CAS-004 Security Operations Practice Question
A security analyst is analyzing a memory dump using Volatility. The analyst wants to list all running processes and identify any hidden processes. Which Volatility plugin should be used?
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
✓
psscan
The pslist plugin lists processes from the doubly linked list, while psscan uses pool tag scanning to find hidden processes that are not in the linked list.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
psxview
Why it's wrong here
psxview compares multiple sources but psscan is more direct for hidden processes.
- ✗
pslist
Why it's wrong here
pslist only shows linked list processes; psscan finds hidden ones.
- ✗
pstree
Why it's wrong here
pstree shows the process tree but relies on the linked list.
- ✓
psscan
Why this is correct
psscan scans for processes in memory pools and can detect hidden or terminated processes.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAS-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CAS-005 exam.