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Systematic examination of malicious software through static analysis, dynamic sandboxing, and reverse engineering to extract IOCs and develop detection capabilities.
Malware analysis is the systematic methodology for examining malicious software to understand its functionality, origin, behavior, and potential impact. Analysts reverse-engineer malware samples to extract indicators of compromise (IOCs), develop detection signatures, inform incident response, and attribute campaigns to specific threat actors. The discipline combines computer science, reverse engineering, and threat intelligence skills.
Malware analysis operates at multiple depth levels, from quick automated triage to deep manual reverse engineering, with each level trading speed for detail.
Static analysis examines malware without executing it. Analysts inspect file headers, embedded strings, imported libraries, and cryptographic hashes. Tools like PEStudio, YARA, and ssdeep identify file characteristics, packing, obfuscation, and similarities to known malware families. Disassemblers like IDA Pro and Ghidra convert machine code into assembly language for deeper inspection of program logic.
Dynamic analysis executes malware in isolated sandbox environments to observe runtime behavior. Sandboxes like Cuckoo, Any.Run, and Joe Sandbox monitor file system changes, registry modifications, network communications, process creation, and API calls. Network analysis captures DNS queries and HTTP requests to identify command-and-control infrastructure.
Advanced techniques include debugging with x64dbg or WinDbg to step through execution, code emulation for analyzing packed or encrypted payloads, and memory forensics to capture decrypted stage-two payloads. Behavioral analysis maps observed activities to MITRE ATT&CK techniques, creating structured threat intelligence that feeds detection engineering and incident response.
Analysts document findings in structured reports including IOCs (hashes, domains, IPs, mutex names), YARA rules, behavioral signatures, and ATT&CK mappings. These artifacts are shared through threat intelligence platforms to improve collective defense.
Malware analysis enables organizations to understand exactly how they were compromised, develop targeted detection and remediation strategies, and contribute to the broader security community's understanding of the threat landscape. Without analysis capability, organizations remain blind to the tools and techniques used against them.
CDA Theater missions that address topics covered in this article.
Evidence collection and chain of custody ensure digital evidence maintains integrity and legal admissibility through forensically sound gathering techniques, cryptographic verification, and documented handling records.
Incident response plan development creates a structured, documented approach for handling cybersecurity incidents, defining roles, procedures, and communication protocols to enable rapid, coordinated response.
Written by CDA Editorial
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