CHFI · domain
OS and Network Forensics
Practise Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator CHFI OS and Network Forensics practice questions — original exam-style scenarios with answer choices, explanations, and analysis of common mistakes.
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What to know about OS and Network Forensics
OS and Network Forensics questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.
How the topic appears in realistic exam-style scenarios.
Which detail in the question changes the correct answer.
How to eliminate plausible but wrong options.
How to connect the question back to the wider exam objective.
Watch out for
Common OS and Network Forensics exam traps
- ▸Answering from memory before reading the full scenario.
- ▸Missing a constraint such as cost, availability, security, scope or command context.
- ▸Choosing a broad answer when the question asks for the most specific fix.
- ▸Ignoring why the wrong options are tempting.
Question index
All OS and Network Forensics questions (32)
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Which TWO of the following are tools that can be used for timeline analysis in digital forensics?
Easy2During a forensic investigation of a compromised Linux server, an analyst checks /var/log/auth.log and finds multiple entries like "Failed password for root from 10.0.0.5 port 22 ssh2". Which tool is BEST suited to analyze the timeline of these events?
Medium3During a forensic investigation, you find a prefetch file created at 03:15:22 UTC on the system. The corresponding executable's last modified timestamp is 02:30:00 UTC, and the system date/time shows a discrepancy of +5 minutes. What is the MOST accurate interpretation regarding the file execution time?
Hard4Which FOUR of the following are persistence mechanisms that can be used on Linux systems?
Hard5A forensic examiner recovers a Windows 10 system and finds a prefetch file for powershell.exe with a last run time of 3 days ago, but the system's security logs show no interactive logons from that user. What does this discrepancy suggest?
Hard6Which THREE of the following are indicators of a webshell compromise on a web server?
Hard7Which tool is commonly used for timeline analysis in digital forensics, allowing examiners to parse and correlate timestamps from various artifacts?
Medium8In network forensics, an analyst captures traffic and sees a large number of ICMP echo requests from 10.0.0.1 to 10.0.0.2 with varying payload sizes. What is the most likely scenario?
Easy9A forensic analyst is investigating a Windows system for evidence of malware persistence. Which TWO registry locations are commonly used by malware to automatically execute on system startup?
Medium10A network forensics analyst captures traffic and sees a series of TCP SYN packets sent to multiple ports on a target, with no corresponding SYN-ACK replies. What type of activity is MOST likely indicated?
Medium11Which TWO of the following are valid artifacts for determining program execution on a Windows system? (Select TWO.)
Medium12A forensic analyst is investigating a Windows system for evidence of USB device usage. Which registry key is MOST useful for determining the first time a USB device was connected and its serial number?
Medium13A security analyst is reviewing firewall logs and notices repeated connection attempts from an internal IP to an external server on TCP port 4444. The internal host is a web server. What is the MOST likely explanation?
Medium14In a macOS forensic investigation, which log system provides a timeline of high-level system events such as application launches and user logins?
Easy15During a forensic examination of a Mac system, an investigator needs to recover historical record of file system events, such as file modifications and deletions. Which artifact should they examine?
Medium16A forensic analyst is investigating a Windows system for persistence mechanisms. Which TWO registry locations are commonly used by malware to achieve auto-start? (Select TWO.)
Medium17A security analyst reviews Windows Security Event Logs and finds multiple Event ID 4625 entries from a single source IP address targeting various usernames. Which type of attack is MOST likely occurring?
Medium18A security analyst reviews Windows Security Event Log and observes Event ID 4625 repeatedly for a single user account from a remote IP address within a short timeframe. What is the MOST likely cause?
Easy19Which Windows artifact is specifically designed to track the most recently used (MRU) files for specific applications and can be found in the NTUSER.DAT registry hive?
Medium20During a network forensic investigation, the analyst examines firewall logs and notices a large number of outbound connections from an internal server to various IP addresses on port 443 at regular intervals. The connections are all initiated by a process called 'svchost.exe' running from a non-standard location (C:\Windows\Temp). What is the MOST likely explanation?
Hard21A forensic investigator is examining a Mac system and wants to review recently accessed files and applications. Which macOS artifact is MOST useful for this purpose?
Medium22During a Windows forensic analysis, you find a suspicious LNK file in a user's Recent folder. Which of the following is NOT typically retrievable from an LNK file?
Medium23A forensic analyst reviews a Windows system for signs of malware persistence. Which TWO registry locations are commonly used to achieve persistence via auto-start programs?
Easy24A security analyst observes multiple Event ID 4625 logon failures for a single user account within a short time frame, followed by Event ID 4624 logon success. Which attack technique is MOST likely indicated?
Medium25A security analyst reviewing Windows Security Event Logs sees multiple Event ID 4625 entries for a single user account, followed by a successful Event ID 4624. The account is a domain administrator. What is the MOST likely explanation?
Medium26An investigator is analyzing a Windows 10 system suspected of malware persistence. Which registry key is commonly used by malware to achieve persistence by running a program at every user logon?
Medium27During a Windows forensic investigation, an analyst finds prefetch files with the .pf extension. Which TWO pieces of information can the analyst obtain from analyzing prefetch files?
Easy28A forensic analyst is performing timeline analysis on a compromised system. Which tool is specifically designed to parse multiple log sources and create a super timeline?
Easy29Which TWO Windows Event IDs are associated with successful logon or explicit credential usage? (Choose TWO.)
Medium30Which Linux log file is the PRIMARY source for authentication-related events such as user logins, sudo usage, and failed authentication attempts?
Easy31Which tool is commonly used in timeline analysis for digital forensics to parse various artifacts and create a super timeline?
Easy32A security analyst detects a sudden spike in failed logon events with Event ID 4625 on a Windows domain controller. The source IP addresses are random and from various external subnets. Which type of attack is MOST likely occurring?
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the OS and Network Forensics domain cover on the CHFI exam?
- OS and Network Forensics questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.
- How many questions are in this domain?
- This page lists all 32 OS and Network Forensics questions in the CHFI question bank. The actual exam draws from this domain proportionally to its weighting in the official exam blueprint.
- What is the best way to practise this domain?
- Start with a short focused session (10 questions) to identify gaps, then work through explanations. Repeat with a longer session once the weak areas feel solid.
- Can I practise only OS and Network Forensics questions?
- Yes — the session launcher on this page filters questions to this domain only. Choose any session length for inline explanations and scoring.