312-39 Cyber Threats Iocs And Attack Methodology Practice Question
You are investigating an incident involving a malicious macro embedded in an Excel document. Which Windows process is typically the 'parent' of the malicious payload execution?
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
✓
excel.exe
When a malicious macro runs, it often triggers 'cmd.exe' or 'powershell.exe' from the 'excel.exe' process tree.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
explorer.exe
Why it's wrong here
Explorer is the shell, not the parent of the document process.
- ✗
wininit.exe
Why it's wrong here
Wininit handles system startup, not user document activity.
- ✗
svchost.exe
Why it's wrong here
Svchost manages system services, not user-space apps.
- ✓
excel.exe
Why this is correct
The document process spawns the malicious child process.
About these practice questions
One of 202 original 312-39 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.