hardMultiple Choice
CAS-004 Practice Question: During a security incident, a forensic analyst…
During a security incident, a forensic analyst needs to acquire a memory dump from a Linux server without altering the system state. Which tool is most appropriate for this task?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse memory acquisition tools with analysis tools, picking Volatility (A) because it is well-known, or incorrectly assume that 'dd' can reliably access full physical memory on modern Linux systems.
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
✓
LiME (Linux Memory Extractor)
LiME (Linux Memory Extractor) is the most appropriate tool because it is specifically designed to acquire volatile memory from Linux systems while minimizing the footprint on the target system. It loads as a kernel module and directly accesses physical memory, ensuring that the acquisition process does not alter the system state, which is critical for forensic integrity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Volatility framework
Why it's wrong here
Volatility analyses an existing memory image; it does not acquire one from a live Linux host. It is tempting because it is the standard memory forensics framework, and it would be correct once a dump has already been captured and needs parsing for artefacts.
- ✓
LiME (Linux Memory Extractor)
Why this is correct
LiME is a loadable kernel module that captures physical memory to a file or over the network, operating from within the kernel to minimise changes to user-space processes. This satisfies the requirement to acquire a memory dump while preserving system state for later forensic analysis.
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dd if=/dev/mem of=mem.dump
Why it's wrong here
/dev/mem may not provide full physical memory and can crash the system.
- ✗
memdump utility
Why it's wrong here
The memdump utility is a Solaris and BSD tool, not a standard Linux acquisition program, so it is unavailable on the target host and captures process address space rather than full physical memory. It is tempting as a purpose-built memory dumper, and would be correct on Solaris systems where it ships natively.
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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.