Cisco Cyber Security Practice Exam

Which of the following best describes a SIEM's capability?

1. Automated deployment

2. Threat detection and analysis

3. Backups and recovery solutions

4. Network design optimization

The correct answer is: Threat detection and analysis

A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system is designed primarily for real-time analysis of security alerts generated by applications and network hardware. Its most critical capability is threat detection and analysis, which allows organizations to identify potential security incidents, monitor for unusual activity, and respond to threats effectively. SIEM systems aggregate, analyze, and correlate massive amounts of data from multiple sources, providing security teams with insights into potential vulnerabilities and threats within their environment. By leveraging advanced analytics, machine learning, and correlation rules, a SIEM can detect patterns indicative of malicious activity, helping organizations to understand and react to security incidents more efficiently. This capability is essential in modern cyber defense strategies, ensuring that threats are detected early, allowing for prompt incident response and mitigation efforts. The other options focus on functions that are not the primary purpose of a SIEM. Automated deployment pertains to managing software installation processes, backups and recovery solutions deal with data protection and restoration, and network design optimization relates to improving the overall structure and performance of network systems. While all these functions are important in their own right, they do not encapsulate the core functions of a SIEM, which revolves around monitoring, detecting, and analyzing security threats.