CHFI Computer Forensics Fundamentals and Process Practice Question
A legal hold is issued by an organization's legal department. What is the primary purpose of a legal hold?
⚠ Common exam trap
CHFI often tests the distinction between a legal hold (a civil preservation duty) and law enforcement seizure (a criminal investigative action), leading candidates to incorrectly select Option B because they conflate 'hold' with 'seize'.
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
✓
To preserve all relevant data that may be needed for a legal case
A legal hold is a directive issued by an organization's legal department to suspend the routine deletion or alteration of data that may be relevant to pending or reasonably anticipated litigation. Its primary purpose is to preserve all potentially relevant electronically stored information (ESI) and physical records in their current state, ensuring spoliation does not occur. This obligation arises under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) Rule 37(e) and similar e-discovery regulations, which require organizations to take reasonable steps to preserve data once litigation is reasonably anticipated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
To notify employees that litigation is pending
Why it's wrong here
Notification is part of the hold but not the primary purpose; the main goal is preservation.
- ✗
To authorize law enforcement to seize computers
Why it's wrong here
A legal hold is an internal directive, not a search warrant.
- ✓
To preserve all relevant data that may be needed for a legal case
Why this is correct
The legal hold ensures that evidence is not destroyed or altered during the pendency of a legal matter.
- ✗
To encrypt all company data for security
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is not the purpose of a legal hold.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CHFI practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council 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 CHFI exam.