200-201 Host-Based Analysis Practice Question
During an incident response on a Linux server, an analyst runs 'ps aux' and notices a process named 'cryptominer' with high CPU usage. The process PPID is 1. Which tool would best help the analyst examine the parent-child relationship and find how the process was started?
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
✓
pstree
The pstree command shows the process hierarchy in a tree format, clearly displaying parent-child relationships. This helps trace how the malicious process was launched.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
pstree
Why this is correct
pstree displays the process tree including PPID relationships.
- ✗
netstat
Why it's wrong here
netstat shows network connections, not process hierarchy.
- ✗
lsof
Why it's wrong here
lsof lists open files, not process tree.
- ✗
crontab -l
Why it's wrong here
crontab lists scheduled tasks, not current processes.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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