Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI v10) — Question 460

In the middle of a high-pressure cybercrime investigation, you stumble upon a cryptic message. It appears to be encoded with the ASCII standard. The encrypted message contains a combination of lower ASCII and higher ASCII codes. Which statement is the most accurate concerning the interpretation of this message?

Answer options

• A. The lower ASCII codes refer to non-printable system codes, while the higher ASCII codes represent alphanumeric characters and punctuation
• B. Both lower and higher ASCII codes primarily contain alphanumeric characters and punctuation
• C. ASCII codes at the lower end represent alphanumeric characters and punctuation. On the other hand, those at the higher end are typically used to denote non-printable system codes
• D. The lower ASCII codes represent basic alphanumeric characters and punctuation, while the higher ASCII codes are generally used for graphics and non-ASCII characters in documents

Correct answer: D

Explanation

Answer D is correct because lower ASCII codes (0-127) include basic alphanumeric characters and punctuation, while higher ASCII codes (128-255) are often used for graphics and extended character sets. Options A and C incorrectly assign non-printable codes to lower or higher ASCII, and option B misrepresents the content of higher ASCII codes.