Windows Malware Analysis Essentials


Book Description

Master the fundamentals of malware analysis for the Windows platform and enhance your anti-malware skill set About This Book Set the baseline towards performing malware analysis on the Windows platform and how to use the tools required to deal with malware Understand how to decipher x86 assembly code from source code inside your favourite development environment A step-by-step based guide that reveals malware analysis from an industry insider and demystifies the process Who This Book Is For This book is best for someone who has prior experience with reverse engineering Windows executables and wants to specialize in malware analysis. The book presents the malware analysis thought process using a show-and-tell approach, and the examples included will give any analyst confidence in how to approach this task on their own the next time around. What You Will Learn Use the positional number system for clear conception of Boolean algebra, that applies to malware research purposes Get introduced to static and dynamic analysis methodologies and build your own malware lab Analyse destructive malware samples from the real world (ITW) from fingerprinting and static/dynamic analysis to the final debrief Understand different modes of linking and how to compile your own libraries from assembly code and integrate the codein your final program Get to know about the various emulators, debuggers and their features, and sandboxes and set them up effectively depending on the required scenario Deal with other malware vectors such as pdf and MS-Office based malware as well as scripts and shellcode In Detail Windows OS is the most used operating system in the world and hence is targeted by malware writers. There are strong ramifications if things go awry. Things will go wrong if they can, and hence we see a salvo of attacks that have continued to disrupt the normal scheme of things in our day to day lives. This book will guide you on how to use essential tools such as debuggers, disassemblers, and sandboxes to dissect malware samples. It will expose your innards and then build a report of their indicators of compromise along with detection rule sets that will enable you to help contain the outbreak when faced with such a situation. We will start with the basics of computing fundamentals such as number systems and Boolean algebra. Further, you'll learn about x86 assembly programming and its integration with high level languages such as C++.You'll understand how to decipher disassembly code obtained from the compiled source code and map it back to its original design goals. By delving into end to end analysis with real-world malware samples to solidify your understanding, you'll sharpen your technique of handling destructive malware binaries and vector mechanisms. You will also be encouraged to consider analysis lab safety measures so that there is no infection in the process. Finally, we'll have a rounded tour of various emulations, sandboxing, and debugging options so that you know what is at your disposal when you need a specific kind of weapon in order to nullify the malware. Style and approach An easy to follow, hands-on guide with descriptions and screenshots that will help you execute effective malicious software investigations and conjure up solutions creatively and confidently.




Practical Malware Analysis


Book Description

Malware analysis is big business, and attacks can cost a company dearly. When malware breaches your defenses, you need to act quickly to cure current infections and prevent future ones from occurring. For those who want to stay ahead of the latest malware, Practical Malware Analysis will teach you the tools and techniques used by professional analysts. With this book as your guide, you'll be able to safely analyze, debug, and disassemble any malicious software that comes your way. You'll learn how to: –Set up a safe virtual environment to analyze malware –Quickly extract network signatures and host-based indicators –Use key analysis tools like IDA Pro, OllyDbg, and WinDbg –Overcome malware tricks like obfuscation, anti-disassembly, anti-debugging, and anti-virtual machine techniques –Use your newfound knowledge of Windows internals for malware analysis –Develop a methodology for unpacking malware and get practical experience with five of the most popular packers –Analyze special cases of malware with shellcode, C++, and 64-bit code Hands-on labs throughout the book challenge you to practice and synthesize your skills as you dissect real malware samples, and pages of detailed dissections offer an over-the-shoulder look at how the pros do it. You'll learn how to crack open malware to see how it really works, determine what damage it has done, thoroughly clean your network, and ensure that the malware never comes back. Malware analysis is a cat-and-mouse game with rules that are constantly changing, so make sure you have the fundamentals. Whether you're tasked with securing one network or a thousand networks, or you're making a living as a malware analyst, you'll find what you need to succeed in Practical Malware Analysis.




Cuckoo Malware Analysis


Book Description

This book is a step-by-step, practical tutorial for analyzing and detecting malware and performing digital investigations. This book features clear and concise guidance in an easily accessible format.Cuckoo Malware Analysis is great for anyone who wants to analyze malware through programming, networking, disassembling, forensics, and virtualization. Whether you are new to malware analysis or have some experience, this book will help you get started with Cuckoo Sandbox so you can start analysing malware effectively and efficiently.




Learning Malware Analysis


Book Description

Understand malware analysis and its practical implementation Key Features Explore the key concepts of malware analysis and memory forensics using real-world examples Learn the art of detecting, analyzing, and investigating malware threats Understand adversary tactics and techniques Book Description Malware analysis and memory forensics are powerful analysis and investigation techniques used in reverse engineering, digital forensics, and incident response. With adversaries becoming sophisticated and carrying out advanced malware attacks on critical infrastructures, data centers, and private and public organizations, detecting, responding to, and investigating such intrusions is critical to information security professionals. Malware analysis and memory forensics have become must-have skills to fight advanced malware, targeted attacks, and security breaches. This book teaches you the concepts, techniques, and tools to understand the behavior and characteristics of malware through malware analysis. It also teaches you techniques to investigate and hunt malware using memory forensics. This book introduces you to the basics of malware analysis, and then gradually progresses into the more advanced concepts of code analysis and memory forensics. It uses real-world malware samples, infected memory images, and visual diagrams to help you gain a better understanding of the subject and to equip you with the skills required to analyze, investigate, and respond to malware-related incidents. What you will learn Create a safe and isolated lab environment for malware analysis Extract the metadata associated with malware Determine malware's interaction with the system Perform code analysis using IDA Pro and x64dbg Reverse-engineer various malware functionalities Reverse engineer and decode common encoding/encryption algorithms Reverse-engineer malware code injection and hooking techniques Investigate and hunt malware using memory forensics Who this book is for This book is for incident responders, cyber-security investigators, system administrators, malware analyst, forensic practitioners, student, or curious security professionals interested in learning malware analysis and memory forensics. Knowledge of programming languages such as C and Python is helpful but is not mandatory. If you have written few lines of code and have a basic understanding of programming concepts, you’ll be able to get most out of this book.




Mastering Malware Analysis


Book Description

Master malware analysis to protect your systems from getting infected Key FeaturesSet up and model solutions, investigate malware, and prevent it from occurring in futureLearn core concepts of dynamic malware analysis, memory forensics, decryption, and much moreA practical guide to developing innovative solutions to numerous malware incidentsBook Description With the ever-growing proliferation of technology, the risk of encountering malicious code or malware has also increased. Malware analysis has become one of the most trending topics in businesses in recent years due to multiple prominent ransomware attacks. Mastering Malware Analysis explains the universal patterns behind different malicious software types and how to analyze them using a variety of approaches. You will learn how to examine malware code and determine the damage it can possibly cause to your systems to ensure that it won't propagate any further. Moving forward, you will cover all aspects of malware analysis for the Windows platform in detail. Next, you will get to grips with obfuscation and anti-disassembly, anti-debugging, as well as anti-virtual machine techniques. This book will help you deal with modern cross-platform malware. Throughout the course of this book, you will explore real-world examples of static and dynamic malware analysis, unpacking and decrypting, and rootkit detection. Finally, this book will help you strengthen your defenses and prevent malware breaches for IoT devices and mobile platforms. By the end of this book, you will have learned to effectively analyze, investigate, and build innovative solutions to handle any malware incidents. What you will learnExplore widely used assembly languages to strengthen your reverse-engineering skillsMaster different executable file formats, programming languages, and relevant APIs used by attackersPerform static and dynamic analysis for multiple platforms and file typesGet to grips with handling sophisticated malware casesUnderstand real advanced attacks, covering all stages from infiltration to hacking the systemLearn to bypass anti-reverse engineering techniquesWho this book is for If you are an IT security administrator, forensic analyst, or malware researcher looking to secure against malicious software or investigate malicious code, this book is for you. Prior programming experience and a fair understanding of malware attacks and investigation is expected.




Malware Forensics


Book Description

Malware Forensics: Investigating and Analyzing Malicious Code covers the complete process of responding to a malicious code incident. Written by authors who have investigated and prosecuted federal malware cases, this book deals with the emerging and evolving field of live forensics, where investigators examine a computer system to collect and preserve critical live data that may be lost if the system is shut down. Unlike other forensic texts that discuss live forensics on a particular operating system, or in a generic context, this book emphasizes a live forensics and evidence collection methodology on both Windows and Linux operating systems in the context of identifying and capturing malicious code and evidence of its effect on the compromised system. It is the first book detailing how to perform live forensic techniques on malicious code. The book gives deep coverage on the tools and techniques of conducting runtime behavioral malware analysis (such as file, registry, network and port monitoring) and static code analysis (such as file identification and profiling, strings discovery, armoring/packing detection, disassembling, debugging), and more. It explores over 150 different tools for malware incident response and analysis, including forensic tools for preserving and analyzing computer memory. Readers from all educational and technical backgrounds will benefit from the clear and concise explanations of the applicable legal case law and statutes covered in every chapter. In addition to the technical topics discussed, this book also offers critical legal considerations addressing the legal ramifications and requirements governing the subject matter. This book is intended for system administrators, information security professionals, network personnel, forensic examiners, attorneys, and law enforcement working with the inner-workings of computer memory and malicious code. - Winner of Best Book Bejtlich read in 2008! - http://taosecurity.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-book-bejtlich-read-in-2008.html - Authors have investigated and prosecuted federal malware cases, which allows them to provide unparalleled insight to the reader - First book to detail how to perform "live forensic" techniques on malicous code - In addition to the technical topics discussed, this book also offers critical legal considerations addressing the legal ramifications and requirements governing the subject matter




Malware Forensics Field Guide for Windows Systems


Book Description

Malware Forensics Field Guide for Windows Systems is a handy reference that shows students the essential tools needed to do computer forensics analysis at the crime scene. It is part of Syngress Digital Forensics Field Guides, a series of companions for any digital and computer forensic student, investigator or analyst. Each Guide is a toolkit, with checklists for specific tasks, case studies of difficult situations, and expert analyst tips that will aid in recovering data from digital media that will be used in criminal prosecution. This book collects data from all methods of electronic data storage and transfer devices, including computers, laptops, PDAs and the images, spreadsheets and other types of files stored on these devices. It is specific for Windows-based systems, the largest running OS in the world. The authors are world-renowned leaders in investigating and analyzing malicious code. Chapters cover malware incident response - volatile data collection and examination on a live Windows system; analysis of physical and process memory dumps for malware artifacts; post-mortem forensics - discovering and extracting malware and associated artifacts from Windows systems; legal considerations; file identification and profiling initial analysis of a suspect file on a Windows system; and analysis of a suspect program. This field guide is intended for computer forensic investigators, analysts, and specialists. - A condensed hand-held guide complete with on-the-job tasks and checklists - Specific for Windows-based systems, the largest running OS in the world - Authors are world-renowned leaders in investigating and analyzing malicious code




Malware Analysis Techniques


Book Description

Analyze malicious samples, write reports, and use industry-standard methodologies to confidently triage and analyze adversarial software and malware Key FeaturesInvestigate, detect, and respond to various types of malware threatUnderstand how to use what you've learned as an analyst to produce actionable IOCs and reportingExplore complete solutions, detailed walkthroughs, and case studies of real-world malware samplesBook Description Malicious software poses a threat to every enterprise globally. Its growth is costing businesses millions of dollars due to currency theft as a result of ransomware and lost productivity. With this book, you'll learn how to quickly triage, identify, attribute, and remediate threats using proven analysis techniques. Malware Analysis Techniques begins with an overview of the nature of malware, the current threat landscape, and its impact on businesses. Once you've covered the basics of malware, you'll move on to discover more about the technical nature of malicious software, including static characteristics and dynamic attack methods within the MITRE ATT&CK framework. You'll also find out how to perform practical malware analysis by applying all that you've learned to attribute the malware to a specific threat and weaponize the adversary's indicators of compromise (IOCs) and methodology against them to prevent them from attacking. Finally, you'll get to grips with common tooling utilized by professional malware analysts and understand the basics of reverse engineering with the NSA's Ghidra platform. By the end of this malware analysis book, you'll be able to perform in-depth static and dynamic analysis and automate key tasks for improved defense against attacks. What you will learnDiscover how to maintain a safe analysis environment for malware samplesGet to grips with static and dynamic analysis techniques for collecting IOCsReverse-engineer and debug malware to understand its purposeDevelop a well-polished workflow for malware analysisUnderstand when and where to implement automation to react quickly to threatsPerform malware analysis tasks such as code analysis and API inspectionWho this book is for This book is for incident response professionals, malware analysts, and researchers who want to sharpen their skillset or are looking for a reference for common static and dynamic analysis techniques. Beginners will also find this book useful to get started with learning about malware analysis. Basic knowledge of command-line interfaces, familiarity with Windows and Unix-like filesystems and registries, and experience in scripting languages such as PowerShell, Python, or Ruby will assist with understanding the concepts covered.




Malware Data Science


Book Description

Malware Data Science explains how to identify, analyze, and classify large-scale malware using machine learning and data visualization. Security has become a "big data" problem. The growth rate of malware has accelerated to tens of millions of new files per year while our networks generate an ever-larger flood of security-relevant data each day. In order to defend against these advanced attacks, you'll need to know how to think like a data scientist. In Malware Data Science, security data scientist Joshua Saxe introduces machine learning, statistics, social network analysis, and data visualization, and shows you how to apply these methods to malware detection and analysis. You'll learn how to: - Analyze malware using static analysis - Observe malware behavior using dynamic analysis - Identify adversary groups through shared code analysis - Catch 0-day vulnerabilities by building your own machine learning detector - Measure malware detector accuracy - Identify malware campaigns, trends, and relationships through data visualization Whether you're a malware analyst looking to add skills to your existing arsenal, or a data scientist interested in attack detection and threat intelligence, Malware Data Science will help you stay ahead of the curve.




Reversing


Book Description

Beginning with a basic primer on reverse engineering-including computer internals, operating systems, and assembly language-and then discussing the various applications of reverse engineering, this book provides readers with practical, in-depth techniques for software reverse engineering. The book is broken into two parts, the first deals with security-related reverse engineering and the second explores the more practical aspects of reverse engineering. In addition, the author explains how to reverse engineer a third-party software library to improve interfacing and how to reverse engineer a competitor's software to build a better product. * The first popular book to show how software reverse engineering can help defend against security threats, speed up development, and unlock the secrets of competitive products * Helps developers plug security holes by demonstrating how hackers exploit reverse engineering techniques to crack copy-protection schemes and identify software targets for viruses and other malware * Offers a primer on advanced reverse-engineering, delving into "disassembly"-code-level reverse engineering-and explaining how to decipher assembly language