GCFA Practice Question: Analyzing Volatile and Windows Event Artifacts
A Windows 10 endpoint was compromised, and the attacker cleared the Security event log after establishing persistence. You have a memory image captured after the clearing. Which Windows Event Log artifact can still provide evidence of the log-clearing action, even if the Security log entries were wiped?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reaching for the well-known Security 1102 event; it is written into the log being cleared, so it is destroyed along with it, while the System 104 entry persists.
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
✓
System log Event ID 104
Clearing a log generates Event ID 1102 in the Security log and Event ID 104 in the System log. Because the Security log was erased, the 1102 entry is gone, but the System log's 104 entry usually remains and records the log name and the user who performed the clear. That surviving record is the key artifact for proving anti-forensic activity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Security log Event ID 1102
Why it's wrong here
Event ID 1102 in the Security log is the standard audit event for log clearing, but the scenario states the Security log was cleared. That event would have been written into the very log that was wiped, so it is no longer available. It is the expected entry but not the surviving artifact.
- ✗
Application log Event ID 1000
Why it's wrong here
Event ID 1000 in the Application log is an application error report, typically generated when an application crashes. It has no relationship to event log clearing and would not record the clearing action, so it cannot serve as evidence of the tampering described.
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System log Event ID 6005
Why it's wrong here
Event ID 6005 in the System log indicates the Event Log service started at boot. It shows that logging began, not that a log was cleared. It would not identify the clearing action or the account responsible, so it fails to provide the needed evidence.
- ✓
System log Event ID 104
Why this is correct
When the Windows Event Log service clears a log, it writes Event ID 104 to the System log, recording which log was cleared and by which user. Even if the Security log itself is emptied, this System log entry persists unless the System log is also cleared, making it a reliable indicator of log tampering.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official GIAC exam blueprint
This GCFA practice question is part of Courseiva's free GIAC 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 GCFA exam.