WGU Digital-Forensics-in-Cybersecurity - Digital Forensics in Cybersecurity (D431/C840) Course Exam

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Identity theft occurs when an attacker unlawfully obtains and uses another person's personal information to open accounts, access credit, or commit fraud. The opening of credit cards without the victim's consent is a classic example.

SQL injection is a web application attack method that does not directly relate to this case.

Cyberstalking involves harassment via digital means and is unrelated.

Malware is malicious software and may be used to facilitate identity theft but is not the crime itself.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Steganography is used to save or embed secret data within another file or medium, allowing covert communication without alerting observers to the presence of the data.

The goal is to conceal, not highlight or delete data.

It does not erase or delete secret data; instead, it hides it.

This aligns with standard definitions in cybersecurity and forensic literature including NIST's cybersecurity frameworks.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the protocol used to send email messages from a client to a mail server or between mail servers. It handles the transmission of outgoing mail. IMAP and POP3 are protocols used for retrieving email, not sending it. SNMP is used for network management.

IMAP and POP3 are for receiving emails.

SNMP is unrelated to email delivery.

This is documented in RFC 5321 and supported by all standard email system operations, including forensic analyses.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Windows uses a swap file (commonly calledpagefile.sys) to extend physical memory (RAM) by temporarily storing data from memory to disk when RAM is insufficient. This allows the system to handle more data than the available RAM.

Linux and Unix typically use dedicated swap partitions or swap files but refer to them differently and manage them in other ways.

Mac OS X uses a paging file system but does not typically use a "swap file" in the Windows sense; it uses dynamic paging files instead.

The terminology "swap file" is most commonly associated with Windows.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

On Apple iOS devices, deleted files are often moved to a hidden Trash folder before permanent deletion. The directory/.Trashes/501is a hidden folder where deleted files for user ID 501 (the first user created on macOS/iOS devices) are temporarily stored.

This folder can contain files marked for deletion and thus is a prime location for recovery attempts.

/lost+foundis a directory commonly used on Unix/Linux file systems for recovered file fragments after file system corruption but is not the default trash location on iOS.

/Private/etcand/etccontain system configuration files, not deleted user files.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Before connecting an iPhone to a forensic workstation, the investigator must ensure that the phone doesnotsync with the computer automatically. Automatic syncing may alter, delete, or overwrite evidence stored on the device or the computer, compromising forensic integrity.

Jailbreak mode is not necessary and can complicate forensic analysis.

Powering off the device prevents acquisition of volatile data.

Root privileges (jailbreak) may aid access but are not mandatory before connection.

NIST mobile device forensic guidelines emphasize disabling automatic sync to preserve data integrity during acquisition.

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.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The Advanced Forensic Format (AFF) is an open file format designed for storing disk images and related forensic metadata. It was developed by the Sleuth Kit community and is supported by forensic tools such as Sleuth Kit and Autopsy. AFF allows efficient storage, compression, and metadata annotation, which makes it suitable for forensic investigations.

AccessData is known for FTK format, not AFF.

iLook uses proprietary formats unrelated to AFF.

Guidance Software developed the EnCase Evidence File (E01) format.

AFF is widely recognized in open-source forensic toolchains.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Network transaction logs capture records of network connections, including source and destination IP addresses, ports, and timestamps. These logs are essential in identifying the attacker’s origin and understanding the nature of the intrusion.

Network logs provide traceability back to the attacker.

Forensic procedures prioritize collecting network logs to identify unauthorized access.