Live System Forensics

5 minutes 5 Questions

Live system forensics involves the collection and analysis of digital evidence from systems that are currently running and potentially still under the control of an attacker. Unlike traditional forensic imaging, which focuses on analyzing static data from powered-off systems, live system forensics allows investigators to obtain volatile data and state information that may be lost upon system shutdown. Examples of volatile data include running processes, network connections, and data in memory. This technique can help identify active threats, determine the scope of an incident, and gather valuable evidence for further analysis or prosecution. However, the investigator must be cautious not to inadvertently modify or damage the evidence during the collection process.

Guide on Live System Forensics

What is Live System Forensics?
Live System Forensics is a part of incident response and forensics that involves the process of collecting and analyzing data from a computer system that is still operating. This can include volatile data such as running processes, network connections and logged in users.

Why is Live System Forensics important?
It is important because it helps in uncovering valuable data that wouldn't be available once the computer system is turned off. It helps in gaining insights about the ongoing activities on a live system, which can be crucial in identifying malicious activities, troubleshooting issues or gathering evidence for cyber crimes.

How does Live System Forensics work?
Live System Forensics involves the use of various tools and techniques to capture data from a live system. This can include memory forensics, network forensics, and analyzing real-time system and user activities. The collected data is then analyzed to uncover any potential issues or evidence.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Live System Forensics
When answering questions on Live System Forensics in an exam, be sure to:
1. Understand the basic concepts and purpose of Live System Forensics, including its advantages and what kind of data could be collected from a live system.
2. Know the different tools and techniques used in Live System Forensics.
3. Be able to explain the process of how Live System Forensics works, from data collection to analysis.
4. Give real-life examples of scenarios where Live System Forensics would be used, such as in incident response or cyber crime investigations.

Test mode:

Exam (Timed)

Practice (With explanations)

Start practice test

Question 1

A cybersecurity analyst received a call reporting a suspicious process running on a user's computer. What should the analyst do first in the live system forensics process?

Immediately shut down the system Isolate the system from the network Run antivirus software Delete the suspicious process

Correct Answer: Isolate the system from the network

In live system forensics, the first step is isolating the system from the network to prevent further damage or communication with potential attacker's command and control servers. Immediately shutting down the system, deleting the process, and running antivirus software are actions to be taken after initial containment, while ignoring the issue or restoring the system could lead to the problem persisting.

Question 2

When performing live system forensics on a user's computer, an analyst discovers a suspicious process is writing to an encrypted container. How should the analyst proceed to determine the contents?

Disconnect the user's computer from the network Capture the encryption keys from memory Forcefully halt the suspicious process Decrypt the container using a dictionary attack

Correct Answer: Capture the encryption keys from memory

Capturing the encryption keys from memory is the best approach to determine the contents of the encrypted container without alerting the user or actors behind the suspicious process. Disconnecting the network, forcefully halting the process, and deleting the container are not focused on determining container contents. Dictionary attacks and user passwords are less reliable methods than directly capturing the keys.

Question 3

You're investigating a potential insider threat on a live system and need to collect information about user logins. What type of data should be analyzed?

Registry entries Event logs Disk image Memory dump

Correct Answer: Event logs

By reviewing event logs, you can collect information about user logins, system events, and other historical activity. Memory dumps consist of volatile data, disk images contain non-volatile data, registry entries store system configurations, process lists include running processes, and packet captures consist of network traffic.

Go Premium