CAS-004 Security Operations Practice Question
During a security incident, a forensic investigator needs to acquire volatile data from a compromised server. Which of the following is the correct order for collecting volatile data according to the standard digital forensics process?
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
✓
Memory, network connections, processes, disk
The standard order of volatility (RFC 3227) recommends collecting data in order of decreasing volatility: memory (RAM) first, then network connections, then process information, then disk. This ensures that the most volatile data is preserved before it changes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Processes, memory, disk, network connections
Why it's wrong here
Memory should be collected before processes, and network connections before disk.
- ✗
Disk, memory, network connections, processes
Why it's wrong here
Disk is less volatile than memory; memory should be collected first.
- ✓
Memory, network connections, processes, disk
Why this is correct
This follows the order of volatility: memory is most volatile, then network connections, then processes, then disk.
- ✗
Network connections, memory, disk, processes
Why it's wrong here
Memory is more volatile than network connections.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CAS-005 question from scratch — 968 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.