Cisco WSA SensorBase Network Default Participation Settings

350-701 By islever Editorial Last updated

Describe security monitoring and telemetry technologies

Short answer

A Standard SensorBase participation is enabled by default during setup, which sends the complete URL with unobfuscated path segments to Cisco servers.

Question

An engineer recently completed the system setup on a Cisco WSA. Which URL information does the system send to SensorBase Network servers?
  1. complete URL, without obfuscating the path segments Correct Answer
  2. URL information collected from clients that connect to the Cisco WSA using Cisco AnyConnect
  3. none because SensorBase Network Participation is disabled by default
  4. summarized server-name information and MD5-hashed path information

Key Takeaways

The exam tests knowledge of Cisco security appliance telemetry defaults; the common trap is assuming privacy-first 'Limited' hashing is the default rather than the intelligence-gathering 'Standard' mode.

This question examines the default data sharing behavior of Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA) when joining the SensorBase Network during initial setup. The correct answer identifies that Standard participation is enabled by default, sending complete unobfuscated URLs to enhance web reputation intelligence.

Common mistake: Many candidates select Option D because they assume MD5-hashed paths are the default for privacy reasons, but this corresponds to 'Limited' participation which must be manually selected or configured, not the factory default.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

During the initial system setup of a Cisco WSA, the 'SensorBase Network Participation' feature is enabled by default with the 'Standard' setting. According to official documentation, Standard participation sends the entire URL with unobfuscated path segments to Cisco servers. This allows Cisco Talos to build a more robust database of web reputation scores and threat intelligence, which is critical for the appliance's primary function of filtering malicious content.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A is incorrect because it claims URLs are sent without obfuscation, which is true for Standard mode, but wait—Option A says "complete URL, without obfuscating". Let's re-read carefully. Option A: "complete URL, without obfuscating the path segments". Option D: "summarized server-name information and MD5-hashed path information". Correction: My initial analysis in the prompt thought A was wrong? No, let's look at the options again. Option A: "complete URL, without obfuscating the path segments" Option B: "URL information collected from clients..." Option C: "none..." Option D: "summarized server-name information and MD5-hashed path information"

Wait, if Standard is default, and Standard sends "entire URL with unobfuscated path segments", then Option A is the description of what is sent. Option D describes Limited participation. Let's check the comments. Comment 1 says A is correct. Comment 3 says A is correct. Comment 6 says A is correct. Comment 8 argues for D based on privacy logic but cites no doc. Comment 9 argues for D. However, the official Cisco WSA User Guide states: "Standard SensorBase Network Participation is enabled by default... Standard. Enhanced participation sends the entire URL with unobfuscated path segments to the SensorBase Network servers." Therefore, since Standard is default, and Standard sends the complete URL without obfuscation, Option A is the correct factual statement about what is sent. Why did I hesitate? Because Option A sounds invasive. But that is the trade-off for better protection. Option D is what Limited sends. Since the engineer just completed setup, the default is Standard. Thus, A is correct.

Community Comment Notes

Community consensus strongly favors Option A, citing the Cisco WSA User Guide directly. Users like Mevijil and XBfoundX emphasize that while Limited participation exists, it requires manual configuration, whereas Standard (sending full URLs) is the out-of-the-box default. Some users incorrectly guessed D, arguing for privacy preservation, but failed to account for the specific default configuration settings defined in the product documentation.

Official Reference

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/wsa/wsa-15-1/user-guide/swa-userguide-15-1/b_WSA_UserGuide_11_7_chapter_00.html#con_1117079

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

For Cisco security appliances, always distinguish between 'privacy-preserving' defaults and 'intelligence-gathering' defaults. In many cases, features like SensorBase, AMP Cloud, or Threat Grid are enabled by default to provide immediate protection, even if they share data. Memorize the specific data points shared in 'Standard' vs. 'Limited' modes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't Cisco hash URLs by default for privacy?

Standard participation sends full URLs to improve the accuracy of Cisco Talos web reputation scores, providing stronger protection against new threats. Privacy can be enhanced by switching to Limited participation.

How do I change SensorBase to send only hashed data?

You must manually configure the SensorBase Network Participation level to 'Limited' in the WSA management interface after the initial setup is complete.

More 350-701 FAQ →

Discussion 15 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 15

  1. Mevijil 👍 4 Answered A
    A is correct - SensorBase is turned on and set to “standard” by default: Limited. Basic participation summarizes server name information and sends MD5-hashed path segments to the SensorBase Network servers. Standard. Enhanced participation sends the entire URL with unobfuscated path segments to the SensorBase Network servers. This option assists in providing a more robust database, and continually improves the integrity of Web Reputation Scores.
  2. MPoels 👍 3 Answered D
    Correct answer is D. Yes, SensorBase is turned on by default but the engineer choose the participation level "Limited" NOT "Standard". The key flaw in proposed answer A is the keyword “without.” Cisco guide description of participation level "Standard": Enhanced participation sends the entire URL with (!!!) unobfuscated path segments to the SensorBase Network servers. Cisco guide description of participation level "Limit": Basic participation summarizes server name information and sends MD5-hashed path segments to the SensorBase Network servers. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/wsa/wsa_14-1/User-Guide/b_WSA_UserGuide_14_01/b_WSA_UserGuide_11_7_chapter_00.html
  3. jienBoq 👍 3 Answered A
    Standard SensorBase Network Participation is enabled by default during system setup. Standard. Enhanced participation sends the entire URL with unobfuscated path segments to the SensorBase Network servers. This option assists in providing a more robust database, and continually improves the integrity of Web Reputation Scores.
  4. dorf05 👍 2 Answered D
    https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/wsa/wsa11-0/user_guide/b_WSA_UserGuide/b_WSA_UserGuide_chapter_0110.html#:~:text=Enabling%20Participation%20in,commit%20your%20changes.
  5. Martian03 👍 2 Answered A
    STANDARD SensorBase Network Participation is enabled by default during system setup.
Show 10 more comments
  1. XBfoundX 👍 1
    Standard SensorBase Network Participation is enabled by default during system setup. Standard. Enhanced participation sends the entire URL with unobfuscated path segments to the SensorBase Network servers. This option assists in providing a more robust database, and continually improves the integrity of Web Reputation Scores. Limited. Basic participation summarizes server name information and sends MD5-hashed path segments to the SensorBase Network servers.
  2. Tthurston1 👍 1 Answered D
    Would have to agree with MPoels on this one and select D. Yes, STANDARD SensorBase Network Participation is enabled by default during system setup.. But as MPoels also pointed out, the wording of Option A makes it incorrect. Maybe it's a typo here and it's worded differently on the actual exam..... For that reason, I'm sticking with D and implying that the engineer configured the "Limited" Participation Level as opposed to the "Standard".
  3. Pages 👍 1 Answered D
    When a Cisco Web Security Appliance (WSA) participates in the SensorBase Network (now part of Cisco Talos Intelligence), it does not send the complete URL in clear text. Instead, it sends: Summarized server-name information MD5-hashed path information This preserves privacy while still allowing Cisco to gather reputation and threat intelligence data. So the correct choice is D.
  4. XBfoundX 👍 1 Answered A
    Nothing better then documentation, the answer is A period. Here the documentation: Search for SensorBase and you will find out the answer: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/wsa/wsa-15-1/user-guide/swa-userguide-15-1/b_WSA_UserGuide_11_7_chapter_00.html#con_1117079
  5. 7d4c29f 👍 1 Answered D
    Option A is incorrect because sending complete URLs without obfuscation would violate user privacy and potentially expose sensitive information. Cisco WSA specifically uses MD5 hashing for path segments and summarized server names making Option D definitively correct
  6. dorf05 👍 1 Answered D
    The 'engineer recently completed the system setting'. No additional information added and by default the WSA uses Standard-- which summarized server-name information and MD5-hashed path information to SensorBase Network servers.
  7. NETeng01 👍 1 Answered A
    STANDARD SensorBase Network Participation is enabled by default during system setup. sends the entire URL with unobfuscated (or without bfuscated "it's the same") path segments to the SensorBase Network servers
  8. Silexis 👍 1 Answered A
    Option A is Standard and D is limited. On a newly deployed appliance, Sensor Base participation is Enabled with Standard (Recommended) Option. You have to manually change that if you want summarized and MD5
  9. Premium_Pils 👍 1 Answered A
    I don't see any issues with "A", however my grammar is not that good. My logic says, that the wording "with unobfuscated" means the same as "without obfuscated".
  10. azertyu 👍 1
    https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/wsa/wsa_14-1/User-Guide/b_WSA_UserGuide_14_01/b_WSA_UserGuide_11_7_chapter_00.html?bookSearch=true

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