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312-39 · Question #73

312-39 Question #73: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is B. Packet filters. Packet filters are a network security control that inspects packet headers (source/destination IP, ports, protocol flags) to allow or block traffic. Their known limitation is that they generally do not inspect encrypted payload content; they can see metadata but not the applicati

Question

A SOC analyst monitors network traffic to detect potential data exfiltration. The team uses a security solution that inspects data packets in real time as they traverse the network. During incident response, the solution struggles to analyze encrypted traffic, limiting effectiveness in identifying threats hidden within secure communications. Which security control, with this known limitation, is the SOC team relying on?

Options

  • AVPN
  • BPacket filters
  • CSSH
  • DIPsec

Explanation

Packet filters are a network security control that inspects packet headers (source/destination IP, ports, protocol flags) to allow or block traffic. Their known limitation is that they generally do not inspect encrypted payload content; they can see metadata but not the application-layer data inside TLS/SSL sessions. The scenario describes a solution that “inspects data packets in real time” but struggles with encrypted traffic, which aligns with packet filtering and other header-based inspection approaches. VPN, SSH, and IPsec are encryption technologies/protocols themselves, not the inspection control; they create encrypted tunnels that make payload inspection harder. From a SOC limited for detecting threats embedded in encrypted sessions. To improve visibility, SOC teams often complement packet filters with TLS termination at controlled points (proxies), endpoint telemetry (process initiating connection), and flow analytics (NetFlow/IPFIX) to detect anomalies in encrypted traffic based on behavior and metadata.

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