A cybersecurity investigator has identified a potential incident of hidden information in a file. The investigator uses Autopsy's Extension Mismatch Detector Module to look for file extension mismatches. While examining the module's output, which of the following information should be mainly considered to verify the potential incident?
To verify a potential incident of hidden information in a file, the first 20 bytes of the file should be considered. This section of the file typically contains the file signature or magic number, which is used to identify the file type. By comparing the actual file signature with the file extension, discrepancies can be detected, indicating possible tampering or hidden data.
Any digital file contains a file signature, which is located in the first 20 bytes of the file. Tools such as Hex Editor Neo, Hex Workshop, etc. can be used to get the hex view of the file and identify the file signature by examining first 20 bytes of the file.