Quick Answer
The answer is Process Explorer, Process Monitor, and Regshot, as these are the three tools commonly used for monitoring system changes during malware execution. Process Explorer provides deep visibility into running processes, handles, and DLLs, while Process Monitor captures real-time file system, registry, and process/thread activity using kernel-mode drivers to log operations like CreateFile and RegSetValue. Regshot takes snapshots of the registry and file system before and after execution, allowing analysts to compare changes directly. On the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator CHFI exam, this question tests your ability to select the correct trio from a list that often includes traps like Wireshark or Netcat, which focus on network traffic rather than system-level changes. A useful memory tip is to think of the acronym PER: Process Explorer, Process Monitor, and Regshot—the three pillars of dynamic system change analysis.
This CHFI practice question tests your understanding of mobile and malware forensics. 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 malware analyst is performing dynamic analysis of a trojan. Which THREE of the following tools are commonly used to monitor system changes during execution?
Process Monitor
Captures registry, file system, and process activity in real time.
Ghidra
Why wrong: Ghidra is a static reverse engineering framework, not typically used for runtime monitoring.
PEiD
Why wrong: PEiD is a static analysis tool for detecting packers and compilers.
Regshot
Takes before-and-after snapshots of the registry for comparison.
Process Explorer
Advanced task manager showing processes, handles, and DLLs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Process Monitor
Process Monitor (A) is correct because it is a real-time system monitoring tool that captures file system, registry, and process/thread activity, allowing analysts to observe changes made by a trojan during execution. It uses kernel-mode drivers to log operations such as CreateFile, RegSetValue, and CreateProcess, which are essential for dynamic analysis.
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.
Process Monitor
Why this is correct
Captures registry, file system, and process activity in real time.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Ghidra
Why it's wrong here
Ghidra is a static reverse engineering framework, not typically used for runtime monitoring.
PEiD
Why it's wrong here
PEiD is a static analysis tool for detecting packers and compilers.
Regshot
Why this is correct
Takes before-and-after snapshots of the registry for comparison.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Process Explorer
Why this is correct
Advanced task manager showing processes, handles, and DLLs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
EC-Council often tests the distinction between static and dynamic analysis tools, so the trap here is that candidates confuse tools like Ghidra or PEiD (static) with runtime monitoring tools like Process Monitor or Regshot (dynamic).
Detailed technical explanation
Process Monitor leverages the Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) infrastructure and its own kernel-mode driver (Procmon.sys) to capture low-level operations without polling, ensuring minimal performance impact. In a real-world scenario, an analyst might use Process Monitor to detect a trojan creating a startup registry key (e.g., HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) or dropping a DLL into System32, which would appear as a RegSetValue or WriteFile event.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CHFI exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Mobile and Malware Forensics — This question tests Mobile and Malware Forensics — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Process Monitor — Process Monitor (A) is correct because it is a real-time system monitoring tool that captures file system, registry, and process/thread activity, allowing analysts to observe changes made by a trojan during execution. It uses kernel-mode drivers to log operations such as CreateFile, RegSetValue, and CreateProcess, which are essential for dynamic analysis.
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.
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Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. During a malware analysis, an analyst uses a tool to monitor registry changes, file system modifications, and process activity simultaneously. Which tool is BEST suited for this integrated monitoring?
mediumWhy B: Process Monitor (ProcMon) is the correct tool because it integrates real-time monitoring of registry changes, file system modifications, and process/thread activity into a single interface. It combines the legacy tools Regmon (registry) and Filemon (file system) with process monitoring, allowing an analyst to correlate events across all three subsystems simultaneously, which is essential for dynamic malware analysis.
Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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