According to the CHFI v11 objectives under Operating System Forensics , Linux Memory and Process Analysis , and Anti-Forensics Techniques , attackers sometimes use a technique where a malicious executable deletes or overwrites itself after execution to evade detection. Although the file may be erased from disk, if the process is still running, Linux maintains a reference to the executable in memory through the /proc filesystem .

Each running process in Linux has a directory under /proc/ < PID > /, and the symbolic link /proc/ < PID > /exe points to the executable image currently loaded into memory. By copying this link using the command:

cp /proc/$PID/exe /tmp/file

an investigator can successfully recover the in-memory version of the executable , even if it has been deleted from disk. This is a well-documented forensic technique in CHFI v11 for recovering malware binaries and analyzing fileless or self-deleting malware.

The other options are incorrect. Options A and D refer to Windows-specific artifacts related to the Recycle Bin and have no relevance on Linux systems. Option B is invalid and does not represent a legitimate forensic command.

The CHFI Exam Blueprint v4 emphasizes live system analysis and Linux forensic techniques , including recovering executables from memory using /proc, making Option C the correct and exam-aligned answer