CPC-SEN Questions and Answers

To update or change the Central Policy Manager (CPM) credentials, dependencies include:

• CreateCredFile.exe (B): This utility is used to create or modify the encrypted file that stores the CPM's credentials. It is essential for securely handling the credential updates.
• CyberArk.TPC.exe (D): This executable is part of the CyberArk suite that manages trusted platform module operations, which can include tasks related to credential security and management, particularly when hardware security modules are involved.

To configure a platform to work with load-balanced Privileged Session Managers (PSMs), you should:

• Create a new PSM definition that targets the load balancer IP address and assign it to the platform (Option B). This approach involves configuring the platform settings to direct session traffic through a load balancer that distributes the load across multiple PSM servers. This is effective in environments where high availability and fault tolerance are priorities.

To properly arrange the steps for failing over to a passive Central Policy Manager (CPM) in CyberArk, the sequence should be as follows:

• Validate that the active CPM's services are stopped and set to manual.Before enabling the passive CPM, ensure that the services on the active CPM are stopped. This prevents any conflicts or data corruption by making sure that only one CPM is active at a time. Setting the services to manual ensures they do not restart automatically, which is crucial during a failover scenario.
• On the passive CPM, confirm details in the Vault.ini configuration file, reset the password to the CPM user, and recreate the credential file.This step involves making sure the passive CPM has the correct configuration to seamlessly take over operations. Adjustments in the Vault.ini file may be necessary to ensure it is pointing to the correct Vault and network settings. Resetting the password and recreating the credential file are critical to secure the login and authentication process for the newly active CPM.
• Enable the CPM services on the passive CPM.Once the passive CPM is correctly configured and ready, enable its services to begin handling the tasks and responsibilities of the primary CPM. This action effectively switches the role from passive to active, enabling the passive CPM to function as the new operational manager.
• Review logs to confirm the passive CPM services are running as expected.Finally, review the system and application logs to confirm that the now-active CPM is operating correctly and that all services have started without errors. This step is vital for verifying that the failover process was successful and that the system is stable.

Following this ordered sequence ensures a smooth transition of roles from the active CPM to the passive CPM, minimizing downtime and potential disruptions in the privileged access management operations.

PSM for SSH supports various authentication methods, specifically focusing on secure and verified access mechanisms. The supported methods include:

• RADIUS (D): Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) is a networking protocol that provides centralized Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting management for users who connect and use a network service. PSM for SSH utilizes RADIUS to authenticate SSH sessions, which adds an additional layer of security by centralizing authentication requests to a RADIUS server.
• Client Authentication Certificate (E): This method uses certificates for authentication, where a client presents a certificate that the server verifies against known trusted certificates. This type of authentication is highly secure as it ensures that both parties involved in the communication are precisely who they claim to be, making it suitable for environments that require stringent security measures.

These methods provide robust security options for SSH sessions managed through CyberArk's PSM, ensuring that only authorized users can access critical systems.

The tool used to configure the user object for the installation of the PSM for SSH component is CreateCredFile. This tool is responsible for creating a credentials file that stores the necessary user details required during the installation process, ensuring secure and correct authentication.

References:

• CyberArk Privilege Cloud Introduction

To configure the syslog server IP addresses for SIEM integration in a CyberArk Privilege Cloud environment, the following steps are generally required:

• Update the syslog server IP address through the Privilege Cloud Portal (Option B): This is typically done via the administrative interface where system logging configurations can be managed. It allows for straightforward integration of external logging tools by specifying the destination syslog server IP.
• Configure the Secure Tunnel for SIEM integration (Option E): Establishing a secure tunnel is often necessary for secure and reliable data transmission between the CyberArk Privilege Cloud and the external syslog server, particularly when integrating SIEM systems that require encrypted and secure data pathways.

The recommended method to enable load balancing and failover of the CyberArk Identity Connector is to set up a network load balancer between two or more CyberArk Identity Connector servers. This setup allows for the distribution of requests across multiple servers, enhancing the availability and reliability of the service. Network load balancers efficiently manage traffic to ensure that no single connector server becomes a bottleneck, thereby improving overall performance and fault tolerance.

To correctly change the default PSM recordings folder path on the Privilege Cloud Connector, the sequence of steps should be:

• Create a corresponding folder in the new location.Before making changes to configuration files, ensure the new directory for PSM recordings is created. This is where all session recordings will be stored moving forward.
• In the Basic_psm.ini file, set RecordingsDirectory with the new path.Update the Basic_psm.ini file to reflect the new path for the recordings. This step is crucial as it directs the PSM to start using the newly created directory for all future session recordings.
• Restart the PSM service.After updating the path in the configuration file, restart the PSM service to apply the changes. This ensures that all new sessions are recorded in the new specified location.
• Run the PSMHardening script.Once the service is restarted and the new settings are in place, run the PSMHardening script. This script ensures that all security measures are re-applied to the new recordings directory, maintaining the security integrity of the session recordings.

Following these steps in the given order will successfully change the recording directory for PSM sessions on the Privilege Cloud Connector, ensuring a smooth transition to the new storage location with all necessary security measures intact.

In CyberArk Privilege Cloud, when connecting to a target server using the Privileged Session Manager (PSM) for SSH, the correct syntax for the SSH command includes the following format: ssh neil@linuxuser01#acme.corp@192.168.1.164@192.168.65.145. This syntax breaks down as follows:

• neil: The CyberArk username.
• linuxuser01#acme.corp: The domain user on the target Linux server, formatted as username#domain.
• 192.168.1.164: The IP address of the target Linux server.
• 192.168.65.145: The IP address of the PSM for SSH server.

This specific format ensures that the CyberArk Privileged Access Manager correctly interprets and routes the connection through the PSM for SSH to the intended target server.

References:

• CyberArk Privilege Cloud Introduction
• CyberArk Privileged Access Manager
• CyberArk Privilege Cloud - Manage Safe Members
• CyberArk Security Fundamentals

After the successful scripted installation of the Privileged Session Manager (PSM), one of the post-installation tasks is to disable the screen saver for the PSM local users. This is done to ensure that the PSMConnect and PSMAdminConnect users, which are created during the installation process, do not have a screen saver activated that could interfere with the operation of the PSM.

References:

• CyberArk documentation on PSM post-installation tasks1.
• CyberArk documentation on disabling the screen saver for PSM local users