Overview of common cryptographic techniques in malware
In the past two chapters, we considered the simplest hashing and encryption algorithms from cryptography and showed cases of how they can be used in practice for malware development.
In this chapter, I want to expand on what other scenarios cryptography may be needed in malware development:
- Malware developers might use encryption to protect sensitive configuration data, communication channels, or stolen information.
- Malware often communicates with a command and control server. Cryptography can be used to secure this communication and make it harder to detect.
- Malware authors may encrypt or obfuscate their code to evade static analysis and signature-based detection.
- Malware might encrypt or protect its resources (such as payloads, modules, or configuration files) to hinder reverse engineering.
Although this book is primarily intended for ethical hackers and offensive security professionals, this chapter...
