200-201 Host-Based Analysis Practice Question
An analyst runs Volatility's pstree plugin on a memory dump. The output shows that a process 'svchost.exe' is the child of 'explorer.exe'. What is suspicious about this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that svchost.exe can be a child of any process because it is a common system process, but the trap is that candidates forget the strict parent-child relationship enforced by the Service Control Manager in Windows.
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
✓
svchost.exe should be a child of services.exe, not explorer.exe
In a normal Windows system, svchost.exe is a service host process that should always be a child of services.exe, which is the Service Control Manager (SCM). When svchost.exe appears as a child of explorer.exe, it indicates that a malicious process or attacker has spawned a fake svchost.exe from explorer.exe to evade detection, as legitimate svchost.exe instances are never launched from the Windows shell.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
explorer.exe should not have any child processes
Why it's wrong here
explorer.exe can have children like file dialogs, but not system services.
- ✗
Nothing, svchost.exe can be a child of any process
Why it's wrong here
svchost.exe is a system process that should only be started by the service manager.
- ✓
svchost.exe should be a child of services.exe, not explorer.exe
Why this is correct
svchost.exe is a service host process; its parent should be services.exe.
- ✗
The pstree output is unreliable
Why it's wrong here
pstree is reliable; the anomaly is real.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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