CHFI Incident Response and First Responder Skills Practice Question
This CHFI practice question tests your understanding of incident response and first responder skills. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. 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.
An analyst receives an alert indicating a suspicious process (PID 3342) is making outbound connections on port 443 to an unknown IP. The system is a Windows 10 workstation. Which first responder action is MOST appropriate?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Capture a full memory dump using a tool like FTK Imager (Memory Capture) or DumpIt.
Capturing a full memory dump (option A) is the most appropriate first responder action because it preserves the volatile state of the suspicious process (PID 3342) and its associated artifacts (e.g., network connections, loaded DLLs, encryption keys) before any further system changes occur. This allows forensic analysis to identify the malware's behavior, such as command-and-control (C2) communication over port 443 (HTTPS), without altering evidence. Tools like FTK Imager (Memory Capture) or DumpIt acquire a raw .mem file that can be analyzed with Volatility or Rekall to extract process details, network sockets, and injected code.
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.
✓
Capture a full memory dump using a tool like FTK Imager (Memory Capture) or DumpIt.
Why this is correct
Memory capture preserves running processes, network connections, and other volatile data crucial for analysis.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Immediately disconnect the system from the network to contain the threat.
Why it's wrong here
Isolating from network before memory capture may lose volatile evidence.
✗
Check the Windows Event Logs for related entries.
Why it's wrong here
While logs are useful, memory capture should take priority as it captures the current state of the system.
✗
Reboot the system to clear any malicious processes from memory.
Why it's wrong here
Rebooting destroys volatile evidence and may allow malware to hide.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
EC-Council often tests the principle that volatile data (memory) must be captured before any containment or analysis steps, and the trap here is that candidates mistakenly prioritize network containment (option B) over evidence preservation, forgetting that disconnecting the network can destroy critical volatile artifacts like active connections and encryption keys.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Memory acquisition on Windows 10 requires tools that bypass the operating system's own memory management (e.g., using a kernel driver like WinPmem or DumpIt) to read physical memory pages directly, capturing process EPROCESS blocks, network socket structures (e.g., _TCPT_OBJECT), and cryptographic material. Port 443 outbound connections are typically HTTPS, which means the malware may be using encrypted C2 traffic; memory analysis can reveal decrypted payloads or SSL/TLS session keys stored in the process heap. In real-world incidents, attackers often use process hollowing or reflective DLL injection, which only memory forensics can detect by comparing the process's loaded modules against the executable on disk.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CHFI question in full detail.
Incident Response and First Responder Skills — This question tests Incident Response and First Responder Skills — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Capture a full memory dump using a tool like FTK Imager (Memory Capture) or DumpIt. — Capturing a full memory dump (option A) is the most appropriate first responder action because it preserves the volatile state of the suspicious process (PID 3342) and its associated artifacts (e.g., network connections, loaded DLLs, encryption keys) before any further system changes occur. This allows forensic analysis to identify the malware's behavior, such as command-and-control (C2) communication over port 443 (HTTPS), without altering evidence. Tools like FTK Imager (Memory Capture) or DumpIt acquire a raw .mem file that can be analyzed with Volatility or Rekall to extract process details, network sockets, and injected code.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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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