SSCP Incident Response and Recovery Practice Question
An incident responder is collecting volatile evidence from a compromised Linux server. Which TWO of the following should be collected first? (Select two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
In the SSCP exam, the order of volatility is a key concept for incident response. The trap is that candidates mistakenly prioritize disk-based artifacts (logs, images) over truly volatile data like RAM and network connections, which are lost on power-off.
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
✓
List of active network connections using netstat
In incident response, volatile data is data that will be lost when the system is powered off. Active network connections (captured via netstat) and the contents of RAM (captured via LiME) are the most volatile, as they change constantly and are lost immediately upon shutdown. Collecting these first preserves critical evidence of current attacker activity and in-memory artifacts like rootkits or encryption keys.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disk image of the system drive
Why it's wrong here
Disk is non-volatile; collected after volatile data.
- ✗
System log files from /var/log
Why it's wrong here
Log files are on disk and less volatile.
- ✗
Hardware configuration inventory
Why it's wrong here
Not volatile evidence.
- ✓
List of active network connections using netstat
Why this is correct
Network connections are volatile and should be captured early.
- ✓
Contents of RAM using LiME
Why this is correct
RAM is the most volatile data and must be collected first.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP 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 SSCP exam.