CS0-003 Incident Response and Management Practice Question
A security analyst is investigating a potential data exfiltration incident. The analyst captures memory from a Windows system and finds a process that is injecting code into other processes. Which THREE indicators from the memory analysis would MOST strongly suggest malicious activity? (Select THREE.)
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
✓
The process has memory regions with RWX permissions.
Suspicious memory regions (like RWX), unusual API calls (e.g., WriteProcessMemory), and hidden processes are strong indicators of malware or code injection.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The process has memory regions with RWX permissions.
Why this is correct
RWX (read-write-execute) memory pages in a process are a high-confidence indicator of injected shellcode because modern operating systems enforce W^X (write XOR execute) policies; legitimate code typically resides in read-only executable regions or uses explicit VirtualProtect transitions. While some Just-In-Time (JIT) engines may briefly allocate RWX, persistent regions outside known JIT heaps warrant immediate investigation.
- ✓
The process is hidden from the task manager.
Why this is correct
A process that is invisible to Task Manager or other user-mode process enumerators indicates kernel-level or user-mode rootkit behavior that hooks and filters API calls like NtQuerySystemInformation. Legitimate applications do not deliberately hide their processes, so this bypass of standard forensic tools is a strong sign of malware attempting to evade detection.
- ✓
The process is making calls to WriteProcessMemory and CreateRemoteThread.
Why this is correct
The combination of WriteProcessMemory and CreateRemoteThread is a classic code injection sequence where an attacker writes a malicious payload into a target process address space and then spawns a new thread to execute it. This pattern is frequently observed in DLL injection and reflective shellcode attacks, and legitimate software rarely uses these APIs to modify foreign processes.
- ✗
The process name is a known Windows system process.
Why it's wrong here
A process name matching a well-known Windows system image, such as svchost.exe, is an unreliable indicator because malware routinely masquerades under legitimate names; conversely, many genuine system processes run under these names. Further validation requires checking the binary path, parent process, and digital signature, so the name alone cannot confirm maliciousness.
- ✗
The process has a valid digital signature.
Why it's wrong here
Although many legitimate processes are digitally signed, the presence of a valid code-signing certificate does not guarantee trust, since malware can be signed with stolen or forgery-obtained certificates, and some signed executables are intentionally malicious. Attackers have also leveraged mis-issued certificates, so a signature merely authenticates the signer identity, not the software's behavioral intent.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
SIEM Log Analysis
Key term
Malware
Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage, disrupt operations, steal data, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.
Key term
Incident
An incident is a security event that violates an organization's policies or threatens its data, systems, or operations, requiring a structured response.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CS0-004 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 CS0-004 exam.