cloud

Reference: For further details, you can review Splunk documentation on timestamp recognition and time zone handling, especially in relation to log files and data ingestion configurations.

Source:

Splunk Docs: How Splunk software handles timestamps

Splunk Docs: Configure event timestamp recognition

In Splunk, to ingest data from files or directories, the basic configuration in inputs.conf requires at least the following elements:

monitor stanza: Specifies the file or directory to be monitored.

sourcetype: Identifies the format or type of the incoming data, which helps Splunk to correctly parse it.

index: Determines where the data will be stored within Splunk.

The host attribute is optional, as Splunk can auto-assign a host value, but specifying it can be useful in certain scenarios. However, it is not mandatory for data ingestion.

Splunk Cloud

Reference: For more details, you can consult the Splunk documentation on inputs.conf file configuration and best practices.

Source:

Splunk Docs: Monitor files and directories

Splunk Docs: Inputs.conf examples

Option B is the correct approach because it properly uses a TRANSFORMS stanza in props.conf to reference the transforms.conf for removing sensitive data. The transforms stanza in transforms.conf uses a regular expression (REGEX) to locate the sensitive data (in this case, the SuperSecretNumber) and replaces it with a masked version using the FORMAT directive.

In detail:

props.conf refers to the transforms.conf stanza remove_sensitive_data by setting TRANSFORMS-cleanup = remove_sensitive_data.

transforms.conf defines the regular expression that matches the sensitive data and specifies how the sensitive data should be replaced in the FORMAT directive.

This approach ensures that sensitive information is masked before indexing without altering the structure of the log files.

Splunk Cloud

Reference: For further reference, you can look at Splunk's documentation regarding data masking and transformation through props.conf and transforms.conf.

Source:

Splunk Docs: Anonymize data

Splunk Docs: Props.conf and Transforms.conf

In Splunk, when configuring file and directory monitor inputs, several settings are available that control how data is indexed and processed. These settings are defined in the inputs.conf file. Among the given options:

host: Specifies the hostname associated with the data. It can be set to a static value, or dynamically assigned using settings like host_regex or host_segment.

index: Specifies the index where the data will be stored.

sourcetype: Defines the data type, which helps Splunk to correctly parse and process the data.

TCP_Routing: Used to route data to specific indexers in a distributed environment based on TCP routing rules.

host_regex: Allows you to extract the host from the path or filename using a regular expression.

host_segment: Identifies the segment of the directory structure (path) to use as the host.

Given the options:

Option B is correct because it includes host, index, sourcetype, TCP_Routing, host_regex, and host_segment. These are all valid settings for file and directory monitor inputs in Splunk.

Splunk Documentation

Reference:

Monitor Inputs (inputs.conf)

Host Setting in Inputs

TCP Routing in Inputs

By referring to the Splunk documentation on configuring inputs, it's clear that Option B aligns with the valid settings used for file and directory monitoring, making it the correct choice.

Splunk executes scripts from specific directories that are structured within its installation paths. These directories typically include:

SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/bin: This directory is used to store scripts that are part of the core Splunk system configuration.

SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps//bin: Each Splunk app can have its own bin directory where scripts specific to that app are stored.

SPLUNK_HOME/bin/scripts: This is a standard directory for storing scripts that may be globally accessible within Splunk's environment.

However, C. SPLUNKHOMS/ctc/scripts/local is not a recognized or standard path used by Splunk for executing scripts. This path does not adhere to the typical directory structure within the SPLUNK_HOME environment, making it the correct answer as it does not correspond to a valid script execution path in Splunk.

Splunk Documentation

Reference:

Using Custom Scripts in Splunk

Directory Structure of SPLUNK_HOME

In a managed Splunk Cloud environment, several features are available to ensure that the platform is secure, scalable, and meets enterprise requirements. The key features include:

Availability of premium apps: Splunk Cloud supports the installation and use of premium apps such as Splunk Enterprise Security, IT Service Intelligence, etc.

SSO Integration: Single Sign-On (SSO) integration is supported, allowing organizations to leverage their existing identity providers for authentication.

IP address whitelisting and blacklisting: To enhance security, managed Splunk Cloud environments allow for IP address whitelisting and blacklisting to control access.

Given the options:

Option C correctly lists these features, making it the accurate choice.

Option A incorrectly states 'no IP address whitelisting or blacklisting,' which is indeed available.

Option B mentions 'no SSO integration' and 'no availability of premium apps,' both of which are inaccurate.

Option D talks about a 'maximum concurrent search limit of 20,' which does not represent the standard limit settings and may vary based on the subscription level.

Splunk Documentation

Reference:

Splunk Cloud Features and Capabilities

Single Sign-On (SSO) in Splunk Cloud

Security and Access Control in Splunk Cloud

SEDCMD is a directive used within the props.conf file in Splunk to perform inline data transformations. Specifically, it uses sed-like syntax to modify data as it is being processed.

A . Can only be used to mask or truncate raw data: This is the correct answer because SEDCMD is typically used to mask sensitive data, such as obscuring personally identifiable information (PII) or truncating parts of data to ensure privacy and compliance with security policies. It is not used for more complex transformations such as changing the sourcetype per event.

B . Configured in props.conf and transform.conf: Incorrect, SEDCMD is only configured in props.conf.

C . Can be used to manipulate the sourcetype per event: Incorrect, SEDCMD does not manipulate the sourcetype.

D . Operates on a REGEX pattern match of the source, sourcetype, or host of an event: Incorrect, while SEDCMD uses regex for matching patterns in the data, it does not operate on the source, sourcetype, or host specifically.

Splunk Documentation

Reference:

SEDCMD Usage

Mask Data with SEDCMD

Configuring a Universal Forwarder (UF) as an Intermediate Forwarder involves making changes to its configuration to allow it to receive data from other forwarders before sending it to indexers.

D . It is only possible to make this change directly in configuration files or via a deployment app: This is the correct answer. Configuring a Universal Forwarder as an Intermediate Forwarder is done by editing the configuration files directly (like outputs.conf), or by deploying a pre-configured app via a deployment server. The Splunk Web UI (Management Console) does not provide an interface for configuring a Universal Forwarder as an Intermediate Forwarder.

A . This can only be turned on using the Settings > Forwarding and Receiving menu in Splunk Web/UI: Incorrect, as this applies to Heavy Forwarders, not Universal Forwarders.

B . The configuration changes can be made using Splunk Web, CLI, directly in configuration files, or via a deployment app: Incorrect, the Splunk Web UI is not used for configuring Universal Forwarders.

C . The configuration changes can be made using CLI, directly in configuration files, or via a deployment app: While CLI could be used for certain configurations, the specific Intermediate Forwarder setup is typically done via configuration files or deployment apps.

Splunk Documentation

Reference:

Universal Forwarder Configuration

Intermediate Forwarder Configuration

The followTail attribute in inputs.conf controls how Splunk processes existing content in a monitored file.

D . Prevents pre-existing content in a file from being ingested: This is the correct answer. When followTail = true is set, Splunk will ignore any pre-existing content in a file and only start monitoring from the end of the file, capturing new data as it is added. This is useful when you want to start monitoring a log file but do not want to index the historical data that might be present in the file.

A . Pauses a file monitor if the queue is full: Incorrect, this is not related to the followTail attribute.

B . Only creates a tail checkpoint of the monitored file: Incorrect, while a tailing checkpoint is created for state tracking, followTail specifically refers to skipping the existing content.

C . Ingests a file starting with new content and then reading older events: Incorrect, followTail does not read older events; it skips them.

Splunk Documentation

Reference:

followTail Attribute Documentation

Monitoring Files

These answers align with Splunk's best practices and available documentation on managing and configuring Splunk environments.