CHFI OS and Network Forensics Practice Question
During a forensic analysis of a compromised Linux system, you notice that the /proc filesystem contains a suspicious entry /proc/12345/exe pointing to /tmp/.hidden/malware. What conclusion can you draw?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common misconception in forensic analysis is that /proc entries persist across reboots or that a symlink in /proc indicates a kernel module. However, /proc/[pid]/exe points to the user-space binary that started the process, confirming a running process.
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
✓
A process with PID 12345 is running the malware
The /proc filesystem is a virtual filesystem that provides process information. The entry /proc/12345/exe is a symbolic link pointing to the executable file that started the process with PID 12345. Since this link exists and points to /tmp/.hidden/malware, it confirms that a process with PID 12345 is currently running that malware binary.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The system was rebooted recently
Why it's wrong here
The /proc filesystem is a virtual, kernel-generated view of the current boot session; it reflects only live processes, modules, and kernel data, and is recreated fresh on every reboot. Therefore, the existence of a symlink like /proc/[pid]/exe tells you nothing about prior boot events. Reboot history is instead found in persistent logs such as /var/log/wtmp, the journal, or /var/run/utmp.
- ✗
The malware is a kernel module
Why it's wrong here
/proc/[pid]/exe is a symlink to the user-space executable image backing a specific process that has a PID. Kernel modules, by contrast, are loaded into kernel address space, have no PID, and are enumerated in /proc/modules or via lsmod. Thus a finding involving /proc/[pid]/exe cannot possibly be evidence of a kernel module; that diagnosis would require inspecting kernel module lists or memory artifacts.
- ✓
A process with PID 12345 is running the malware
Why this is correct
The /proc/[pid]/exe entry is a symlink to the exact on-disk binary that process 12345 is currently executing. If that link resolves to a deleted or hidden location, such as '/path/to/evil (deleted)', it indicates the process is running malware that was opened and unlinked to evade detection. This is a strong and direct indicator that PID 12345 is executing the malicious code.
- ✗
The malware was executed via a cron job
Why it's wrong here
Cron jobs are scheduled tasks that launch processes according to time-based rules; they are not processes themselves and leave no direct marker in the target process's /proc/[pid]/exe. That symlink only reveals the executable file, not the launching mechanism. To attribute execution to cron, one would need to correlate timestamps with cron logs, crontab entries, or the parent process (PPID), none of which are present in this basic /proc observation.
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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.