Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

In a file monitor input, which choice prevails between a whitelist and a blacklist?

1. Whitelist

2. Blacklist

3. Neither prevails

4. Only when specified by the user

The correct answer is: Blacklist

In the context of file monitor inputs in Splunk, the concept of whitelisting and blacklisting relates to how files are selected or excluded for monitoring. A blacklist is a set of specifications for files that should be excluded from data ingestion, while a whitelist specifies files that should be included. In operations where both lists are used, the blacklist takes precedence over the whitelist. This means that if a file appears on the blacklist, it will be ignored even if it is also included in the whitelist. This is especially important for managing and controlling data ingestion to ensure that unwanted or sensitive files do not get processed. Thus, when making decisions about which files to monitor, the presence of a file in the blacklist will override any permissions granted by the whitelist. This setup allows administrators to maintain tighter control over the data they allow into their systems while filtering out potentially problematic or irrelevant files. This prioritization of the blacklist helps to enhance data security and ensures compliance with organizational data policies by preventing the ingestion of specific files deemed inappropriate.