This CHFI practice question tests your understanding of os and network 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.
Which TWO of the following are tools that can be used for timeline analysis in digital forensics?
Wireshark
Why wrong: Wireshark is for packet analysis, not timeline creation.
Nmap
Why wrong: Nmap is for network scanning.
log2timeline
log2timeline is a tool for extracting timeline data from various sources.
FTK Imager
Why wrong: FTK Imager is for disk imaging, not timeline analysis.
Plaso
Plaso (formerly log2timeline) is the successor for timeline analysis.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
log2timeline
log2timeline (option C) is a tool specifically designed for timeline analysis in digital forensics. It parses various log files and artifacts to create a super timeline, which is a comprehensive chronological record of system activity. This allows investigators to correlate events across multiple sources, such as file system timestamps, registry keys, and application logs.
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.
Wireshark
Why it's wrong here
Wireshark is for packet analysis, not timeline creation.
Nmap
Why it's wrong here
Nmap is for network scanning.
log2timeline
Why this is correct
log2timeline is a tool for extracting timeline data from various sources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
FTK Imager
Why it's wrong here
FTK Imager is for disk imaging, not timeline analysis.
Plaso
Why this is correct
Plaso (formerly log2timeline) is the successor for timeline analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
EC-Council often tests the distinction between tools used for network analysis (Wireshark, Nmap) versus tools used for host-based timeline analysis (log2timeline, Plaso), leading candidates to confuse packet capture utilities with forensic timeline generators.
Detailed technical explanation
log2timeline and its successor Plaso (Plaso Langar Að Safna Öllu) work by extracting events from a wide range of forensic artifacts, including $MFT, $UsnJrnl, Windows Event Logs, and browser history files. They normalize these events into a common data structure, allowing for efficient filtering and correlation across different time zones and clock skews. In a real-world investigation, this enables an examiner to reconstruct a user's activity sequence, such as file access, USB insertion, and web browsing, even if the system clock was modified.
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
OS and Network Forensics — This question tests OS and Network Forensics — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: log2timeline — log2timeline (option C) is a tool specifically designed for timeline analysis in digital forensics. It parses various log files and artifacts to create a super timeline, which is a comprehensive chronological record of system activity. This allows investigators to correlate events across multiple sources, such as file system timestamps, registry keys, and application logs.
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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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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