During an incident response on a powered-on Windows workstation, the team needs to capture volatile memory for later analysis. Which of the following statements about relying on the file hiberfil.sys for this purpose is MOST accurate?
It stores only kernel memory and omits all user-space processes, making it useless for any forensic analysis.
It holds a compressed snapshot taken during hibernation, so it may not reflect the system's current state and should not replace a live RAM capture.
It is an uncompressed, real-time mirror of physical RAM that can be safely copied while the system is running to satisfy chain-of-custody requirements.
It is overwritten every time the system enters sleep mode, ensuring that its contents are always up-to-date and reliable for volatile-memory acquisition.
hiberfil.sys contains a compressed snapshot of RAM taken only when the system enters hibernation. It may omit or alter data (for example, network connections are closed during shutdown) and therefore does not provide an exact live view of memory at the time of the incident. A proper RAM-imaging tool (e.g., WinPmem, FTK Imager, Magnet RAM Capture) should be used whenever possible. The file can still offer forensic value if no live capture is feasible, but it should not be considered a complete or current replacement.
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What is a hibernation file (hiberfil.sys)?
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Why is capturing an exact representation of RAM important in incident response?