CS0-003 Incident Response and Management Practice Question
During forensic analysis of a compromised Linux server, an analyst needs to acquire memory evidence. The server is running and the analyst has root access. Which of the following tools should the analyst use to capture the contents of RAM with the least impact on the system?
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
LiME (Linux Memory Extractor) is a loadable kernel module that dumps memory and is designed to minimize footprint. It is commonly used for Linux memory acquisition.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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WinPmem
Why it's wrong here
WinPmem is a memory acquisition driver built specifically for the Windows kernel's memory management interfaces and has no compatibility with the Linux kernel, so it cannot be used to capture RAM from a Linux server regardless of the analyst's access level.
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FTK Imager
Why it's wrong here
FTK Imager is a Windows-based forensic imaging application that relies on Windows-specific drivers and APIs for live memory capture, and it does not natively run on or support acquiring memory from a Linux operating system, making it the wrong tool for this platform.
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dd if=/dev/mem of=mem.dump
Why it's wrong here
Directly reading /dev/mem with dd is unreliable on modern Linux kernels because CONFIG_STRICT_DEVMEM and related hardening restrict full physical memory access through that interface, and even where accessible, this method can produce an inconsistent, non-atomic snapshot or destabilize the running system, which conflicts with the requirement for minimal impact.
- ✓
LiME
Why this is correct
LiME (Linux Memory Extractor) is a loadable kernel module purpose-built for forensically sound live acquisition on Linux, capturing physical memory directly into a file or over the network with atomic, kernel-level access that avoids the instability and incompleteness risks of userland tools like dd, making it the appropriate low-impact choice here.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Memory Forensics and Volatile Data
Key term
Impact
Impact is the measure of the potential damage or harm that a risk event could cause to an organization's assets, operations, or reputation.
Key term
Analysis
In incident response, analysis is the process of examining data and events to determine what happened, how it happened, and what actions to take.
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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.