CAS-004 Security Operations Practice Question
During a digital forensics investigation, an analyst needs to acquire the contents of RAM from a compromised server. Which order of volatility should the analyst follow?
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
✓
Capture RAM first, then the hard drive
The order of volatility dictates collecting the most volatile data first. RAM is highly volatile and should be captured before less volatile data like disks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Capture the swap file first, then RAM
Why it's wrong here
Swap file is on disk, less volatile than RAM.
- ✗
Capture network connections first, then RAM
Why it's wrong here
Network connections are also volatile, but RAM is typically collected before network state.
- ✗
Capture the hard drive image first, then RAM
Why it's wrong here
Hard drive is less volatile than RAM; RAM should be captured first.
- ✓
Capture RAM first, then the hard drive
Why this is correct
RAM is the most volatile and should be collected first.
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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.