- A
explorer.exe should not have any child processes
Why wrong: explorer.exe can have children like file dialogs, but not system services.
- B
Nothing, svchost.exe can be a child of any process
Why wrong: svchost.exe is a system process that should only be started by the service manager.
- C
svchost.exe should be a child of services.exe, not explorer.exe
svchost.exe is a service host process; its parent should be services.exe.
- D
The pstree output is unreliable
Why wrong: pstree is reliable; the anomaly is real.
Question 478 of 1,000
200-201 Host-Based Analysis Practice Question
This 200-201 practice question tests your understanding of host-based analysis. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
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?
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
Option C is correct because 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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The pstree output is unreliable
Why it's wrong here
pstree is reliable; the anomaly is real.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Windows maintains a parent process ID (PPID) in the EPROCESS block for each process. The pstree plugin walks the _LIST_ENTRY structures to reconstruct the tree. A real-world scenario where this matters is when malware like a trojan or backdoor spawns a copy of svchost.exe from explorer.exe to blend in with legitimate system processes; analysts can detect this anomaly by comparing the PPID against the expected services.exe PID (typically 4 or a low number in early boot).
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 200-201 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-201 question test?
Host-Based Analysis — This question tests Host-Based Analysis — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: svchost.exe should be a child of services.exe, not explorer.exe — Option C is correct because 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.
What should I do if I get this 200-201 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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.
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