200-201 Host-Based Analysis Practice Question
An analyst is investigating a Windows system where a suspicious executable is running. Using Process Explorer, the analyst observes that the process 'svchost.exe' has a parent process of 'cmd.exe'. What is the significance of this parent-child relationship?
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
✓
It indicates that svchost.exe is likely malicious, as it should be spawned by services.exe
Legitimate svchost.exe processes are spawned by services.exe, not cmd.exe. A parent of cmd.exe indicates that svchost.exe was launched manually, which is abnormal and suggests malicious 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.
- ✗
It shows that svchost.exe is a critical system process and is safe
Why it's wrong here
Despite being a system process, the parent indicates it was manually run.
- ✓
It indicates that svchost.exe is likely malicious, as it should be spawned by services.exe
Why this is correct
Correct. Anomalous parent process is a red flag.
- ✗
It suggests that svchost.exe is a child of explorer.exe, which is normal
Why it's wrong here
explorer.exe parent is also abnormal for svchost.
- ✗
It is normal behavior; svchost.exe often has cmd.exe as parent
Why it's wrong here
svchost.exe is normally started by services.exe.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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