The answer is to use hardware write-blockers during acquisition, maintain a detailed chain of custody log, and compute cryptographic hashes of the original evidence. These three practices are fundamental to digital evidence integrity best practices because they collectively prevent any alteration of the source data, create an unbroken verifiable record of every handling event, and provide a mathematical fingerprint to prove the evidence has not changed from the moment of seizure. On the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator CHFI exam, this question tests your understanding of the core forensic principle that evidence must be both authentic and admissible under rules like Federal Rule of Evidence 901; a common trap is confusing software write-blockers with hardware ones, but hardware blockers are preferred because they operate at the physical layer and cannot be bypassed by the operating system. Remember the mnemonic “W-Hash-Lock” for Write-blocker, Hash, and Log to recall the three pillars of integrity.
CHFI Computer Forensics Lab Practice Question
This CHFI practice question tests your understanding of computer forensics lab. 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.
Which THREE of the following are recommended practices for maintaining the integrity of digital evidence in a forensics lab?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Maintain a detailed chain of custody log
Maintaining a detailed chain of custody log (Option A) is a recommended practice because it provides a verifiable, chronological record of every person who handled the evidence, the time and date of each transfer, and the purpose of each transfer. This ensures the evidence's integrity by demonstrating that it has not been tampered with or altered from the moment of seizure through analysis and presentation in court. Without a proper chain of custody, the evidence can be challenged as inadmissible under rules like Federal Rule of Evidence 901.
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.
✓
Maintain a detailed chain of custody log
Why this is correct
Documents handling and prevents tampering.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Generate cryptographic hashes of evidence files
Why this is correct
Hashes verify that evidence has not been altered.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Use hardware write-blockers during acquisition
Why this is correct
Prevents modification of source drive.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Perform regular backups of all evidence
Why it's wrong here
Backups are for preservation, not integrity.
✗
Run antivirus scans on evidence before analysis
Why it's wrong here
Antivirus software may modify files.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse general IT best practices (like backups and antivirus scans) with forensic-specific integrity practices, failing to recognize that backups can create chain-of-custody gaps and antivirus scans can actively modify evidence.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cryptographic hashing (Option B) uses algorithms like SHA-256 to produce a unique digital fingerprint of the evidence; any change to the data, even a single bit, results in a completely different hash, allowing examiners to verify that the evidence has not been altered since acquisition. Hardware write-blockers (Option C) operate at the ATA/SCSI command level, intercepting and blocking write commands from the host system to the storage device, ensuring that no data is written to the evidence drive during acquisition or analysis, which is critical for maintaining the original state under the best evidence rule.
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.
Computer Forensics Lab — This question tests Computer Forensics Lab — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Maintain a detailed chain of custody log — Maintaining a detailed chain of custody log (Option A) is a recommended practice because it provides a verifiable, chronological record of every person who handled the evidence, the time and date of each transfer, and the purpose of each transfer. This ensures the evidence's integrity by demonstrating that it has not been tampered with or altered from the moment of seizure through analysis and presentation in court. Without a proper chain of custody, the evidence can be challenged as inadmissible under rules like Federal Rule of Evidence 901.
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.
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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