Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
In incident response, after collecting volatile data (such as contents of RAM), the next priority is often to collect network-related evidence such as active network connections. Network connections can reveal ongoing communications, attacker activity, command and control channels, or data exfiltration paths.
* Running processes and temporary data are also volatile but typically collected simultaneously or immediately after volatile memory.
* File timestamps relate to non-volatile data and are collected later after volatile data acquisition to preserve evidence integrity.
* This sequence is supported by NIST SP 800-86 and SANS Incident Handler's Handbook which emphasize the volatility of evidence and recommend capturing network state immediately after memory.