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IBM Security QRadar SIEM Interview Questions and Answers

Written by Sachin | Jul 29, 2022 5:21:31 PM

Q1. What is IBM QRadar SIEM?

Ans 

IBM QRadar SIEM is a network security management platform that provides situational awareness and compliance support. QRadar SIEM uses a combination of flow-based network knowledge, security event correlation, and asset-based vulnerability assessment.
 

Q2. How does QRadar SIEM work?

Ans

IBM QRadar collects, processes, aggregates, and stores network data in real time. QRadar uses that data to manage network security by providing real-time information and monitoring, alerts and offenses, and responses to network threats.
 

Q3. What are the types of data fed into QRadar?

Ans 

The QRadar Console provides the QRadar product interface, real-time event and flow views, reports, offenses, asset information, and administrative functions.
 

Q4. How QRadar SIEM collects security data?

Ans 

IBM QRadar collects log data from sources in an enterprise's information system, including network devices, operating systems, applications and user activities. The QRadar SIEM analyzes log data in real-time, enabling users to quickly identify and stop attacks.
 

Q5. What is syslog in QRadar?

Ans

Basically syslog is the standard log protocol for many devices, and QRadar can easily collect, identify and receive logs using this protocol. The syslog typically uses UDP connections, so make the log collection more fast and with almost zero latency.

Q6. What is the difference between QRadar and Splunk?

Ans 

Splunk represents itself as a complete platform to handle everything related to SIEM, security and ITOM. It ventures far beyond SIEM. QRadar is more tightly focused on SIEM and overall security. Your existing stack of security and management tools, therefore, should be considered before deciding between Splunk and IBM.
 

Q7. What is data node in QRadar?

Ans 

Data Nodes add storage and processing capacity. Data Nodes are plug-n-play and can be added to a deployment at any time. Data Nodes integrate seamlessly with existing deployments. Use Data Nodes to reduce the processing load on processor appliances by removing the data storage processing load from the processor.
 

Q8. What is parsing in QRadar?

Ans 

When you send your log file data to IBM Security QRadar, it first is parsed inside a Device Support Module (DSM) so that QRadar can fully utilize the normalized data for event and offense processing.
 

Q9. What is accumulator in QRadar?

Ans

The Accumulator is a QRadar process that counts and prepares Events and Flows in data accumulations to assist with searches, displaying charts, and report performance. Accumulated Data is an aggregate data view used to draw a Time Series graph or run Scheduled Reports

Q10. What are the core components of IBM QRadar?

Ans 

QRadar includes the following components: event collectors, event processors, flow collectors, flow processors, data nodes and a central console. All components are available as hardware, software or virtual appliances.
 

Q11.What is the difference between SIEM and SOC?

Ans

SIEM stands for Security Incident Event Management and is different from SOC, as it is a system that collects and analyzes aggregated log data. SOC stands for Security Operations Center and consists of people, processes and technology designed to deal with security events picked up from the SIEM log analysis.

Q12. What is log collection in SIEM?

Ans

Agentless log collection is the predominant method SIEM solutions use to collect logs. In this method, the log data generated by the devices is automatically sent to a SIEM server securely. There is no need for an additional agent to collect the logs, which reduces the load on the devices.

Q13. What role does SIEM play in security operations?

Ans 

SIEM tools work by collecting information from event logs from a majority of (if not all) agency devices, from servers and firewalls to antimalware and spam filters. The software then analyzes these logs, identifies anomalous activity, and issues an alert—or, in many cases, responds automatically.
 

Q14. What do you understand by High Availability?

Ans

The high availability (HA) attribute makes sure the accessibility of QRadar SIEM data in any event of hardware/network breakdown. Each cluster of HA contains of one primary host & one secondary host as standby. The secondary host continues with the same data as the primary host. Either by replicating the data of primary hosts, or accessing the shared data on external storage. The secondary host in the network sends a heartbeat ping to the primary host every 10 seconds by default to detect any hardware or network failure. As soon as the secondary host identifies a failure, the secondary host assumes all responsibilities of the primary host, automatically. 

Q15. What is the process of setting the HA Host Offline?

Ans

1. We should click the Admin tab.
2. From the menu, select System Configuration & click the System and License Management icon.
3. Following we should Select the HA host that is set to offline.
4. From the High Availability menu, choose Set System Offline.
4. The status of the host changes to Offline.

Q16. What are Flow Retention & Event Retention Buckets?

Ans

Event Retention & Flow Retention features are presented on the Admin tab, for configuring the retention buckets. A retention bucket describes a policy for any events & flows, which match any custom filter requirements. QRadar SIEM accepts events and flows, every single event and flow is evaluated against the filter criteria of the retention bucket. Whenever it matches a filter, it is stored in the bucket until the policy time period has reached. It also enables us to enable multiple retention buckets.

Q17. What is Index Management?

Ans

Index Management allows controlling the database for indexing on event & flow properties. The Indexing event and flow properties permit optimizing searches. We can facilitate indexing on the properties, which is listed in the Index Management window & facilitates the indexing on more than a property. Index Management provides statistics, like:

  • Percentage of the saved searches executed on the installation.
  • The volume of data written on the disk through the index, at a specific time.

Q18. What is Reference Set?

Ans

Reference Set Management allows the creation and management of reference sets. We can import elements into the reference set from the external file too.

Q19. What is the function of the Index Management toolbar?

Ans

  1. Enable Index - Choose properties in the list of Index Management followed by clicking on the icon to facilitate indexing.
  2. Disable Index - Choose properties in the list of Index Management followed by clicking the icon to disable indexing.
  3. Quick Search - Keying in the keyword on the specified Quick Search field and clicking on the Quick Filter icon. Properties that match the keyword are exhibited on the Index Management list.

Q20. What is the Event Collector?

Ans

It collects the secured events from the security devices, also known as log sources, in the network. Event Collector gathers all events from local & remote sources. Event Collector normalizes the events & sends the data to the Event Processor. It also bundles the virtually identical events to preserve any system usage.

Q21. What is QRadar QFlow Collector?

Ans

It collects data from the devices, and other live & recorded feeds, such as network taps, NetFlow, & QRadar SIEM logs. As the data is collected, the QRadar QFlow Collector assembles the related packets into the flow. QRadar SIEM describes flows as a session between two unique IP addresses using the same protocol. 

Q22. What is a Magistrate?

Ans

Magistrate offers the core components for processing of SIEM system. One Magistrate component can be added for each installation. Magistrate provides reports, views, alerts, network traffic, and events. Magistrate processes events against the determined custom rules to generate offense. Magistrate uses the default set rule to process the offending flow if there is no set rule.

Q23. What is the event processor?

Ans

Event Processor routes event and flows information from Event Collector. These events are bundled to preserve network usage. When accepted, the Event Processor compares the information from QRadar SIEM and distributes them to a suitable area, depending on the event type. Event Processor includes data collected by QRadar SIEM to specify behavioral changes for that event.

Q24. What is NetFlow?

Ans

It is s proprietary accounting technology designed by Cisco, which monitors traffic through routers, & interprets the client, protocol, server & port used, calculates the number of bytes & packets to send the data to any NetFlow collector. The procedure of sending data from NetFlow is known as a NetFlow Data Export (NDE).