Digital-Forensics-in-Cybersecurity Digital Forensics in Cybersecurity (D431/C840) Course Exam Questions and Answers

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

NTFS is the primary file system used by Microsoft Windows operating systems starting from Windows NT and continuing through modern versions including Windows 8. NTFS supports advanced features like file permissions, encryption, and journaling, which are critical for modern OS file management.

Linux typically uses ext3, ext4, or other native file systems, not NTFS as a primary system.

Mac OS X v10.4 and v10.5 use HFS+ as the native file system, not NTFS.

Windows 8 uses NTFS as its default file system.

This is documented in official Microsoft and NIST digital forensics resources.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

In steganography, the carrier is the file or medium used to hide the secret message. In this example, the sound file is the carrier because it contains the hidden message embedded using the least significant bit method. The message is the payload, and the website is merely the distribution platform.

LSB is the embedding technique, not the carrier.

The message is the payload, not the carrier.

The website is not involved in data hiding.

NIST and steganography references clearly define the carrier as the container holding the hidden data.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The Chain of Custody (CoC) is the documented and unbroken transfer record of evidence handling, from seizure to presentation in court. It ensures that the evidence has been preserved, controlled, and protected from tampering or alteration.

Evidence record documents evidence details but is less formal than CoC.

Event log and audit log are system-generated records and do not replace the formal CoC.

CoC is a fundamental forensic principle as outlined by NIST SP 800-86 and the Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) best practices, ensuring evidence admissibility and reliability in legal proceedings.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The browser cache stores recently accessed web pages, images, and cookies, which may include phishing site content and related activity. Investigators analyzing phishing attacks collect browser cache data to reconstruct the victim’s web activity and detect malicious sites.

Cached web pages help corroborate victim statements and establish timelines.

Browser history and cache are volatile and must be preserved promptly.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Eudora email client uses the.mbxfile extension to store email messages. The.mbxformat stores emails in a mailbox file similar to the standard mbox format used by other email clients.

.dbxis used by Microsoft Outlook Express.

.ostand.pstare file types used by Microsoft Outlook.

Therefore,.mbxis specific to Eudora.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Documenting the scene through photographs preserves the original state of evidence before it is moved or altered. This supports chain of custody and evidence integrity, providing context during analysis and court proceedings.

Photographic documentation is a standard step in forensic protocols.

It ensures the scene is accurately recorded.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Netstatis a command-line network utility tool used to monitor active network connections, open ports, and network routing tables. In the context of detecting data exfiltration potentially using steganographic methods, netstat can help a forensic investigator identify suspicious or unauthorized network connections through which hidden data may be leaving an organization.

While netstat itself does not detect steganography within files, it can be used to monitor data flows and connections to external hosts, which is critical for identifying channels where steganographically hidden data could be transmitted.

Data Encryption Standard (DES)is a cryptographic algorithm, not a forensic tool.

MP3Stegois a steganography tool for embedding data in MP3 files and is not designed for detection or monitoring.

Forensic Toolkit (FTK)is a forensic analysis software focused on acquiring and analyzing data from storage devices, not network monitoring.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

To legally search the computer located in the home, the detective must obtain consent from someone with authority over the premises — in this case, the parents. Parental consent is generally sufficient for searches within their household unless other legal considerations apply. This ensures compliance with constitutional protections against unlawful searches.

Obtaining valid consent is a fundamental requirement under the Fourth Amendment for legal search and seizure.

Forensic investigators must avoid searches without proper consent or a warrant to maintain admissibility of evidence.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Forensic Toolkit (FTK) is a comprehensive forensic suite capable of acquiring bit-by-bit images from various devices, including Windows Phone 8, by supporting physical and logical extractions. FTK is widely accepted and used for mobile device forensic imaging.

Data Doctor is primarily a data recovery tool, not specialized for mobile forensic imaging.

Pwnage is related to jailbreaking iOS devices.

Wolf is not a recognized forensic imaging tool for Windows Phone 8.

NIST mobile device forensic standards cite FTK as a preferred tool for mobile device imaging.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) regulates interception and recording of electronic communications and generally requires the consent of both parties involved in a conversation for legal recordings.

This consent requirement protects privacy rights during investigations.

Non-compliance can lead to evidence being inadmissible or legal penalties.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

File timestamps, including creation time, last modified time, and last accessed time, are fundamental metadata attributes stored with each file on a file system. When files are modified, these timestamps usually update, providing direct evidence about when changes occurred. Examining file timestamps helps forensic investigators identify which files were altered and estimate the time of unauthorized activity.

IP addresses (private or public) are network-related evidence, not stored on the storage media’s files directly.

Operating system version is system information but does not help identify specific file modifications.

Analysis of file timestamps is a standard forensic technique endorsed by NIST SP 800-86 (Guide to Integrating Forensic Techniques into Incident Response) for determining file activity and changes on digital media.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The SAM (Security Account Manager) file located in theWindows\System32\configdirectory stores hashed local user account passwords. It can be accessed and extracted using a live CD or bootable forensic tool, which allows the forensic investigator to bypass the running operating system and avoid altering the evidence.

IPSec is related to network security policies, not password storage.

HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) is a system file managing hardware interaction.

Ntidr is a boot loader file in Windows NT systems.

Cracking password hashes extracted from the SAM file is a common forensic practice to recover user passwords during investigations.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Least Significant Bit (LSB) insertion involves modifying the least significant bits of image pixel data to embed hidden information. Changes are imperceptible to the human eye, making this a common steganographic technique.

LSB insertion is widely studied and targeted in steganalysis.

It allows covert data embedding without increasing file size significantly.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The Privacy Protection Act (PPA) protects journalists by restricting law enforcement’s ability to search or seize materials intended for public dissemination unless certain exceptions apply. It safeguards journalistic sources and unpublished work from unwarranted government intrusion.

The PPA ensures freedom of the press and protects confidential information.

Law enforcement must comply with procedural safeguards before accessing journalistic materials.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

NTLDR (NT Loader) is the boot loader for Windows NT-based systems including Windows XP. It reads the boot.ini configuration file and displays the boot menu, initiating the boot process.

Later Windows versions (Vista and above) replaced NTLDR with BOOTMGR.

Understanding boot components assists forensic investigators in boot process analysis.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

In steganography, the file that hides secret information is called thecarrier. The carrier file appears normal and contains embedded hidden data (the payload).

Payload refers to the actual secret data hidden inside the carrier.

Snow refers to random noise or artifacts, often in images or files.

Channel refers to the medium or communication path used to transmit data.

Thus,vacationdetails.docis the carrier file containing the hidden information.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Identity theft occurs when an attacker unlawfully obtains and uses another person's personal information to open accounts, access credit, or commit fraud. The opening of credit cards without the victim's consent is a classic example.

SQL injection is a web application attack method that does not directly relate to this case.

Cyberstalking involves harassment via digital means and is unrelated.

Malware is malicious software and may be used to facilitate identity theft but is not the crime itself.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Windows uses a swap file (commonly calledpagefile.sys) to extend physical memory (RAM) by temporarily storing data from memory to disk when RAM is insufficient. This allows the system to handle more data than the available RAM.

Linux and Unix typically use dedicated swap partitions or swap files but refer to them differently and manage them in other ways.

Mac OS X uses a paging file system but does not typically use a "swap file" in the Windows sense; it uses dynamic paging files instead.

The terminology "swap file" is most commonly associated with Windows.