Common interview questions for a malware analyst career
The following questions include a focus on the analysis of Portable Executable (PE) headers and questions around assembly language. From my own experience in interviews, many questions I received for malware analyst positions were related to PE headers.
What is a PE file?
PE is a file format for executables, object code, and DLLs used in 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems. PE files can be loaded and executed across different versions of Windows. PE files contain essential information for the Windows operating system loader, such as headers, sections, and metadata that describe the file’s structure, code, data, and resources. These files support various executable types, including EXE and DLL, and are integral to the Windows operating system’s execution process. Malware analysts frequently examine PE files to understand how malicious software operates and to identify potential vulnerabilities...
