What does the term "volatile data" refer to in live system acquisitions?

The term "volatile data" refers specifically to information that is temporarily stored in a system's memory, such as RAM, and is at risk of being lost when the power is turned off or the system is rebooted. This kind of data includes active processes, open network connections, and the contents of memory, all of which can provide crucial insight during an investigation or analysis.

In the context of live system acquisitions, capturing volatile data is important because it may contain critical evidence that cannot be retrieved later, once the system is powered down. This contrasts with data stored on hard drives, which is non-volatile and remains available even when the computer is turned off.

The other options describe different types of data but do not capture the essence of volatility, which is the transient nature of data held in memory. This highlights the need for forensic experts to prioritize acquiring this type of data during live acquisitions for comprehensive analysis.