Quick malware analysis with Linux tools
Peek Inside
© Lead Image © Marina Andrienko, 123RF.com
Forensic experts can't just delete a sketchy file – sometimes the challenge is to see what is in it without triggering an attack. Learn about some of the tools investigators use for analyzing suspicious files.
The number of online threats increases every year. Phishing attacks, for example, are growing more sophisticated and are often prepared in such a way that it is very difficult to distinguish a malicious message from a legitimate one. Analysts are often challenged with determining whether a file, such as a file sent to an email address, is malicious or not. If the file does turn out to be malicious, the next questions are what are the contents and what task is it supposed to perform?
When it comes to analyzing potentially malicious files, distributions that are adapted to malware analysis come in handy. The REMnux forensic toolkit and SIFT Workstation, for instance, are examples of toolkits designed for digital forensics tasks.
What Is It?
I'll show you an example of how an investigator might analyze a potential malware file. The Qbot malware is often used to attack user mailboxes. Qbot, which is also known as Qakbot, is a banking Trojan that has been around for over a decade. The first version was found in 2007. Since then, it has been constantly maintained and developed.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.
-
Introducing matrixOS, an Immutable Gentoo-Based Linux Distro
It was only a matter of time before a developer decided one of the most challenging Linux distributions needed to be immutable.
-
Chaos Comes to KDE in KaOS
KaOS devs are making a major change to the distribution, and it all comes down to one system.
-
New Linux Botnet Discovered
The SSHStalker botnet uses IRC C2 to control systems via legacy Linux kernel exploits.
-
The Next Linux Kernel Turns 7.0
Linus Torvalds has announced that after Linux kernel 6.19, we'll finally reach the 7.0 iteration stage.
-
Linux From Scratch Drops SysVinit Support
LFS will no longer support SysVinit.
-
LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.
-
Linux Kernel Project Releases Project Continuity Document
What happens to Linux when there's no Linus? It's a question many of us have asked over the years, and it seems it's also on the minds of the Linux kernel project.