CS0-003 Security Operations Practice Question
During memory analysis of a compromised host, an analyst finds a process that appears to be 'svchost.exe' but with an unusual parent process (not 'services.exe'). The process also has injected code in its memory. What is the most likely explanation?
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 svchost.exe is a hollowed process used for malicious purposes
Svchost.exe should always have services.exe as parent. A different parent suggests process hollowing where an attacker replaced the legitimate process memory.
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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The process is a legitimate svchost.exe but spawned by a different service
Why it's wrong here
In a standard Windows environment, legitimate svchost.exe (Service Host) processes are strictly spawned by the Service Control Manager, which runs as services.exe. If a svchost.exe process has a different parent process, such as explorer.exe or a web browser, it is highly anomalous and indicates malicious activity rather than a legitimate service execution.
- ✓
The svchost.exe is a hollowed process used for malicious purposes
Why this is correct
Process hollowing is a defense evasion technique where an adversary spawns a legitimate process like svchost.exe in a suspended state, unmaps its memory, and replaces it with a malicious payload. This allows the malware to masquerade as a trusted system process, hiding its true nature from basic process-monitoring tools while executing unauthorized code.
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The process is a DLL injection into svchost.exe
Why it's wrong here
While DLL injection also manipulates a target process, it involves forcing an existing, running process to load a malicious dynamic-link library into its address space. This technique does not alter the parent-child relationship of the process or replace its entire executable image in memory, which distinguishes it from process hollowing.
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The svchost.exe process is a false positive due to a known Windows bug
Why it's wrong here
There is no documented Windows operating system bug that causes legitimate svchost.exe instances to be spawned by incorrect parent processes or to exhibit anomalous memory signatures. Dismissing such critical indicators of compromise as a false positive ignores fundamental Windows architecture and leaves active threats unaddressed.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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