Data Deletion and File Recovery Concepts DFE Practice Questions (Page 1)

Questions 1–5

1. 1expert · hard

   A forensic examiner is analyzing a Linux system with ext4. A suspect deleted a file and then ran a script that created a large file to fill the disk. The examiner wants to recover the original deleted file. What is the most likely outcome?

   • AThe original file can be recovered from the file system's superblock
   • BThe original file can be recovered from the ext4 journal, which stores file data
   • CThe original file can be recovered from the inode's direct block pointer
   • DThe original file's data blocks have been overwritten by the large file, making recovery impossible
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 2foundation · easy

   Which technique is commonly used to recover files from unallocated space when file system metadata is missing or corrupted?

   • ARAM dumping
   • BJournal replay
   • CMetadata parsing
   • DFile carving
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 3application · medium

   An investigator is analyzing an ext4 volume from a Linux server. A critical configuration file was deleted three days ago, and the server has been in continuous use since. The investigator wants to recover the file. What is the most significant obstacle to successful recovery?

   • AThe inode was immediately reused by a new file, overwriting the data blocks
   • BThe file's data blocks were likely overwritten by new file writes during the three days of continuous use
   • CThe ext4 superblock was zeroed during the deletion process, making the volume unreadable
   • DThe journal may have overwritten the file's data blocks during the deletion transaction
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 4application · medium

   An investigator is examining a Linux system with ext4. A file was deleted, and the investigator wants to determine when the file was deleted. Which metadata is most useful for this purpose?

   • AThe superblock's last mount time
   • BThe mtime (modification time) from the file's data blocks
   • CThe file's atime (access time) from the directory entry
   • DThe inode's ctime (change time) from the deleted inode
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 5application · medium

   A forensic analyst is recovering deleted files from a memory card that was used in a digital camera. The card is formatted with FAT32. The analyst finds that the directory entries for the deleted photos are still present, but the cluster chains are not fully intact. What is the BEST approach?

   • AUse the file system journal to recover the photos.
   • BRecover the photos from the camera's internal storage.
   • CAnalyze the FAT table to reconstruct the cluster chains from the directory entries.
   • DUse file carving to recover the photos based on their JPEG signatures.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first