Introduction
The practice of doing a thorough examination of harmful software, or malware, is referred to as malware analysis. Cyber Security analysts and incident responders frequently utilize it to determine the functioning, path of action, and possible consequences of malware.
The three primary categories of malware analysis—static, dynamic, and hybrid—will be covered in this article. We’ll also take you through an analysis in its conventional form. Lastly, we’ll go over how to pick the best malware analysis tool for you and provide a list of some of the top options available.
The increasing commercialization of cybercrime has led to an alarming growth in malware kinds, which has put numerous protectors at a disadvantage. Concepts related to malware analysis have developed into a complex fusion of data science tools and human comprehension.
Therefore, the analyst can swiftly test and discover all the relevant documents of different varieties of ill-disposed actions while learning about the many attacks in the lifecycle by using open-source malware analysis tools.
Because of this, we will discuss some of the top malware analysis tools in this post today so that you can determine what the dangerous code is doing and why you should be looking into it.
7 Best Malware Analysis Tools
Malware analysis is essential to cybersecurity because it allows experts to analyze and comprehend malware and create efficient defenses. This blog examines several malware analysis tools, grouped according to the analysis methods they employ: sandboxes, reverse engineering, dynamic, static, and behavioral.
1. IDA Pro
Software experts can examine programs that are thought to be malicious, such as malware or spyware, by disassembling them. Assembly language is challenging to read and understand, though.
History of IDA Pro in the Malware Analysis Industry
In the industry of malware analysis, IDA Pro is now so widely used that information about new viruses is sometimes shared under the name “IDA Databases.” The “CODE RED” incident that occurred in 2001 is representative of most background activity.
Features of IDA Pro
A reverse engineering and static analysis program that can be used for malware analysis is called IDA Pro, or Interactive Disassembler for Software Analysis. Here are a few of its salient features:
- Disassembly: App binary files can be disassembled and converted into C code using IDA Pro. It also includes disassembler modules for a variety of CPUs, and users can use the free SDK from Hex-Rays to build their own custom disassembler.
- Interaction: Users can interact directly with IDA Pro through the keyboard, an inbuilt programming language, or external plugins. IDA Pro is a highly flexible and interactive tool.
- Code-graphing: Code graphs can be made with IDA Pro.
- Additional characteristics: Flair technology, another feature of IDA Pro, helps locate and recognize libraries rapidly. It can also track and identify types and parameters.
Strengths of IDA Pro: As a tool for analyzing malware, IDA Pro has a number of advantages. These include:
Support for decompilers: IDA Pro has decompilers for a variety of software architectures.
Extensions: Python scripts and plugins can be used to expand IDA Pro’s functionality. Its plug-in debugger, for instance, can aid users in understanding programs more fully than static analysis alone.
Cross-platform compatibility: IDA Pro is compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Debugging capabilities: IDA Pro has a debugger that runs on popular operating systems both locally and remotely.
2. OllyDbg
A 32-bit debugging tool called OllyDbg is used to examine binary code. People’s ability to do so in spite of not having access to the source code is what makes it so popular. Malware can be assessed and debugged with OllyDbg. Because OllyDbg is gratis and very easy to use, it’s a popular debugger.
History of OllyDbg
Oleh Yuschuk first made OllyDbg available as shareware in 2002. Security experts and fans soon took to it because of its user-friendly interface and strong features.
Features of OllyDbg
A debugger and disassembler called OllyDbg can be used to examine how malware behaves within Windows programs. It is named after Oleh Yuschuk, the author, and is primarily concerned with binary code analysis, which comes in handy when source code isn’t available. The following are some of ollydbg’s features that are useful for analyzing malware:
Examine and adjust: This enables you to view and edit a running program’s data, registers, and code.
Establish breakpoints: Lets you establish breakpoints to halt the program at a certain command or event so you can check its present status.
Trace execution: Provides the ability to track calls and execution
Memory dump: Enables memory dump
Acknowledge: Acknowledges switches, tables, constants, procedures, and API requests.
Find routines: Finds routines from object files and libraries.
Strength of OllyDbg
The powerful debugger OllyDbg is becoming a standard tool in the information security and cybersecurity fields. It is a go-to tool for a variety of activities like malware analysis, vulnerability research, and reverse engineering because of its capacity to analyse binary code, step through execution, and change memory contents.
3. VirusTotal
VirusTotal is an online service that uses internet scanners and antivirus engines to examine dubious files and URLs in order to identify different kinds of malware and harmful content. It gives consumers access to the data produced by VirusTotal through an API.
History of VirusTotal
Fundamentally, in order to find and identify malicious components, VirusTotal analyzes hashes, IPs, domains, hostnames, and other assets. Although VirusTotal’s initial focus was mostly on malware detection, the company has subsequently developed into a comprehensive cybersecurity platform.
Features of VirusTotal
VirusTotal is a malware analysis program that has the following features:
Feature of malware analysis: examines malware
Machine learning: This technique looks for patterns and models in harmful software using machine learning.
Strengths of VirusTotal
Quick & Easy to use: This tool is faster and easy to use. Just drag & drop your file in it and it will quickly give you the results.
Virus detection through multiple Antivirus engines: You can detect virus in your file with this tool because it uses multiple Antivirus engines at board level.
4. Cuckoo Sandbox
With the malware analysis tool Cuckoo Sandbox, users can run malicious programs in a safe, isolated setting. The malware is tricked into believing it has infected a real host by the sandbox. To determine whether the malware is harmful, the behaviour of the infection must be examined.
The concept of a child’s sandbox, where kids can experiment without harming the real world, is where the term “sandbox” originates. In a similar vein, users can test and explore outside of a digital sandbox without fear of consequences.
History of Cuckoo Sandbox
Within The Honeynet Project, Cuckoo Sandbox began as a Google Summer of Code project in 2010. Currently serving as the project manager and primary developer, Claudio “nex” Guarnieri was the one who planned and developed it initially. Following the summer of 2010’s work, the first beta release was made available in February.
Features of Cuckoo Sandbox
The following are a few of Cuckoo Sandbox’s features:
Examine several files
A wide range of harmful files, such as office documents, executables, emails, signed PDFs, and malicious websites, can be examined by Cuckoo Sandbox.
Obtain the outcomes
Cuckoo Sandbox can obtain outcomes like:
- Call history left by malware-infected programs
- Files that malware creates removes, and downloads while it is running
- Malware processes’ memory dumps
- Traces of network traffic in PCAP format
Determine the actions of malware
In order to help detect malware behavior, possible system impact, and signs of infection, Cuckoo Sandbox can record information such as network traffic, system calls, and file modifications.
Give specific details
Quick and comprehensive information about the likely behaviour of malware can be obtained with Cuckoo Sandbox.
Strengths of Cuckoo Sandbox
One free and open-source program for analyzing malware is called Cuckoo Sandbox. It has numerous advantages, such as:
Analysis of behaviour
In a controlled setting, Cuckoo Sandbox may examine how questionable files or URLs behave, including system calls, file modifications, and network activities. Additionally, it can track API calls and malware-generated file activities.
Adaptable
Because of its great degree of customization, Cuckoo Sandbox can be used with add-on modules to offer more testing options. It can be integrated, for instance, with Volatility to analyse memory or with YARA signatures to classify files.
Accessible across several platforms
Because Cuckoo Sandbox may be used with a variety of malicious file types, it is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux.
5. REMnux
A Linux toolkit called REMnux is used to analyze and reverse-engineer harmful software. A carefully chosen selection of community-made free utilities is available on REMnux. It eliminates the need for analysts to locate, install, and setup the tools in order to examine malware.
History of REMnux
In July 2010, Lenny Zeltser developed REMnux, a Linux toolkit for reverse engineering and malware analysis. REMnux, which is well-liked by malware analysts, is built on an x86/amd64 variant of Ubuntu. Analysts may use hundreds of preconfigured tools to look into malware without having to locate, install, and set them up.
Features of REMnux
Malware analysts and security experts can use REMnux, a free and open-source Linux toolkit, to examine and deconstruct harmful software. This well-known utility comes with a number of tested, pre-configured, and packed tools that don’t require installation. Some of REMnux’s features are as follows:
Beginner-friendly
Using an OVA or Docker image, REMnux is simple to install from scratch and has extensive documentation.
Entire
Because REMnux has so many tools, users probably won’t require extra resources.
Revision
SaltStack technology allows for the updating of REMnux; the upgrade option refreshes and adds new tools.
Cloud computing setup
REMnux can be configured in a cloud environment (like AWS) and accessed either the text-based SSH interface or the graphical Gnome interface.
Strengths of REMnux
A Linux toolbox called REMnux has several advantages for analyzing malware, such as:
Free and open source: The components that make up REMnux are freely available.
Suitable for beginners: REMnux is simple to install and maintain, with extensive documentation.
All-inclusive: REMnux provides a carefully chosen selection of tested, pre-packaged, and pre-configured tools that probably won’t need any extra resources.
Simple to use: By utilizing Docker and REMnux containers, analysts can use REMnux tools without having to install them.
Versatile: REMnux is capable of analysing dangerous artefacts such as suspicious document files, browser-based threats, malware for Windows and Linux, and more. In a remote lab, it can also be used to intercept questionable network communications.
6. PEiD
PEiD is a static analysis tool that can identify the compiler used by the sample and search the PE file for signatures and potential packers.
History of PEiD
The tool PEiD was created by Japheth and was initially made available in the year 2000. Its purpose is to detect the packers, cryptors, and compilers that are utilized in Portable Executable (PE) files. It became well-known among malware analysts for its speedy detection of obfuscation methods and insightful information on file manipulation. PEiD’s importance in unpacking and comprehending PE file formats makes it a noteworthy aspect of malware analysis history, even though its use has decreased with the advent of more sophisticated analysis tools.
Features of PEiD
PEiD is useful for malware investigation because of the following important features:
Packer Detection: Assists analysts in comprehending how the executable has been modified by identifying the packer or cryptor that was used to compress or obfuscate PE files.
Signature-Based Identification: This method quickly provides information on the manipulation of the file by identifying recognized packers, cryptors, and compilers by using a database of signatures.
Plugin Support: Enables users to update its capabilities to identify new or custom packers and extend its functionality by integrating more plugins.
Detailed Analysis: Offers details on the header and structure of the PE file, which can help with additional reverse engineering work.
Easy to Use Interface: This interface is simple to use and intuitive, making it suitable for both inexperienced and seasoned analysts.
Strengths of PEiD
Effective Packer Detection: Ascertaining how an executable file has been obfuscated requires being able to swiftly detect a variety of packers and cryptors, which PEiD excels at doing.
Signature Database: Accurate identification of well-known packing and obfuscation techniques is made possible by its vast and frequently updated signature database.
Plugin Support: By extending PEiD’s capabilities through the addition and development of plugins, users can customize the tool to meet their unique requirements and maintain its applicability as new methods are discovered.
User-Friendly Interface: Its user-friendly interface facilitates rapid analysis without requiring a significant learning curve, making it accessible to both novice and seasoned analysts.
Historical Relevance: Due to its extensive background in malware research, PEiD is a useful tool for comprehending and interacting with malware samples and previous packing techniques.
7. Sandboxie
Cybersecurity experts may securely run and examine dubious files or URLs in a malware sandbox, which is a virtual environment, without having to worry about endangering their real computers.
History of Sandboxie
In 2004, Sandboxie was first made available as a tool for Internet Explorer sandboxing. The application was ultimately extended to enable arbitrary apps in addition to additional web browsers.
Invincea made the acquisition of Sandboxie public in December 2013. Ronen Tzur, the program’s original developer, also declared he would no longer be working on it.
Features of Sandboxie
Although it functions differently from conventional anti-virus software, sandboxie is a countermeasure against harmful software. The goal of Sandboxie is not to categorise or distinguish between “good” and “bad” programs. Alternatively, it can record information like system calls, file modifications, and network activity to assist in identifying malware behaviour, possible consequences, and signs of infiltration.
Other sandbox solution features that can support advanced malware research include the following:
Pre-filtering, reporting, automation, timeliness of detection, threat analysis, and roadmap.
Strengths of Sandboxie
Sandboxing offers a secure and private environment for examining and researching possible viruses while isolating the analysed harmful software from the network or systems. Within a sandbox, a malware analyst can run dubious files or programs without endangering the host system.
Conclusion
Hence, here in this blog, we have covered 5 situation-based 7 malware analysis tools that will help you solve your Cyber Threat-related problems. Hope this blog enhances your knowledge about malware analysis tools.
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