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The Importance of Malware Analysis
We live in an increasingly digital and interconnected world. Today, we depend on interconnected systems for assistance with a variety of daily tasks. Whether for professional or personal reasons, the vast majority of us engage daily with some kind of networked system.
These mechanisms are sometimes taken for granted. It has never been easier for adversaries to infiltrate our networks and leave behind destructive software for their own benefit, regardless of whether it is our home network, our workplace intranet, or even simply our cellphones.
"It’ll Never Happen to Me"
Some of the largest data breaches and hacks are widely reported in the press. The Equifax hack was one of the largest data breaches of its time, garnering international headlines and compromising the secret, personal information of millions of individuals worldwide. People whose personal information was compromised in the Equifax incident found their information for sale on numerous darknet markets to the highest bidder.
When we hear about data breaches in the news, some of us fall victim to the same old trap. People are aware that they must protect their systems against bad actors that aim to steal data and hack systems for their own evil purposes. However, many individuals believe, "It will never happen to me! My company or website is much too little to attract hackers!".
As it turns out, this line of thinking could not be farther from the reality for those who hold it. People learn they were mistaken when their systems are ultimately compromised, despite their initial belief that only large organizations and corporations would be targeted by hackers.
The simple fact is, Equifax and others like it aren’t going to be the only targets for malicious hackers. Every company in the world is vulnerable to attack, with a staggering sixty percent of small businesses getting hacked to some degree every year.
Remember that you do not need to be a large business or organization to attract hackers and criminal actors. When they identify a weakness, hackers will try to compromise any system that interests them. Another essential element to understand is that no system on Earth is foolproof. Our technologies and networks may be as safe as possible, but the human factor remains the greatest weakness.
Humans Are the Biggest Security Flaw in Any Network
You can secure your machines and networks with the aid of some of the best programmers and cybersecurity specialists in the world. However, humans pose the greatest threat to the security of any system. Some of the largest hacks reported in the media were not the result of brute-force attempts by hackers.
Many of the largest security breaches are the result of social engineering, a form of "human hacking." Social engineering is fundamentally a form of deception used by hackers to trick corporate employees into inadvertently granting them access. It could be as simple as posing as a company representative and calling the appropriate person, or it could be more complex and highly targeted.
This remains one of the most common ways individuals are deceived into granting access to a network to malicious actors. Social engineers compromise protected networks using targeted phishing. Before identifying a potential target, they will conduct in-depth research on a company and its employees. Then, they will compose an email that appears to have been sent by a superior or a business official with a higher position.
Typically, phishing emails contain a malicious link or attachment for the recipient to click on. If a worker is tricked into clicking the link or opening the attachment, the hacker will gain access to the system. This remains one of the most prevalent ways in which hackers deceive unwary business personnel into granting them access to protected information on the corporate network.
Due to the all-too-common nature of these types of attacks in the modern era, you should cultivate a security culture within your organization to ensure that all employees are aware of the risks associated with clicking on untrusted links or attachments or opening e-mails that appear to come from trusted sources.
Make Your Company and Employees “Security Conscious”
When it comes to protecting your company’s confidential data and networks, your employees can be a great first line of defense, aside from making sure you have IT staff and cybersecurity professionals in place for the worst case scenario
You can beef up your “human security” by adding a few of these touches into your company’s cybersecurity plan. You can train new employees as part of your organization’s onboarding process, as well as provide cybersecurity training to current employees. You’ll want to update this training at least once a year to make sure it is in line with current and emerging threat models.
Some important things you can cover in this training include:
How employees can create secure passwords and how important it can be to update them at least once a year. Make sure employees know to never give out their password to anyone.
How important it is to not share information with people who aren’t privileged to know. Address phishing as an issue and make sure employees know how to identify potential phishing emails and what to do in the event that they get one.
Aside from phishing, make sure employees can identify ransomware and other types of hacks.
Ensure there is an easy way for employees to report suspicious activity to the proper personnel.
The Worst Case Scenario
Despite many companies’ best efforts to keep their systems as secure as possible, hackers still find vulnerabilities in networks and websites and still find a way in. When this happens, it is time to jump into “incident response” mode.
In the event your company experiences a hack, your IT and cybersecurity teams should be working to identify the source of the hack, find any malware in the system, purge the system of that malware and then make sure whatever vulnerability was exploited by the hacker to gain access to the system is patched so it doesn’t happen again.
There are many types of malware used by hackers all over the world to cripple networks and hurt businesses. When any type of malware is discovered on your machines, it is time for malware analysis procedures to kick in.
Before you can know how to analyze different types of malware, it is important that you are aware of some of the different types of malware out in the wild that could be weaponized against your machines and systems.
The Various Types of Malware
It can be difficult to keep track of all the types of malware that currently exist, as well as those that may emerge in the future, because there are so many. It is important to be aware of the various types of malware that exist in cyberspace so that you know what to expect if your system is compromised by hackers or other malicious actors.
The term malware is simply short for “malicious software.” Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of malware employed by hackers all around the world:
Ransomware is a common hacking tool. Ransomware encrypts the data on network computers. Only the decryption key can unlock mission-critical files that have been encrypted by this type of malware. This key is not released until a ransom is paid, typically in Bitcoin or Monero.
Keyloggers record keystrokes on a computer. Users are unaware that their input is transmitted. Keyloggers are used by hackers to steal usernames, passwords, and financial information.
Rootkit resides at the "root" level of the computer. With root access, a malicious actor or hacker can remotely execute executables and modify system configurations. Rootkits are difficult to detect and remove by design.
"Trojan horse" is malicious software that is disguised as something harmless and unimportant so that a system administrator will not notice it. The payload of a Trojan horse can be almost anything, but it is typically a "backdoor" that hackers can use to return to the network from any computer, at any time.
Spyware is a malicious software that monitors computer activity. It can capture Web traffic or credit card numbers, usernames, and passwords. Spyware is controversial because it can violate user privacy and be abused in the wrong hands.
The Importance of Malware Analysis and Incident Response
With so many types of malware circulating online and so many hackers and malicious actors attempting to use these malware strains to damage and destroy the systems of legitimate businesses for their own nefarious purposes, it has never been more important for organizations to have plans in place to analyze and mitigate any malware attack.
Malware analysis is the activity of determining the origin, type, and functionality of malware that may be present on business or personal networks or computers. It is an essential element of any incident response plan. Malware analysis should be addressed in the incident response plan of every firm with networked systems.
Use Cases for Malware Analysis
There are three important use cases for malware analysis:
Computer security incident management. If an organization suspects it has been hacked or attacked by malware, the incident response team does malware analysis to identify the type and strain of malware that infiltrated its systems. This is an important tool for analyzing how the attack may affect the mission-critical systems of the affected organization.
Malware research. Anyone who aspires to comprehend and study malware can do so in an academic context. Malware strains may also be reverse-engineered by cybersecurity professionals. These individuals may perform malware analysis techniques out of pure curiosity, with the goal of learning how malware operates and gaining an understanding of the most recent strategies for writing malicious code.
Indication of compromise. Companies that sell software solutions may do mass malware analysis to identify new possible attack pathways and compromise indications. This information may then be used to make the product better and more secure, thereby assisting enterprises throughout the world in preventing malware intrusions.
Types of Malware Analysis
There are two major methods used when it comes to performing malware analysis:
Static malware analysis. Static, or "Code," analysis is conducted by delving into the binary file without actually executing it and examining each component in great detail. The binary file can then be disassembled (or reverse engineered) via a so-called disassembler. The machine code is then converted into assembly code that humans can read and comprehend. The person evaluating the malware is then able to comprehend how the malware is constructed and have a solid understanding of what it is intended to achieve. Some malware strains seen in the wild today are designed to circumvent this form of malware analysis, for example, by incorporating grammatical code mistakes that can confound disassemblers, but still operate as intended when executed.
Dynamic malware analysis. also known as "Behavioral" malware analysis, is accomplished by monitoring malware as it executes on a host system. Typically, dynamic malware analysis is conducted in a sandbox environment. This allows the virus to be executed and investigated without really infecting vital systems. Many malware analysts employ virtual machines to analyze malware, as these virtual machines may be readily reverted to a previous, malware-free state after the investigation has been completed. Malware can even be debugged while it is running, allowing analysts to observe its behavior and consequences on the host system in real time. Some current malware strains can circumvent dynamic malware detection by testing for a virtual machine environment, delaying the execution of potentially harmful payloads, or requiring user input.
In Conclusion
Malware analysis can play a significant role in deconstructing malware strains and understanding how they operate. Malware analysis can be a significant component of a company's cybersecurity and incident response strategy, aiding system administrators and data security specialists in learning about the numerous varieties of contemporary malware. The data gathered through malware analysis techniques can aid security experts in identifying and thwarting malware assaults, should they be launched against their systems.