Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFIv11) Questions and Answers
In a computer forensics seminar, Investigator Miller raises concerns about the legal complexities arising from rapid technological advancements. He stresses the importance of continuous adaptation to new technologies for effective investigations. To gauge understanding, he presents the following scenario:
Investigator Smith encountersencrypted datastored on a suspect’s hard drive. Unsure of the legality surrounding decryption, what should Investigator Smith do?
Madison, a forensic investigator, has been assigned to investigate a case of email fraud, where the suspect allegedly used a compromised email account to send phishing emails to several victims. As part of the investigation, Madison must first obtain permission to conduct an on-site examination of the suspect's machine and the email server used for the fraudulent emails.
What is the initial step that Madison must take before proceeding with the forensic examination?
After a cybercrime investigation involving a compromised Windows system, an investigator is tasked with recovering private browsing artifacts. The investigator decides to retrieve data from the pagefile.sys and other live memory captures to identify traces of activity from private browsing modes.
Which tool should the investigator use to analyze the live system and recover these private browsing artifacts?
During a digital forensics investigation, a mobile device running Android OS is seized from a suspect. Upon examination, files are discovered indicating interactions with both Windows and Linux systems. In Android and iOS forensic analysis, which of the following is a crucial step when examining files associated with Windows and Linux systems?
Investigators conduct forensic analysis to examine Tor Browser activity. They scrutinize memory dumps to extract email artifacts and analyze storage devices for email attachments, both with the Tor Browser open and closed. Additionally, they explore forensic options post-uninstallation of the Tor Browser to uncover any residual evidence.
What is the primary objective of forensic analysis in scenarios involving the Tor Browser?
In the wake of a cyberattack, a large e-commerce platform experiences widespread system downtime, leading to significant financial losses and tarnished customer trust. As they scramble to regain control, it becomes evident that sensitive customer data has been compromised, posing a threat to data security and the platform's reputation. Amidst the aftermath of the cyberattack on the e-commerce platform, which of the following consequences isnotthe result of a lack of forensic readiness?
In a complex cybercrime investigation, forensic experts encounter a severely fragmented hard drive that lacks usable file system metadata. By employing advanced file carving techniques, they successfully recover crucial evidence hidden by a suspect who deliberately manipulated file extensions to obfuscate data.
What advanced method do forensic investigators employ to recover hidden files from a fragmented hard drive lacking file system metadata?
Mateo, a forensic investigator, is analyzing a cyber-attack carried out against a target organization. During his investigation, he discovers that several important files are missing on a Linux system. Further examination reveals that one of the files, which was an executable, had erased its own content during the attack. Mateo realizes that in order to recover this file, he needs to use a Linux command that can help him retrieve the contents of this erased executable. Given the situation, which of the following commands should Mateo use to recover the lost executable file on the Linux system?
During a network security audit, an investigator is tasked with assessing the security of nearby wireless networks. The investigator needs to gather real-time information about nearby wireless access points (APs) and display this data using diagnostic views and charts. The tool should allow them to visualize details such as signal strength, AP names, and other relevant characteristics of the networks in the area. Which of the following tools would be most appropriate for this task?
During a cybercrime investigation, the forensic team has seized a large number of devices as part of the evidence collection process. After securing all the devices, the team begins evaluating which exhibits to prioritize for analysis first. The team maintains detailed records of both analyzed and non-analyzed exhibits, ensuring that they can track the progress of the investigation and reference any exhibits that were not immediately analyzed.
Which ENFSI best practice is being followed by the team?
In a financial institution's computer forensic investigation, suspicious activity reveals unauthorized access to GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act)-protected customer data, raising concerns for customer safety. However, identifying the breach's source and extent poses significant challenges, complicating compliance with GLBA guidelines.
What steps should be taken in a GLBA-covered computer forensic investigation when unauthorized access to sensitive customer data is discovered?
Investigators may encounter issues with image file compatibility after acquiring data from suspect media. This section outlines scenarios like converting E01 format for Linux, creating a bootable VM, dealing with Windows file systems on Linux, and handling APFS file systems. Solutions for each scenario are discussed, concluding with image viewing methods for Windows, Linux, and Mac. What challenges might investigators face when preparing image files for examination?
During a forensic investigation of a website, an analyst examines an IIS log entry to gather information on web traffic. The log entry shows the following:
2023-07-12 06:11:41 192.168.0.10 GET /images/content/bg_body_1.jpg - 80 - 192.168.0.27 Mozilla/12.0+
(Windows+NT+6.3;+WOW64)+AppleWebKit/537.36+(KHTML,+like+Gecko)+Chrome/48.0.2564.103+Safari/537.36
200 0 0 365
The analyst needs to identify the field that contains the value
in the log entry.
Which of the following fields does this value belong to?
Henry, a forensic investigator, has been assigned to analyze a cyber-attack that occurred on a web application hosted on an Apache server running on an Ubuntu system. The attacker is suspected of exploiting vulnerabilities within the application, and Henry needs to examine the server's logs to identify any suspicious activities.
As part of the investigation, Henry begins by navigating to the log file storage locations to analyze the Apache access logs and error logs. These logs are crucial for understanding the nature of the attack, identifying the source IPs, the exact times of the attack, and the type of attack executed.
Henry needs to locate the configuration file for Apache on Ubuntu to find where the log files are stored. In which of the following storage locations on an Ubuntu machine can Henry find useful information regarding the log files for Apache?
Elena, a forensic investigator, is analyzing the behavior of a suspected malware infection. During her analysis, she notices several abnormal entries in the Windows Event Logs, specificallyEvent ID 5156. What key information can Elena expect from these logs that could help her trace the malicious activity?
During a typical workday, employees at a reputable financial institution notice unusual behavior on their network. Suddenly, emails flood in from concerned customers reporting suspicious login attempts and strange pop-up messages. Panic ensues as the IT department investigates, discovering signs of an external attack targeting their network security.
What are examples of external attacks that pose a threat to corporate networks?
A digital forensics examiner is investigating a suspected case of corporate espionage involving the theft of sensitive intellectual property from a company's servers. In adherence to ENFSI Best Practices for Forensic Examination of Digital Technology,
what would be the examiner's primary concern?
Ethan, a forensic investigator, is analyzing a suspect's computer and finds a suspicious file that may be related to a cybercrime. Upon examining the file's metadata, Ethan discovers that the file has been modified several times and was last accessed shortly before the crime took place. Which of the following forensic methods would be most useful for Ethan to determine whether the file was tampered with or manipulated?
An investigator is working on a digital forensics case involving a suspected data breach. The investigator is tasked with acquiring data from the suspect's hard drive. Before beginning the data extraction process, the investigator securely removes all sensitive data from the drive. To ensure that no residual data can be recovered from the drive, the investigator applies a method to overwrite the data on the drive using a series of sequential zeros and ones, thereby protecting the privacy and integrity of the investigation. Which forensic data acquisition step is the investigator performing?
Camila, a system administrator, is tasked with investigating web traffic logs on a Windows-based server running IIS (Internet Information Services). She needs to find the location of the IIS log files in order to analyze the requests made to the server. Which of the following paths should Camila check to find the IIS log files?
Emma, a forensic investigator, discovers that the attacker has tampered with the timestamp metadata of several files, making it difficult to accurately determine when the files were created, accessed, or modified. Emma needs to identify files with manipulated timestamps to uncover hidden evidence. Which of the following tools can Emma use to detect timestamp modifications on NTFS file systems?
During a cybercrime investigation involving a large-scale data breach, the investigator uncovers that the evidence is distributed across several cloud-based platforms, with the data hosted on servers in multiple countries. Although the investigator has secured the necessary legal authorizations, including international warrants and data access approvals, they are encountering significant hurdles in retrieving the data due to the complexities of multi-jurisdictional cloud repositories. These issues are causing considerable delays, hindering the timely collection of critical evidence needed to identify the perpetrators.
What is the primary challenge the investigator is facing in this case?
You, as a forensic investigator, have been assigned to investigate a case involving the suspect's email communication. During the investigation, you discover that the emails from the suspect's Trash folder may contain crucial evidence. The emails are stored in.pst files, and you must extract and analyze all relevant email messages, including those that were deleted or marked as corrupted. To ensure the integrity of the data, you need a tool that can efficiently process these files, recover any deleted messages, and provide a clear view of the email contents for analysis. Which of the following tools would be best suited for this task?
Following a cybercrime incident, a forensic investigator is conducting a detailed examination of a suspect’s digital device. The investigator needs to preserve and analyze the disk images without being restricted by various image file formats tied to commercial software, which may limit the investigator's ability to work with a range of analysis platforms. The investigator chooses a simple, straightforward, and uncompressed format that can be easily accessed and analyzed using a wide range of forensic tools and platforms, without the need for specialized software. Which data acquisition format should the investigator use in this case?
Mia, a network administrator, is reviewing the logs of a Cisco router after noticing some performance degradation in her network. While examining the logs, she encounters a particular message that states:“The system was not able to process the packet because there was not enough room for all of the desired IP header options.”Mia needs to identify which mnemonic in the Cisco IOS logs corresponds to this specific issue. Which of the following log mnemonics should Mia look for to find this message?
Following a cybersecurity incident at an organization, a forensic investigator is tasked with collectingElectronically Stored Information (ESI)as part of the investigation. To streamline the data collection process, the investigator restricts the range and size of ESI from custodians, limiting the collection tospecific file types and directorieson a computer. This approach ensures that only relevant information is collected while minimizing the impact on other devices. Which eDiscovery collection methodology is being used in this scenario?
In a RAID 1 setup, a company's critical database is stored across two mirrored hard drives. During a routine system check, one of the hard drives suddenly fails due to a hardware malfunction. The redundant data stored on the remaining drive ensures that the database remains intact and accessible, allowing the company to continue operations without any data loss. How does RAID 1 ensure data integrity and availability in the event of a hard drive failure?
Detective Harris is leading a digital forensics investigation into a cyberattack on a local bank's database. During the investigation, Detective Harris emphasizes the importance of maintaining the integrity of the evidence. He instructs his team to follow the established rules of thumb for data acquisition to ensure the admissibility of evidence in court. In Detective Harris's digital forensics investigation of the cyberattack on the bank's database, what step is crucial to preserving the original evidence and ensuring its integrity?
James, a forensic investigator, is tasked with examining a suspect’s computer system that is believed to have been used for illegal activities. During his investigation, he finds multiple files with unusual extensions and encrypted contents. One of the files, in particular, appears to be a password-protected ZIP file. As part of his investigation, James needs to extract and analyze the contents of this file to check if it contains any evidence of criminal activity. What should James do next?
During a forensic investigation of a compromised Windows system, Investigator Sarah is tasked with extracting artifacts related to the system'spagefile.sys. She needs to navigate through the registry to locate this specific information. Which of the following registry paths should Sarah examine to extract pagefile.sys artifacts from the system?
Before data acquisition, media must be sanitized to erase previous information. Industry standards dictate data destruction methods based on sensitivity levels. Investigators follow standards like VSITR, NAVSO, DoD, and NIST SP 800-88. Physical destruction options include cross-cut shredding to prevent data retrieval and protect confidentiality.
What is a crucial step in ensuring data security before data acquisition in digital forensics?
Lucas, a forensics expert, was extracting artifacts related to the Tor browser from a memory dump obtained from a victim’s system. During his investigation, he used a forensic tool to extract relevant information and noticed that the dump contained the least possible number of artifacts as evidence. Based on his observations, which of the following conditions resulted in the least number of artifacts being found in the memory dump?
In a digital forensics investigation, persistent malware is discovered on a compromised system despite repeated attempts to remove it. The malware reinstalls itself upon system reboot, indicating sophisticated persistence mechanisms.
In digital forensics, why is identifying malware persistence important?
A digital forensic investigator is tasked with analyzing anNTFS image fileextracted from a pen drive. They leverageThe Sleuth Kit (TSK)for this task, specifically utilizing thefsstatcommand-line tool. By employing fsstat, they delve into the file system’s intricate details, such as metadata, inode numbers, and block or cluster information, thereby facilitating a comprehensive examination.
How can an investigator use TSK to analyze disk images?
Olivia, a security analyst, is performing a penetration test on a banking website to identify potential vulnerabilities. While reviewing the input fields, she suspects that the site might be vulnerable to SQL injection attacks. During her testing, she observes a URL that seems to have unusual encoding techniques applied to it. One URL stands out, in which the input appears to have been double encoded, potentially to evade detection and bypass filters that prevent SQL injection. Which of the following URLs indicates double encoding to execute an SQL injection attack?
Following a data breach, suspicion falls on an employee who had access to sensitive information.Insider threat toolsare deployed to scrutinize the employee's digital activities and flag any anomalous behavior, aiding both the investigation and the prevention of future breaches.
How do insider threat tools contribute to cybersecurity in the given scenario?
In a complex cybersecurity landscape, analysts strategically deployKippo honeypots, leveraging these deceptive systems to entice and ensnare potential attackers. These sophisticated decoys are meticulously designed to mimic genuine network assets, creating an illusion of vulnerability to bait adversaries. As attackers interact with the honeypots, their actions are meticulously logged, providing invaluable insights into their methodologies, tactics, and tools. Analysts diligently analyze these honeypot logs, decoding the intricate patterns of malicious behavior, and leveraging this intelligence to fortify the organization's defenses against real-world cyber threats.
Amidst the dynamic cybersecurity environment, what is the paramount objective of analyzing honeypot logs in cybersecurity operations?
Sarah, a security analyst, is reviewing the security audit logs from a Windows machine to detect unauthorized activities. She comes across an event with the ID 4663 in the Windows Event Viewer, which corresponds to a specific type of system interaction. After further analysis, she determines that this event is related to an activity involving critical system objects.
What does Event ID 4663 specifically indicate in relation to Windows security?
During a cybercrime investigation, Detective Smith accessed original data during a cybercrime investigation but lacked the expertise to understand the implications, compromising evidence integrity. The failure to document processes raises concerns about evidence admissibility in court. In the scenario described, which principle of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Principles of Digital Evidence was violated by Detective Smith?
An organization is working to minimize the eDiscovery costs associated with the extensive analysis of large sets of electronic data. To achieve this, the organization employs advanced methodologies and automated processes that allow them to effectively narrow down the amount of data that requires detailed examination, thus enhancing efficiency while maintaining compliance. By utilizing specific platforms and processes, the organization ensures that only the pertinent data is analyzed, and redundant data is excluded early in the workflow.
Which best practice is the organization implementing to ensure efficient data examination?
As a forensic investigator specializing in cybersecurity, you've been assigned to analyze a suspicious PDF document named“infected.pdf.”This document was discovered on a company server and is suspected to contain malicious scripts that could pose a threat to the organization's systems and network. As part of your investigation into the PDF document, what initial step would you take to identify potential malicious components within the file?
During a forensic investigation into a suspected cyberattack, the investigator checks network logs that were collected during the period of the incident. The investigator's objective is to examine these logs to determine the exact sequence of events that took place, identify the source of the attack, and understand the nature of the incident. This analysis helps in uncovering what occurred, how it happened, and who was responsible for it.
Which of the following techniques is the investigator using in this case?
A digital forensic investigator is examining a mobile device recovered from a suspect in a cybercrime case. The device appears to be running a custom operating system configuration that allows forelevated privileges and unrestricted access to system resources.
What is the most likely method used to achieve this configuration?
Sophia, a network security analyst, is reviewing the logs from a Cisco router in an attempt to identify suspicious traffic patterns. She encounters a log entry that matches the criteria for an access control list (ACL) filter, showing that a TCP or UDP packet was detected based on the applied rules. Based on the log entry description, which of the following is the correct mnemonic for this log message?
Aria, a forensic investigator, is working on a case where she needs to convert anE01 disk image fileto araw image file formaton a Linux-based system. She needs a reliable tool to mount and convert the image so that she can analyze the files within it. Which of the following tools should Aria use to accomplish this task?
