The cyber world is changing rapidly nowadays, and many old threats are no longer relevant. There are multiple reasons for this, but mainly, it is due to the fact that the environment of systems that we use is constantly evolving, just like the new methods to achieve malicious goals. In this book, we will place a strong emphasis on modern malware threats, which are on the increase presently. Over the last few years, the malware landscape has evolved dramatically, from basic IRC botnets to Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) and state-sponsored malware that targets activists, steals blueprints, or even attacks nuclear reactors. And cybercrime has evolved to be a multi-million dollar business, from credit/debit card thefts to SWIFT banking hijacking, Point-of-Sale (POS) malware, and ransomware. With all of this, the world is seeing an increased demand for highly skilled malware researchers to cope with this level of threats and to be able to create the next generation of security protection technologies.
Virtually any programming language can be used to write a piece of code that will later be used for malicious purposes, so at first, the book covers universal basic knowledge, applicable to any situation. As Windows is still the most prevalent operating system in the world, it is no surprise that the vast majority of malicious code is written for it, so the next few chapters will cover this platform in detail. Then, since attackers tend to use programming languages that are both popular (so there is a higher probability they already know it) and supported by the target victim's system, the book will help you become familiar with the most common examples of them. Finally, as the targeted systems were expanded relatively recently with the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) malware and new mobile platforms, we will also teach you how to analyze these emerging threats.
The main goal of this book is to give the reader a set of practical recipes that can quickly be applied for analyzing virtually any type of malware they may encounter within the modern world, whether the purpose is to confirm its main functionality or extract relevant Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) for further investigation. This knowledge can be used in multiple ways, such as estimating potential losses, properly applying remediation policies, strengthening the environment, or even for general research or educational purposes.
