CHFI - Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator Data Acquisition and Duplication Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A forensic investigator is tasked with creating a bit-for-bit copy of a suspect's hard drive. To ensure the integrity of the original evidence, which of the following tools is essential to use during the acquisition process?
- A hashing utility
- A write-blocker (Correct answer)
- A file carving tool
- A network sniffer
Correct answer: A write-blocker
A write-blocker is a device or software that prevents any write operations to a storage device, ensuring that the original evidence is not altered during the forensic imaging process. This preserves the integrity of the data, which is a fundamental principle in digital forensics. Hashing is used for verification after the image is created, file carving is for data recovery, and a network sniffer captures network traffic.
Question 2: An investigator has just created a forensic image of a hard drive. To verify that the duplicate is an exact copy of the original, what cryptographic function must be performed on both the original media and the created image file?
- Encryption
- Steganography
- Hashing (Correct answer)
- Compression
Correct answer: Hashing
Hashing algorithms like SHA-256 or MD5 are used to create a unique digital fingerprint (hash value) of a piece of data. By calculating the hash value for both the original evidence drive and the forensic image, an investigator can prove that the image is a perfect, unaltered copy. If the hash values match, it confirms the integrity of the duplication process.
Question 3: During a digital forensics investigation, which document provides a chronological paper trail of the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of evidence?
- Evidence Intake Form
- Investigator's Notes
- Case Summary Report
- Chain of Custody (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Chain of Custody
The Chain of Custody is a critical document that records the entire lifecycle of a piece of evidence. It meticulously tracks who handled the evidence, when, and for what purpose, ensuring its integrity and admissibility in legal proceedings. A broken chain of custody can render evidence inadmissible in court.
Question 4: A forensic analyst needs to acquire data from a running server that is suspected of being involved in an ongoing network attack. The analyst wants to capture the contents of RAM, running processes, and active network connections. Which type of data acquisition is most appropriate in this scenario?
- Static (Dead) Acquisition
- Live Acquisition (Correct answer)
- Logical Acquisition
- Sparse Acquisition
Correct answer: Live Acquisition
Live acquisition involves collecting volatile data from a system while it is still running. This is necessary to capture transient information like the contents of RAM, running processes, network connections, and logged-on users, which would be lost if the system were powered down for a static (dead) acquisition.
Question 5: Which of the following is considered the most common and forensically sound method for duplicating a storage device, as it creates an exact, bit-for-bit copy of the entire drive, including unallocated space and deleted files?
- Logical file copy
- Bit-stream disk-to-image file (Correct answer)
- System backup and restore
- Sparse imaging
Correct answer: Bit-stream disk-to-image file
Creating a bit-stream disk-to-image file is the standard forensic method for duplicating evidence. This process creates a file that is an exact, sector-by-sector copy of the source drive, ensuring that all data, including deleted files, file slack, and unallocated space, is preserved for analysis. This is often referred to as creating a 'forensic image'.
Question 6: A CHFI is at a scene and must decide on an acquisition method for a suspect's laptop. The investigator has limited time and is primarily interested in specific user-created documents and emails, not the entire operating system or unallocated space. Which acquisition method would be the most efficient in this situation?
- Physical Acquisition
- Live RAM Capture
- Bit-stream Imaging
- Logical Acquisition (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Logical Acquisition
Logical acquisition is the process of acquiring only the active data files and directories from a storage device. It does not capture the entire physical drive (including unallocated space or deleted files). When time is limited and the focus is on specific file types, logical acquisition is much faster and more efficient than a full physical or bit-stream acquisition.
CHFI - Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator Data Acquisition and Duplication Questions and Answers
A forensic investigator is tasked with creating a bit-for-bit copy of a suspect's hard drive.
To ensure the integrity of the original evidence, which of the following tools is essential to use during the acquisition process?