200-201 Host-Based Analysis Practice Question
During a forensic examination of a Linux system, an analyst wants to check for persistence mechanisms. Which file or directory should be examined to find user-specific cron jobs that may have been added by an attacker?
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/
User-specific cron jobs are stored in /var/spool/cron/crontabs/ (or /var/spool/cron/). /etc/crontab is system-wide, /etc/cron.d is system-wide directories, and /etc/cron.hourly are scripts. The user-specific location is under /var/spool/cron/.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/etc/cron.hourly/
Why it's wrong here
This is for system-wide hourly scripts, not user crontabs.
- ✗
/etc/cron.d/
Why it's wrong here
This directory contains system-wide cron jobs, not user-specific.
- ✗
/etc/crontab
Why it's wrong here
This is the system-wide crontab file, not user-specific.
- ✓
/var/spool/cron/crontabs/
Why this is correct
User crontabs are stored in this directory, one file per user.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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