The answer is to document every transfer of evidence with signatures and timestamps. This is the best practice because the chain of custody is a legal and procedural requirement that must demonstrate the integrity and admissibility of digital evidence; CHFI guidelines mandate an unbroken audit trail where each handoff is recorded with the identity of the person transferring and receiving the evidence, the exact timestamp, and the purpose of the transfer. On the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator exam, this concept tests your understanding that forensic soundness hinges on provable custody, not just technical acquisition—a common trap is choosing “store evidence in a locked safe” alone, which ignores the documentation requirement. Remember the mnemonic “S.T.A.M.P.”: Signatures, Timestamps, Action, Material condition, and Purpose for every transfer.
CHFI Computer Forensics Lab Practice Question
This CHFI practice question tests your understanding of computer forensics lab. 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 forensic lab is establishing a chain of custody procedure. Which practice is considered best according to CHFI guidelines?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Document every transfer of evidence with signatures and timestamps
Option D is correct because the chain of custody is fundamentally a legal and procedural requirement to demonstrate the integrity and admissibility of digital evidence. CHFI guidelines emphasize that every transfer of evidence must be meticulously documented with signatures, timestamps, and purpose to create an unbroken audit trail, which is the only practice that directly satisfies the legal standard for evidence handling.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Require biometric authentication for all lab personnel
Why it's wrong here
Biometrics control access, not track custody.
✗
Store evidence in a secure room with limited access
Why it's wrong here
Physical security is important but does not document custody.
✗
Use encryption to protect evidence files
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects confidentiality, not chain of custody.
✓
Document every transfer of evidence with signatures and timestamps
Why this is correct
Documentation is key to maintaining chain of custody.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
EC-Council often tests the distinction between security controls (like encryption or access restrictions) and procedural documentation (like signatures and timestamps), leading candidates to confuse physical or technical safeguards with the legal requirement for an auditable chain of custody.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Chain of custody documentation typically includes a detailed evidence log or form that records each person who handled the evidence, the date and time of transfer, the purpose of transfer, and the condition of the evidence. In forensic practice, this log is often supplemented with hash values (e.g., MD5, SHA-1) at each transfer point to verify integrity, and the documentation must be signed by both the relinquishing and receiving parties. A real-world scenario where this matters is in court, where a defense attorney can challenge evidence admissibility if the chain of custody shows any gap or missing signature, potentially leading to evidence being excluded under rules like Federal Rule of Evidence 901.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CHFI question in full detail.
Computer Forensics Lab — This question tests Computer Forensics Lab — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Document every transfer of evidence with signatures and timestamps — Option D is correct because the chain of custody is fundamentally a legal and procedural requirement to demonstrate the integrity and admissibility of digital evidence. CHFI guidelines emphasize that every transfer of evidence must be meticulously documented with signatures, timestamps, and purpose to create an unbroken audit trail, which is the only practice that directly satisfies the legal standard for evidence handling.
What should I do if I get this CHFI question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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