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.

Table of Contents:
Praise for Practical Malware Analysis; Warning; About the Authors; About the Technical Reviewer; About the Contributing Authors; Foreword; Acknowledgments; Individual Thanks; Introduction; What Is Malware Analysis?; Prerequisites; Practical, Hands-On Learning; What's in the Book?; Chapter 0: Malware Analysis Primer; 1.1 The Goals of Malware Analysis; 1.2 Malware Analysis Techniques; 1.3 Types of Malware; 1.4 General Rules for Malware Analysis; Basic Analysis; Chapter 1: Basic Static Techniques; 2.1 Antivirus Scanning: A Useful First Step; 2.2 Hashing: A Fingerprint for Malware; 2.3 Finding Strings; 2.4 Packed and Obfuscated Malware; 2.5 Portable Executable File Format; 2.6 Linked Libraries and Functions; 2.7 Static Analysis in Practice; 2.8 The PE File Headers and Sections; 2.9 Conclusion; 2.10 Labs; Chapter 2: Malware Analysis in Virtual Machines; 3.1 The Structure of a Virtual Machine; 3.2 Creating Your Malware Analysis Machine; 3.3 Using Your Malware Analysis Machine; 3.4 The Risks of Using VMware for Malware Analysis; 3.5 Record/Replay: Running Your Computer in Reverse; 3.6 Conclusion; Chapter 3: Basic Dynamic Analysis; 4.1 Sandboxes: The Quick-and-Dirty Approach; 4.2 Running Malware; 4.3 Monitoring with Process Monitor; 4.4 Viewing Processes with Process Explorer; 4.5 Comparing Registry Snapshots with Regshot; 4.6 Faking a Network; 4.7 Packet Sniffing with Wireshark; 4.8 Using INetSim; 4.9 Basic Dynamic Tools in Practice; 4.10 Conclusion; 4.11 Labs; Advanced Static Analysis; Chapter 4: A Crash Course in x86 Disassembly; 5.1 Levels of Abstraction; 5.2 Reverse-Engineering; 5.3 The x86 Architecture; 5.4 Conclusion; Chapter 5: IDA Pro; 6.1 Loading an Executable; 6.2 The IDA Pro Interface; 6.3 Using Cross-References; 6.4 Analyzing Functions; 6.5 Using Graphing Options; 6.6 Enhancing Disassembly; 6.7 Extending IDA with Plug-ins; 6.8 Conclusion; 6.9 Labs; Chapter 6: Recognizing C Code Constructs in Assembly; 7.1 Global vs. Local Variables; 7.2 Disassembling Arithmetic Operations; 7.3 Recognizing if Statements; 7.4 Recognizing Loops; 7.5 Understanding Function Call Conventions; 7.6 Analyzing switch Statements; 7.7 Disassembling Arrays; 7.8 Identifying Structs; 7.9 Analyzing Linked List Traversal; 7.10 Conclusion; 7.11 Labs; Chapter 7: Analyzing Malicious Windows Programs; 8.1 The Windows API; 8.2 The Windows Registry; 8.3 Networking APIs; 8.4 Following Running Malware; 8.5 Kernel vs. User Mode; 8.6 The Native API; 8.7 Conclusion; 8.8 Labs; Advanced Dynamic Analysis; Chapter 8: Debugging; 9.1 Source-Level vs. Assembly-Level Debuggers; 9.2 Kernel vs. User-Mode Debugging; 9.3 Using a Debugger; 9.4 Exceptions; 9.5 Modifying Execution with a Debugger; 9.6 Modifying Program Execution in Practice; 9.7 Conclusion; Chapter 9: OllyDbg; 10.1 Loading Malware; 10.2 The OllyDbg Interface; 10.3 Memory Map; 10.4 Viewing Threads and Stacks; 10.5 Executing Code; 10.6 Breakpoints; 10.7 Loading DLLs; 10.8 Tracing; 10.9 Exception Handling; 10.10 Patching; 10.11 Analyzing Shellcode; 10.12 Assistance Features; 10.13 Plug-ins; 10.14 Scriptable Debugging; 10.15 Conclusion; 10.16 Labs; Chapter 10: Kernel Debugging with WinDbg; 11.1 Drivers and Kernel Code; 11.2 Setting Up Kernel Debugging; 11.3 Using WinDbg; 11.4 Microsoft Symbols; 11.5 Kernel Debugging in Practice; 11.6 Rootkits; 11.7 Loading Drivers; 11.8 Kernel Issues for Windows Vista, Windows 7, and x64 Versions; 11.9 Conclusion; 11.10 Labs; Malware Functionality; Chapter 11: Malware Behavior; 12.1 Downloaders and Launchers; 12.2 Backdoors; 12.3 Credential Stealers; 12.4 Persistence Mechanisms; 12.5 Privilege Escalation; 12.6 Covering Its Tracks--User-Mode Rootkits; 12.7 Conclusion; 12.8 Labs; Chapter 12: Covert Malware Launching; 13.1 Launchers; 13.2 Process Injection; 13.3 Process Replacement; 13.4 Hook Injection; 13.5 Detours; 13.6 APC Injection; 13.7 Conclusion; 13.8 Labs; Chapter 13: Data Encoding; 14.1 The Goal of Analyzing Encoding Algorithms; 14.2 Simple Ciphers; 14.3 Common Cryptographic Algorithms; 14.4 Custom Encoding; 14.5 Decoding; 14.6 Conclusion; 14.7 Labs; Chapter 14: Malware-Focused Network Signatures; 15.1 Network Countermeasures; 15.2 Safely Investigate an Attacker Online; 15.3 Content-Based Network Countermeasures; 15.4 Combining Dynamic and Static Analysis Techniques; 15.5 Understanding the Attacker's Perspective; 15.6 Conclusion; 15.7 Labs; Anti-Reverse-Engineering; Chapter 15: Anti-Disassembly; 16.1 Understanding Anti-Disasseeeeeembly; 16.2 Defeating Disassembly Algorithms; 16.3 Anti-Disassembly Techniques; 16.4 Obscuring Flow Control; 16.5 Thwarting Stack-Frame Analysis; 16.6 Conclusion; 16.7 Labs; Chapter 16: Anti-Debugging; 17.1 Windows Debugger Detection; 17.2 Identifying Debugger Behavior; 17.3 Interfering with Debugger Functionality; 17.4 Debugger Vulnerabilities; 17.5 Conclusion; 17.6 Labs; Chapter 17: Anti-Virtual Machine Techniques; 18.1 VMware Artifacts; 18.2 Vulnerable Instructions; 18.3 Tweaking Settings; 18.4 Escaping the Virtual Machine; 18.5 Conclusion; 18.6 Labs; Chapter 18: Packers and Unpacking; 19.1 Packer Anatomy; 19.2 Identifying Packed Programs; 19.3 Unpacking Options; 19.4 Automated Unpacking; 19.5 Manual Unpacking; 19.6 Tips and Tricks for Common Packers; 19.7 Analyzing Without Fully Unpacking; 19.8 Packed DLLs; 19.9 Conclusion; 19.10 Labs; Special Topics; Chapter 19: Shellcode Analysis; 20.1 Loading Shellcode for Analysis; 20.2 Position-Independent Code; 20.3 Identifying Execution Location; 20.4 Manual Symbol Resolution; 20.5 A Full Hello World Example; 20.6 Shellcode Encodings; 20.7 NOP Sleds; 20.8 Finding Shellcode; 20.9 Conclusion; 20.10 Labs; Chapter 20: C++ Analysis; 21.1 Object-Oriented Programming; 21.2 Virtual vs. Nonvirtual Functions; 21.3 Creating and Destroying Objects; 21.4 Conclusion; 21.5 Labs; Chapter 21: 64-Bit Malware; 22.1 Why 64-Bit Malware?; 22.2 Differences in x64 Architecture; 22.3 Windows 32-Bit on Windows 64-Bit; 22.4 64-Bit Hints at Malware Functionality; 22.5 Conclusion; 22.6 Labs; Important Windows Functions; Tools for Malware Analysis; Solutions to Labs; Lab 1-1 Solutions; Lab 1-2 Solutions; Lab 1-3 Solutions; Lab 1-4 Solutions; Lab 3-1 Solutions; Lab 3-2 Solutions; Lab 3-3 Solutions; Lab 3-4 Solutions; Lab 5-1 Solutions; Lab 6-1 Solutions; Lab 6-2 Solutions; Lab 6-3 Solutions; Lab 6-4 Solutions; Lab 7-1 Solutions; Lab 7-2 Solutions; Lab 7-3 Solutions; Lab 9-1 Solutions; Lab 9-2 Solutions; Lab 9-3 Solutions; Lab 10-1 Solutions; Lab 10-2 Solutions; Lab 10-3 Solutions; Lab 11-1 Solutions; Lab 11-2 Solutions; Lab 11-3 Solutions; Lab 12-1 Solutions; Lab 12-2 Solutions; Lab 12-3 Solutions; Lab 12-4 Solutions; Lab 13-1 Solutions; Lab 13-2 Solutions; Lab 13-3 Solutions; Lab 14-1 Solutions; Lab 14-2 Solutions; Lab 14-3 Solutions; Lab 15-1 Solutions; Lab 15-2 Solutions; Lab 15-3 Solutions; Lab 16-1 Solutions; Lab 16-2 Solutions; Lab 16-3 Solutions; Lab 17-1 Solutions; Lab 17-2 Solutions; Lab 17-3 Solutions; Lab 18-1 Solutions; Lab 18-2 Solutions; Lab 18-3 Solutions; Lab 18-4 Solutions; Lab 18-5 Solutions; Lab 19-1 Solutions; Lab 19-2 Solutions; Lab 19-3 Solutions; Lab 20-1 Solutions; Lab 20-2 Solutions; Lab 20-3 Solutions; Lab 21-1 Solutions; Lab 21-2 Solutions;