Helping Hand Questions for FSCP

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide and HPS Applications Plugin documentation, the properties that can be determined by the HPS Plugin are: Operating System (C) and HTTP banner (E).​

HPS Plugin Capabilities:

According to the HPS Inspection Engine guide:​

"The HPS (Host Property Scanner) Inspection Engine provides host properties for detecting endpoint characteristics including operating system, services, and applications."

The HPS plugin determines:

Operating System - OS type, version, service pack level

HTTP Banner - Service versions from HTTP banner scanning

Services and Applications - Running processes and installed software

System Information - Hardware vendor, NIC vendor, etc.

Operating System Detection:

According to the HPS Applications Plugin guide:​

"Windows operating system information is detected by the HPS Applications Plugin, including: Release, Package/flavor, Service Pack"

The plugin detects:

Windows OS versions (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, etc.)

Server editions (2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, etc.)

Service pack levels

OS build information

HTTP Banner Detection:

According to the HPS Inspection Engine guide:​

"Service Banner: Indicates the service and version information, as determined by Nmap. HTTP banner scanning returns service identification information."

The HTTP banner property is resolved by NMAP scanning with the -sV parameter, which is part of the HPS plugin's classification capabilities.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Application installed on Mac OS - The HPS Applications Plugin is for Windows applications only; it does not detect Mac OS applications

B. External Device on Windows - External Device detection is a separate property unrelated to HPS plugin discovery

D. AD group membership - This is determined by the User Directory plugin via LDAP, not the HPS plugin

HPS Plugin vs. Other Plugins:

According to the documentation:​

Property

HPS Plugin

Other Plugins

Operating System

✓Yes

N/A

HTTP Banner

✓Yes (NMAP)

N/A

Windows Applications

✓Yes

N/A

AD Group Membership

✗No

User Directory

Mac OS Applications

✗No

macOS-specific

External Devices

✗No

Network discovery

Referenced Documentation:

CounterACT Endpoint Module HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide v10.8​

CounterACT HPS Applications Plugin Configuration Guide v2.1.4​

About the HPS Applications Plugin​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout CounterACT HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide Version 10.8, when the Endpoint Remote Inspection method is set to "Using MS-WMI," scripts are run using WMI, but they may not be run interactively using this method.​

MS-WMI Script Execution:

According to the HPS Inspection Engine guide:​

"When Remote Inspection uses MS-WMI, run scripts with

MS-WMI – note that interactive scripts are not supported by WMI on all Windows endpoints. Functionality that relies on interactive endpoint scripts is not implemented when you choose this option. For example, the Start Antivirus and Update Antivirus actions require interactive scripts to manage some antivirus packages."

Interactive Script Limitations with WMI:

According to the documentation:​

"WMI does not support interactive scripts (such as scripts that support Guest Registration and other HTTP-based actions) on some Windows endpoints."

How WMI Scripts Are Run:

According to the documentation:​

When using WMI for script execution:

Background Scripts - Most background scripts can run via WMI

Interactive Scripts - NOT supported by WMI on all endpoints

Workaround for Interactive Scripts - CounterACT uses:

fsprocsvc service (fsprocsvc.exe) - For interactive script support

Microsoft Task Scheduler - Alternative for interactive scripts

WMI vs. Other Methods:

According to the documentation:​

Method

Interactive Scripts

Limitations

MS-WMI

Not supported on all endpoints

Limited to background scripts

fsprocsvc

Supported

Service must be running

Task Scheduler

Not on Vista/7

Legacy OS limitations

Script Execution Flow with MS-WMI:

According to the documentation:​

"CounterACT runs most background scripts using WMI. WMI does not support interactive scripts (such as scripts that support Guest Registration and other HTTP-based actions) on some Windows endpoints. CounterACT uses the fsprocsvc service or Microsoft Task Scheduler to run interactive scripts on these endpoints."

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Using Task Scheduler but with limitations - Task Scheduler is an ALTERNATIVE to WMI, not what MS-WMI uses

B. Using WMI, which will allow interactive scripts - Incorrect; WMI does NOT allow interactive scripts

C. Using RRP, which will allow interactive scripts - RRP is Remote Registry Protocol, not the script execution method with MS-WMI

E. Using fsprocserv.exe, but scripts may not be run interactively - fsprocserv.exe (fsprocsvc) DOES support interactive scripts; it's used as an alternative to overcome WMI limitations

Referenced Documentation:

CounterACT Endpoint Module HPS Inspection Engine Configuration Guide v10.8 - Script Execution Services section​

When Remote Inspection uses MS-WMI, run scripts with​

About MS-WMI​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout Administration Guide - Set Registry Key on Windows action, registry key properties can only be queried on "Managed Windows endpoints".​

Registry Key Property Requirements:

According to the Set Registry Key on Windows documentation:​

"Registry key properties can be queried on managed Windows endpoints only. The endpoint must be a Windows device that is managed (either via SecureConnector deployment or Remote Inspection with appropriate credentials)."

Managed vs. Unmanaged Endpoints:

According to the Windows Properties documentation:​

Managed Windows Endpoint -✓Can query registry keys

Has SecureConnector deployed, OR

Has Remote Inspection access via credentials, OR

Is domain-joined with appropriate permissions

Unmanaged Windows Endpoint -✗Cannot query registry keys

No agent or access method available

Registry cannot be accessed remotely

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Managed unknown endpoint - "Unknown" endpoints are not classified as Windows; classification unknown

B. Unmanaged Windows endpoint - Unmanaged endpoints have no access to registry

D. Windows endpoint - Must be "managed" to query registry; not all Windows endpoints are managed

E. Managed Linux endpoint - Linux systems don't have Windows registry

Registry Access Methods:

According to the documentation:​

Registry keys can be queried on Managed Windows endpoints using:

SecureConnector - Preferred method for interactive registry access

Remote Inspection (MS-WMI/RPC) - When credentials are configured

Domain Credentials - When endpoint is domain-joined

Referenced Documentation:

Set Registry Key on Windows - v9.1.4​

Set Registry Key on Windows - v8.5.2​

Windows Properties​

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract of Forescout Platform Administration and Deployment:

According to the Forescout Licensing and Sizing Guide and official licensing documentation, the key advantage of FLEXX licensing is that licensing is centralized and managed by an Enterprise Manager, providing centralized license administration across the entire Forescout platform deployment.​

FLEXX Licensing Key Advantages:

FLEXX licensing represents a significant departure from the legacy per-appliance licensing model. The primary advantages of FLEXX licensing include:​

Centralized License Pool - Licenses are independent of hardware appliances and form a centralized, shared pool that can be deployed across multiple appliances and network segments

Enterprise Manager Management - License entitlements and allocations are centrally administered and managed by the Enterprise Manager​

Portable Licenses - Licenses can be ubiquitously deployed and shared across different device types, appliance locations, and deployment scenarios (campus, data center, cloud, OT)

Flexible Capacity Sharing - Licensed capacity can be shared across campus, data center, cloud, and OT environments without appliance-specific restrictions

Scalability - Unlimited virtual appliance instances can be spun up as needed without purchasing additional appliance hardware licenses

Unified Customer Portal - Centralized access to license management, software downloads, documentation, and support​

FLEXX Licensing Deployment Model:

With FLEXX licensing, organizations can:

Order software licenses separately and independent from appliances

Centrally manage and allocate licenses from a unified portal

Redistribute license capacity across appliances without manual reallocation

Support virtual and physical appliances equally​

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A - Incorrect; FLEXX licenses are NOT controlled by individual appliances but are managed centrally at the Enterprise Manager level

C - Base licenses cannot simply be added together; FLEXX licensing is purchased as a unified license pool

D - FLEXX is offered with V8 appliances (5100 and 4100 series), not V7; CT series appliances support per-appliance licensing

E - FLEXX is available for 5100/4100 series and CT series (with Flexx upgrade option) in V8.0 or higher, not in V7

Referenced Documentation:

Forescout Licensing and Sizing Guide​

Forescout Flexx Licensing - What it Offers​

Forescout Platform License Management documentation​