Digital Forensic Certification Practice Exam

What does the technique of observing runtime behavior entail?

1. Static code analysis of the executable

2. Live monitoring of malware activity

3. Extracting embedded strings from files

4. Detecting file hashes

The correct answer is: Live monitoring of malware activity

Observing runtime behavior involves monitoring the execution of a program as it runs in real time, which is particularly valuable in the analysis of malware. This technique allows analysts to gather information about how the malware interacts with system resources, such as network connections, file activities, and changes to the system environment. By live monitoring malware activity, investigators can identify malicious behaviors that occur during execution, which may not be evident through static analysis methods. This real-time observation is crucial for understanding the full impact of the threat and for developing effective countermeasures. Static code analysis, extracting embedded strings, and detecting file hashes, while useful for different types of analysis, do not provide insights into the dynamic interactions and behaviors that occur when a program is actively running. These approaches are typically employed to analyze the code structure or identify potential vulnerabilities and indicators of compromise, but they lack the depth of insight gained through observing the actual runtime behavior of software.