This CS0-003 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
During incident response, a team isolates a host but needs to preserve volatile evidence. What should be done first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Capture a memory dump
Memory dump preserves volatile evidence.
Disconnect from the network
Why wrong: Disconnecting is isolation, but memory should be captured first.
Reimage the hard drive
Why wrong: Reimaging wipes the drive and data.
Reboot the system
Why wrong: Rebooting destroys volatile data.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Capture a memory dump
When a host is isolated during incident response, the first priority is to capture volatile data before it is lost. A memory dump preserves the contents of RAM, which includes running processes, network connections, open files, and encryption keys. This data is critical for forensic analysis and disappears when the system is powered off. Disconnecting the network (option B) is important but should follow memory capture because network activity is part of the volatile state.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Capture a memory dump
Why this is correct
Memory dump preserves volatile evidence.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Disconnect from the network
Why it's wrong here
Disconnecting is isolation, but memory should be captured first.
Reimage the hard drive
Why it's wrong here
Reimaging wipes the drive and data.
Reboot the system
Why it's wrong here
Rebooting destroys volatile data.
Common exam traps
CompTIA often tests the order of volatility (OOV) by making candidates think network isolation is the immediate priority, but the trap is that volatile memory must be captured first because network state is part of that volatile data and disconnecting the network changes the system's state before evidence is collected.
Detailed technical explanation
Memory acquisition tools like FTK Imager, WinPmem, or LiME (Linux Memory Extractor) capture the full physical address space of RAM, including kernel structures, process lists, and network socket tables. The order of volatility (RFC 3227) dictates that memory must be captured before any other action, as it is the most volatile data source. In a real-world scenario, an attacker's in-memory malware (e.g., fileless ransomware) would be completely lost if the system is rebooted, making memory capture the definitive first step.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A developer is choosing between AES-256 (symmetric) and RSA-2048 (asymmetric) for encrypting a large file that will be sent to a partner. Symmetric encryption is fast but requires key exchange; asymmetric is slower but solves the key distribution problem. A hybrid approach — encrypt the file with AES, encrypt the AES key with RSA — is standard. Questions like this test whether you understand when each approach applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Capture a memory dump — When a host is isolated during incident response, the first priority is to capture volatile data before it is lost. A memory dump preserves the contents of RAM, which includes running processes, network connections, open files, and encryption keys. This data is critical for forensic analysis and disappears when the system is powered off. Disconnecting the network (option B) is important but should follow memory capture because network activity is part of the volatile state.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This CS0-003 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 CS0-003 exam.
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