hardMultiple Choice
CISSP Practice Question: A security team is evaluating a new endpoint…
A security team is evaluating a new endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution. Which of the following capabilities is MOST important for detecting fileless malware?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISSP often tests the distinction between prevention/detection layers — candidates select network traffic inspection because they associate 'detection' with network monitoring, missing that fileless malware requires host-level behavioral visibility.
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
✓
Behavioral analysis and process monitoring.
Behavioral analysis and process monitoring is the most important capability for detecting fileless malware because fileless attacks execute in memory using legitimate system tools (e.g., PowerShell, WMI, .NET) and leave no files on disk for static or signature-based tools to detect. EDR solutions with behavioral analytics monitor process execution chains, API calls, and anomalous activity patterns to identify malicious behavior regardless of file artifacts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Static malware analysis.
Why it's wrong here
Static malware analysis examines files on disk for malicious attributes, code structure, and strings without executing them. Fileless malware, by its nature, operates entirely in memory, leveraging legitimate system tools and never writing a malicious executable to disk. This makes it inherently undetectable by static analysis techniques that rely on inspecting persistent files.
- ✗
Signature-based detection.
Why it's wrong here
Signature-based detection relies on identifying known patterns, such as file hashes or specific byte sequences, associated with previously identified malware. Fileless threats, however, often employ polymorphic scripts, obfuscation, and in-memory execution without a distinct, persistent malicious file. Consequently, they lack the static, identifiable signatures that traditional antivirus engines are designed to match, rendering this method ineffective.
- ✓
Behavioral analysis and process monitoring.
Why this is correct
Behavioral analysis and process monitoring are highly effective against fileless malware because they observe the actual actions and interactions of processes in real-time on the endpoint. This includes detecting anomalous process creation, suspicious command-line arguments (e.g., PowerShell executing encoded commands), unauthorized memory access (e.g., process injection), and unusual system calls, regardless of whether a file was ever written to disk.
- ✗
Network traffic inspection.
Why it's wrong here
While network traffic inspection can identify command-and-control (C2) communications or data exfiltration *after* a fileless attack has established itself, it cannot detect the initial in-memory execution or the abuse of legitimate system processes that characterize fileless malware. The initial compromise and execution often occur entirely on the endpoint without immediate network activity, making network inspection insufficient for initial detection.
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Incident Response and Business Continuity
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
Fileless malware
Fileless malware is a type of malicious activity that uses legitimate system tools and memory to execute attacks, leaving no traditional file on the hard drive.
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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 ISC2 exam blueprint
This CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CISSP exam.