200-201 Host-Based Analysis Practice Question
An analyst is analyzing a Linux system that may have been compromised. Which THREE artifacts would provide evidence of attacker activity? (Choose three.)
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
/var/spool/cron/crontabs/
Bash history contains commands executed by users, auth.log records login attempts, and cron jobs can be used for persistence. /etc/passwd shows user accounts but not activity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/proc/cpuinfo
Why it's wrong here
Hardware information, not relevant to attacker activity.
- ✓
/var/spool/cron/crontabs/
Why this is correct
Contains user cron jobs for persistence.
- ✗
/etc/passwd
Why it's wrong here
Lists users but does not show activity.
- ✓
/var/log/auth.log
Why this is correct
Logs authentication events.
- ✓
/home/user/.bash_history
Why this is correct
Contains command history for the user.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.