What type of data is considered volatile in digital forensics?

Volatile data in digital forensics refers to information that is temporarily held in a system's memory and is lost when the power is turned off or when the system is shut down. This type of data often includes information such as RAM contents, running processes, active network connections, and other temporary files. It is crucial to capture volatile data before shutting down or rebooting a device, as this information could provide significant insights into the state of the system at the time of the investigation.

Options that refer to data stored on backup devices, archived for long-term storage, or data that is encrypted do not qualify as volatile. Backup devices and archived data typically retain information even when a device is powered down, while encryption pertains to how data is protected rather than its volatility. Hence, the characteristic of disappearing upon shutdown directly defines why the specific answer related to data that disappears when a device is turned off is correct.