Digital Forensic Certification Practice Exam

What plugin did David use to extract parent and child processes from a RAM dump analyzed from a Linux system?

1. linux_pslist

2. linux_pstree

3. malfind

4. linux_tools

The correct answer is: linux_pstree

The correct choice is based on the functionality of the specific plugin designed for analyzing process information in a Linux environment. The plugin mentioned, which is linux_pstree, is utilized to create a hierarchical representation of the processes running on a system, including their parent-child relationships. This hierarchical visualization allows forensic analysts to effectively understand the relationships between processes, seeing which processes spawn others and how they are interconnected. In a RAM dump analysis, investigating parent and child processes is crucial for uncovering how malicious activities may have unfolded or identifying system behavior patterns. The linux_pstree plugin takes advantage of this functionality, helping forensic examiners trace the lineage of processes directly from the memory image. Other options, while relevant to memory analysis, serve different purposes. For instance, linux_pslist focuses on listing processes but does not specifically show the hierarchical structure. Malfind is tailored to detect hidden and injected processes, which is important but does not help visualize parent/child relationships. Lastly, linux_tools generally encompasses various tools for Linux analysis without specializing in extracting process relationships.