312-39 Proactive Threat Detection Practice Question
An analyst is tasked with monitoring for 'Living off the Land' (LotL) attacks. Which of the following built-in Windows utilities, if used by a non-administrative user, warrants immediate investigation?
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
✓
certutil.exe
Certutil.exe is frequently misused to download files or decode malicious payloads, making its use by standard users a red flag.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
mspaint.exe
Why it's wrong here
Paint is a standard user application.
- ✗
calc.exe
Why it's wrong here
Calculator is a standard tool for users.
- ✓
certutil.exe
Why this is correct
Certutil is often abused for file downloads and decoding malicious binaries.
- ✗
notepad.exe
Why it's wrong here
Notepad is a standard tool for general user activities.
About these practice questions
This 312-39 question is part of Courseiva's 201-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This 312-39 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 312-39 exam.