This CS0-003 practice question tests your understanding of incident response and management. 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.
A host is suspected of running fileless malware. Which artefacts should be collected quickly? (Choose two.)
Memory image or live response data
Fileless activity may exist mainly in memory.
Active network connections and running processes
Live state helps reconstruct behaviour.
A list of cafeteria purchases
Why wrong: Purchases are unrelated to malware state.
A printed office map
Why wrong: The map does not preserve host compromise evidence.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Memory image or live response data
Fileless malware operates in memory without writing to disk, so capturing a memory image or live response data preserves the malicious code, injected DLLs, and process hollowing artifacts that would vanish on reboot. Active network connections and running processes reveal the malware's C2 communications and its in-memory execution context, which are critical for identifying the infection vector and scope.
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.
Memory image or live response data
Why this is correct
Fileless activity may exist mainly in memory.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Active network connections and running processes
Why this is correct
Live state helps reconstruct behaviour.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
A list of cafeteria purchases
Why it's wrong here
Purchases are unrelated to malware state.
A printed office map
Why it's wrong here
The map does not preserve host compromise evidence.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the misconception that fileless malware leaves no artifacts at all, leading candidates to overlook memory and live response data, or to choose irrelevant options like cafeteria purchases that seem like a distractor but have no forensic value.
Detailed technical explanation
Fileless malware often leverages PowerShell, WMI, or .NET reflection to execute payloads directly in memory, bypassing traditional file-based detection. Tools like Volatility can extract malicious scripts from memory pages, while netstat and tasklist capture ephemeral network sockets and process trees that disappear after reboot. In real-world attacks, such as those using Cobalt Strike's beacon, memory dumps reveal injected shellcode and encrypted C2 traffic that would otherwise be lost.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A SOC analyst notices unusual lateral movement in the network at 2 AM. The IR playbook dictates: identify and contain (isolate the affected machine), then eradicate (remove the malware), then recover (restore from backup), then document. Skipping containment before eradication risks the attacker regaining access. Questions like this test the sequence and rationale of incident response phases.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Incident Response and Management — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Incident Response and Management practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All CS0-003 questions
503 questions across all exam domains
CompTIA CySA+ CS0-003 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
CS0-003 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to Security Operations.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to Vulnerability Management.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to Incident Response and Management.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to Reporting and Communication.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to CompTIA A+ hardware.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to CompTIA A+ mobile devices.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to CompTIA A+ networking.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to CompTIA A+ operating systems.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to CompTIA A+ security.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to CompTIA A+ software troubleshooting questions.
Practise CS0-003 questions linked to CompTIA A+ operational procedures questions.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Incident Response and Management — This question tests Incident Response and Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Memory image or live response data — Fileless malware operates in memory without writing to disk, so capturing a memory image or live response data preserves the malicious code, injected DLLs, and process hollowing artifacts that would vanish on reboot. Active network connections and running processes reveal the malware's C2 communications and its in-memory execution context, which are critical for identifying the infection vector and scope.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.