Introduction to Malware Analysis
- Introduction to Malware Analysis
- Preliminary Analysis Techniques
- Environment for Malware Analysis
- Static Malware Analysis
- Dynamic Malware Analysis
- Understanding Malware Behaviour
- Reverse Engineering
- Advanced Static Analysis
- Advanced Dynamic Analysis
- Anti-Reverse Engineering
- Malware Attribution
- Malware Mitigation and Prevention
Dynamic Malware Analysis
Dynamic Analysis Tools for Malware Analysis
Network traffic analyzer.
In the realm of malware analysis, dynamic analysis tools play a crucial role. These tools allow analysts to observe and record the behavior of malware in a controlled environment, providing valuable insights into its functionality, communication methods, and overall impact on the infected system. This article will introduce some of the most commonly used dynamic analysis tools and provide a walkthrough on how to set up and use them.
Wireshark
Wireshark is a widely used network protocol analyzer. It allows you to capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network. It is used in dynamic malware analysis to monitor the network traffic generated by the malware. This can help identify any remote servers the malware communicates with, the data it sends and receives, and the protocols it uses.
To use Wireshark effectively, you need to understand the basics of network protocols like TCP/IP and HTTP. You should also be familiar with the concept of network ports and how to filter network traffic using Wireshark's powerful filtering capabilities.
Process Monitor
Process Monitor is a monitoring tool for Windows that shows real-time file system, Registry, and process/thread activity. It combines the features of two older Sysinternals utilities, Filemon and Regmon, and adds an extensive list of enhancements.
In the context of dynamic malware analysis, Process Monitor can be used to observe the changes a piece of malware makes to the file system and the Windows Registry. It can also show you which processes the malware interacts with and any DLLs it loads.
Process Explorer
Process Explorer is another Sysinternals tool that can be used in dynamic malware analysis. It provides a more detailed view of the processes running on your system than the standard Windows Task Manager.
Process Explorer can show you detailed information about a process including its icon, command-line, full image path, memory statistics, user account, security attributes, and more. It can also show the loaded DLLs and mapped files, which can be useful in malware analysis.
Regshot
Regshot is an open-source registry compare utility that allows you to take a snapshot of your system's registry and then compare it with another snapshot taken after a change has been made. This can be extremely useful in dynamic malware analysis to identify the changes a piece of malware makes to the Windows Registry.
To use Regshot, you would typically take a snapshot of the registry before running the malware, and then another snapshot after the malware has run. Regshot will then compare the two snapshots and show you the changes.
In conclusion, dynamic analysis tools are essential for effective malware analysis. They allow you to observe the behavior of malware in a controlled environment and provide valuable insights into its functionality and impact on the infected system. By understanding how to use these tools, you can significantly enhance your malware analysis skills.