Free Practice Questions for WGU Digital-Forensics-in-Cybersecurity Exam

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The 'dd' command is a Unix/Linux utility used to perform low-level copying of data, including forensic imaging. It allows bit-for-bit copying of drives or memory, making it a common tool in Linux-based forensic environments.

Windows does not natively support 'dd'; similar imaging tools are used there.

The command syntax and file paths indicate Linux/Unix usage.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

File timestamps, including creation time, last modified time, and last accessed time, are fundamental metadata attributes stored with each file on a file system. When files are modified, these timestamps usually update, providing direct evidence about when changes occurred. Examining file timestamps helps forensic investigators identify which files were altered and estimate the time of unauthorized activity.

IP addresses (private or public) are network-related evidence, not stored on the storage media’s files directly.

Operating system version is system information but does not help identify specific file modifications.

Analysis of file timestamps is a standard forensic technique endorsed by NIST SP 800-86 (Guide to Integrating Forensic Techniques into Incident Response) for determining file activity and changes on digital media.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Disk Investigator is a forensic tool that can analyze disk images and file systems to identify hidden data, including the presence of steganography by examining slack space, hidden files, and embedded data.

DiskDigger is mainly a data recovery tool.

FTK is a comprehensive forensic suite but does not specialize in steganography detection.

ComputerCOP is a parental control software, not a forensic tool.

Digital forensic best practices recognize Disk Investigator as useful for detecting steganographic content in files and disk areas.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The.bash_historyfile located in each user’s home directory (e.g.,/Users//.bash_history) records the history of shell commands entered by the user in bash shell sessions. Reviewing this file allows investigators to see the commands executed by a specific user.

/var/vmcontains virtual memory swap files, not command history.

/var/logcontains system logs but not individual user shell command history.

/Users//Library/Preferencesstores application preferences.

NIST guidelines and macOS forensics literature confirm.bash_historyas the standard location for shell command histories on OS X systems.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Solid-state drives (SSDs) use flash memory and have no moving mechanical parts, making them more resistant to physical shock and damage compared to magnetic drives, which rely on spinning platters.

This resilience makes SSDs favorable in environments with higher physical risk.

However, data recovery from SSDs can be more complex due to wear-leveling and TRIM features.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Steganography is the technique of hiding information within another file, message, image, or medium to conceal the existence of the information itself. It differs from encryption in that the data is hidden, not just scrambled.

Steganalysis is the detection or analysis of hidden data.

Encryption and cryptography involve scrambling data but do not inherently hide its existence.

NIST and digital forensics guidelines define steganography as the art of concealed writing or data hiding, used by criminals to evade detection.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

This describes theCommunications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)requirement that telecommunications equipment and services include built-in capabilities that allow authorized law enforcement surveillance, including electronic monitoring and wiretapping.

CALEA mandates lawful intercept capabilities in telecommunications infrastructure.

It ensures that digital and VoIP communications can be monitored under proper legal warrant.

This rule supports modern digital evidence gathering and real-time surveillance operations.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

In digital forensics, the use of reliable, validated, and widely accepted tools and techniques is critical to maintain the integrity and admissibility of digital evidence. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines and the Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) standards, any forensic process must utilize methods that are recognized by the forensic community and have undergone rigorous testing to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Using validated tools helps prevent evidence contamination or loss and ensures that results can withstand legal scrutiny.

While proper seizure and witnessing are important, the priority in the extraction phase is to use appropriate, trusted tools.

Downloading tools from unauthorized or suspicious sources can compromise the evidence and is not an ethical or legal practice.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

An email header contains metadata about the email including sender, receiver, routing information, and content details. TheContent-Typeheader specifies the media type of the email body (e.g., text/plain, text/html, multipart/mixed), indicating how the email content should be interpreted.

Sender's MAC address is not typically included in email headers.

Number of pages is not relevant to email metadata.

Message-Digest is a term related to cryptographic hashes but is not a standard email header field.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring law enforcement to obtain a search warrant based on probable cause before searching private emails on computers, except in certain recognized exceptions (such as consent or exigent circumstances).

Protects privacy rights in digital communication.

Failure to obtain proper legal authorization can invalidate evidence.