CAS-004 Security Operations Practice Question
An incident responder is analyzing a malware sample obtained from an infected host. The responder wants to perform dynamic analysis to observe the malware's behavior in a safe environment. Which of the following is the best approach?
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
✓
Execute the malware in a virtual machine with network monitoring tools
Dynamic analysis involves running the malware in a controlled environment like a sandbox to observe its behavior, including network traffic, file system changes, and registry modifications.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check the PE header for imported functions
Why it's wrong here
PE header analysis is static.
- ✗
Disassemble the malware using IDA Pro
Why it's wrong here
Disassembly is static analysis, not dynamic.
- ✗
Run strings on the malware binary
Why it's wrong here
Strings is a static analysis technique.
- ✓
Execute the malware in a virtual machine with network monitoring tools
Why this is correct
This allows observing behavior safely.
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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.