Pass the ECCouncil ECIH 212-89 Questions and answers with Dumpstech

The scenario described is characteristic of a Trojan. A Trojan is a type of malware that disguises itself as legitimate software but performs malicious actions once installed. Unlike viruses, which can replicate themselves, or worms, which can spread across networks on their own, Trojans rely on the guise of legitimacy to trick users into initiating their execution. In this case, the user believed they were downloading and installing genuine software, but the reality was that the application contained a Trojan. The malicious code executed upon installation provided unauthorized remote access to the user's computer, which could be used by an attacker to control the system, steal data, install additional malware, or carry out other malicious activities.

Trojans can come in many forms and can be used to achieve a wide range of malicious objectives, making them a versatile and dangerous type of cyber threat. The deceptive nature of Trojans, exploiting the trust users have in what appears to be legitimate software, is what makes them particularly effective and widespread.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (ECIH-aligned):

Volatile memory contains critical artifacts such as encryption keys, running processes, and network connections. The ECIH Forensic Readiness module emphasizes that volatile evidence must be captured immediately before it is lost.

Option C is correct because capturing memory first preserves irreplaceable evidence, followed by securing the scene to prevent contamination. Powering down systems before memory capture would destroy volatile data.

Options A and D are incomplete without prioritization. Option B is incorrect due to evidence loss.

Thus, immediate memory capture followed by scene security is the correct action.

A Trojan, short for Trojan horse, is a type of malicious software that misleads users of its true intent. It disguises itself as a legitimate and useful program, but once executed, it allows unauthorized access to the user's system. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not replicate themselves but can be just as destructive. They are often used to create a backdoor to a computer system, allowing an attacker to gain access to the system or to deliver other malware. Trojans can be used for a variety of purposes, including stealing information, downloading or uploading files, monitoring the user's screen and keyboard, and more. The term "Trojan" comes from the Greek story of the wooden horse that was used to sneak soldiers into the city of Troy, which is analogous to the deceptive nature of this type of malware in cyber security.

A side channel attack, as described in the scenario, involves an attacker using indirect methods to gather information from a system. In this case, Alice is exploiting the shared physical resources, specifically the processor cache, of a virtual machine host to steal data from another virtual machine on the same host. This type of attack does not directly breach the system through conventional means like breaking encryption but instead takes advantage of the information leaked by the physical implementation of the system, such as timing information, power consumption, electromagnetic leaks, or, as in this case, shared resource utilization, to infer the secret data.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (ECIH-aligned):

This incident demonstrates a document-based web malware delivery mechanism, specifically leveraging remotely hosted Rich Text Format (RTF) injection, which is explicitly discussed in ECIH web and malware handling modules. RTF documents can reference external objects or templates, allowing malicious payloads to be fetched dynamically when the document is opened—without requiring macros or user interaction.

Option A is correct because the behavior described aligns precisely with remote template injection. The absence of macros, the silent external connections, and the use of structural document elements are classic indicators of RTF-based malware delivery. ECIH highlights this as a high-risk technique because it bypasses traditional macro-based detection and user warning mechanisms.

Option B is incorrect because the payload was delivered via downloaded documents, not email impersonation of social contacts. Option C references browser extensions and PDFs, which are not involved. Option D describes lateral spread, not initial delivery.

ECIH emphasizes that modern web-based attacks increasingly abuse trusted document formats and remote object references to evade controls. Understanding these techniques enables responders to improve document sanitization, outbound traffic monitoring, and content disarm and reconstruction (CDR) controls.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (ECIH-aligned):

Persistent mobile malware that survives antivirus scans indicates deep system compromise. The ECIH Endpoint and Mobile Incident Handling guidance states that when malware cannot be reliably removed, reimaging or OS reinstallation is the safest remediation.

Option C is correct because performing a factory reset or reinstalling the OS ensures complete removal of malicious components and restores device integrity. ECIH cautions that partial containment actions may stop symptoms but not eradicate threats.

Options A and B are temporary containment steps. Option D is ineffective against malware.

Therefore, full OS reinstallation is the correct next action.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (ECIH-aligned):

ECIH forensic readiness guidance stresses that forensic imaging with hash verification is the gold standard for preserving evidence integrity. Option B is correct because it ensures data integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation.

Creating a bit-by-bit forensic image preserves original evidence while allowing analysis on copies. Hash verification confirms that no alterations occur during acquisition or transport. Encrypted storage protects confidentiality, and detailed logs support chain of custody.

Options A, C, and D lack one or more critical forensic requirements such as hash validation or evidentiary isolation. ECIH explicitly warns against relying solely on physical transport or live data transfers.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (ECIH-aligned):

The described activity—ICMP echo requests sent sequentially across many IP addresses—is a classic ping sweep, a reconnaissance technique used to identify live hosts on a network. ECIH network incident handling identifies reconnaissance as an early-stage attack activity that often precedes exploitation.

Option B is correct because ping sweeps use ICMP echo requests to determine which hosts respond, allowing attackers to map the network. This aligns exactly with the observed traffic.

Option A involves DNS manipulation. Option C involves probing TCP/UDP ports rather than ICMP. Option D describes a denial-of-service technique, not reconnaissance.

Recognizing reconnaissance activity early allows defenders to implement controls before exploitation occurs, aligning with ECIH detection and prevention guidance.

Explanation (cloud triage at scale):

Cloud environments generate massive telemetry across services, accounts, regions, and tenants. The limiting factor is not “more logs,” but correlation and prioritization: connecting identity events, network flows, workload behaviors, API calls, and configuration changes into a coherent incident timeline and severity assessment. Automation/orchestration (A) supports rapid triage by correlating alerts, deduplicating noise, enriching with context (asset criticality, ownership, exposure), and driving consistent playbook actions (ticket creation, isolation steps, snapshotting, token revocation) with approvals.

(B) may be overbroad and can create major outages and contractual harm; it’s containment without validated scope. (C) is premature; customer communication should be accurate and proportional, usually after initial scoping and legal review. (D) is the opposite of best practice—third-party logs can be essential (EDR, CASB, SIEM, SaaS audit logs).

So (A) is the best first step because it makes triage fast, consistent, and scalable, which is exactly what you need when log volume is the main operational barrier.

In the scenario where your company sells Software as a Service (SaaS) and is hosted on the cloud using it as a Platform as a Service (PaaS), your company is responsible for eradicating malware in your customer's database. This is because, as the SaaS provider, your company manages the software and is responsible for its security and maintenance, including the databases that store customer data. While the PaaS provider is responsible for the underlying infrastructure, platform, and possibly some middleware security aspects, the application layer security, including data and application management, falls to the SaaS provider. Building management would not be involved in digital security matters, and while customers are responsible for their data, the actual software maintenance and security in a SaaS model are the provider's responsibility.