Malware analysis and memory forensics are powerful analysis and investigative techniques used in reverse engineering, digital forensics, and incident response. With adversaries becoming more sophisticated and carrying out advanced malware attacks on critical infrastructures, Data Centers, private and public organizations, detecting, responding and investigating such intrusions are essential to information security professionals. Malware analysis and memory Forensics have become a must-have skill for fighting advanced malwares, targeted attacks and security breaches. This training introduces you to the topic of malware analysis, reverse engineering, Windows internals, and techniques to perform malware and Rootkit investigations of real-world memory samples using the open source advanced memory forensics framework (Volatility). The training covers analysis and investigation of various real-world malware samples and infected memory images(crimewares, APT malwares, Rootkits, etc.) and contains hands-on labs to gain a better understanding of the subject.
The training provides practical guidance and attendees should walk away with the following skills:
- How malware and Windows internals work
- How to create a safe and isolated lab environment for malware analysis
- Tools and techniques to perform malware analysis
- How to perform static analysis to determine the metadata associated with malware
- How to perform dynamic analysis of the malware to determine its interaction with process, file system, registry and network
- How to perform code analysis to determine the malware functionality
- How to debug a malware using tools like IDA Pro and x64dbg
- How to analyze downloaders, droppers, keyloggers, fileless malwares, HTTP backdoors, etc.
- Understanding various persistence techniques used by the attackers
- Understanding different code injection techniques used to bypass security products
- What is Memory Forensics and its use in malware and digital investigation
- Ability to acquire a memory image from suspect/infected systems
- How to use open source advanced memory forensics framework (Volatility)
- Understanding of the techniques used by the malwares to hide from Live forensic tools
- Understanding of the techniques used by Rootkits(code injection, hooking, etc.)
- Investigative steps for detecting stealth and advanced malware
- How memory forensics helps in malware analysis and reverse engineering
- How to incorporate malware analysis and memory forensics in sandbox
- How to determine the network and host-based indicators (IOC)
- Techniques to hunt malwares
The following topics will be covered in this course:
Day 1:
Introduction to Malware Analysis
- What is Malware
- What they do
- Why malware analysis
- Types of malware analysis
- Setting up an isolated lab environment
Static Analysis
- Fingerprinting the malware
- Extracting strings
- Determining File obfuscation
- Pattern matching using YARA
- Fuzzing hashing & comparison
- Understanding PE File characteristics
- Hands-on lab exercise involves analyzing real malware sample
Dynamic Analysis/Behavioural analysis
- Dynamic Analysis Steps
- Understanding Dynamic Analysis tools
- Simulating services
- Performing Dynamic Analysis
- Monitoring process, filesystem, registry and network activity
- Determining the Indicators of compromise (host and network indicators)
- Demo - Showing the static & dynamic analysis of real malware sample
- Hands-on lab exercise involves analyzing real malware sample
Automating Malware Analysis(sandbox)
- Custom Sandbox Overview
- Working of Sandbox
- Sandbox Features
- Demo - Analyzing malware in the custom sandbox
Malware Persistence Methods
- Run registry key
- Scheduled Tasks
- Startup Folder
- Service
- Winlogon registry entries
- Image File Execution Options (IFEO)
- Accessibility programs
- AppInit_DLLs
- DLL Search order hijacking
- COM Hijacking
- Hands-on lab exercise involves analyzing real malware sample
Day 2:
Assembly Language and Disassembly Primer
- Program basics
- CPU registers
- Data transfer instructions
- Arithmetic operations
- Bitwise operations
- Branching and conditionals
- Loops
- Functions
- Arrays and strings
- Structures
- x64 architecture
Code Analysis
- Code Analysis Overview
- Disassembler & Debuggers
- Code Analysis Tools
- Basics of IDA Pro
- Basics of x64dbg
Reversing Malware Functionalities
- Downloader
- Dropper
- Keylogger
- Malware replication via removable media
- Malware Command & Control (C2)
Day 3:
Process Injection Techniques
- Remote DLL Injection
- DLL injection using APC
- Remote executable/shellCode Injection
- Hollow Process Injection (Process Hollowing)
- DLL Injection using SetWindowsHookEx()
- DLL injection using Application shims
Introduction to Memory Forensics
- What is Memory Forensics
- Why Memory Forensics
- Steps in Memory Forensics
- Memory acquisition and tools
- Acquiring memory From physical machine
- Acquiring memory from virtual machine
- Hands-on exercise involves acquiring the memory
Volatility Overview
- Introduction to Volatility Advanced Memory Forensics Framework
- Volatility Installation
- Volatility basic commands
- Determining the profile
- Volatility help options
- Running the plugin
Investigating Process
- Understanding Process Internals
- Process(EPROCESS) Structure
- Process organization
- Process Enumeration by walking the double linked list
- process relationship (parent-child relationship)
- Understanding DKOM attacks
- Process Enumeration using pool tag scanning
- Volatility plugins to enumerate processes
- Identifying malware process
- Hands-on lab exercise(scenario based) involves investigating malware infected memory
Investigating Process handles & Registry
- Objects and handles overview
- Enumerating process handles using Volatility
- Understanding Mutex
- Detecting malware presence using mutex
- Understanding the Registry
- Investigating common registry keys using Volatility
- Detecting malware persistence
- Hands-on lab exercise(scenario based) involves investigating malware infected memory
Day 4:
Investigating Network Activities
- Understanding malware network activities
- Volatility Network Plugins
- Investigating Network connections
- Investigating Sockets
- Hands-on lab exercise(scenario based) involves investigating malware infected memory
Investigation Process Memory
- Process memory Internals
- Listing DLLs using Volatility
- Identifying hidden DLLs
- Dumping malicious executable from memory
- Dumping Dll's from memory
- Scanning the memory for patterns(yarascan)
- Hands-on lab exercise(scenario based) involves investigating malware infected memory
Investigating User-Mode Rootkits & Fileless Malwares
- Code Injection
- Types of Code injection
- Remote DLL injection
- Remote Code injection
- Reflective DLL injection
- Hollow process injection
- Demo - Case Study
- Hands-on lab exercise(scenario based) involves investigating malware infected memory
Memory Forensics in Sandbox technology
- Sandbox Overview
- Integrating Memory Forensics into sandbox
- Demo - showing use of memory forensics in custom sandbox
Investigating Kernel-Mode Rootkits
- Understanding Rootkits
- Understanding Functional call traversal in Windows
- Level of Hooking/Modification on Windows
- Kernel Volatility plugins
- Hands-on lab exercise(scenario based) involves investigating malware infected memory
- Demo - Rootkit Investigation
Memory Forensic Case Studies
- Demo - Hunting an APT malware from Memory
- Laptop with minimum 6GB RAM and 40GB free hard disk space
- Laptop with USB ports, lab samples, and custom Linux VM will be shared via USB sticks
- VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion (even trial versions can be used).
- Windows Operating system (preferably 64-bit Windows 7, even Windows 8 and above versions are fine) installed inside the VMware Workstation/Fusion
*Note: VMware player or VirtualBox is not suitable for this training.
