Malware Features

Malware Features

Here’s a breakdown of these malware features and techniques commonly used to enhance their effectiveness and persistence.

1. Remote Code Execution (RCE)

• Malware often employs RCE methods like buffer overflow, SQL injection, or exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system remotely.

2. Domain-Flux

• Domain-flux dynamically generates domain names for command and control (C2) servers. This makes it harder for defenders to block or take down the malware’s infrastructure, as it continually shifts domain names.

3. Fast-Flux

• A technique where IP addresses associated with malicious domains are frequently changed, sometimes within seconds, to evade detection and make takedown efforts more difficult.

4. Covert Command and Control (C2) Channels

• Malware often uses hidden or encrypted channels for C2 communication, including DNS tunneling, HTTP, HTTPS, or even social media channels to avoid detection.

5. Evasion Techniques

• Malware includes anti-analysis techniques to evade detection and analysis, like anti-sandbox methods, virtual machine detection, and timing delays to bypass automated analysis tools.

6. Process Hollowing

• A technique where malware injects malicious code into a legitimate process, effectively “hollowing” it out. This enables malware to run within a trusted process, making detection by antivirus software more challenging.

7. Mutexes

• Mutexes are used to ensure only one instance of the malware runs at a time on a system. Mutexes can also be used as markers to avoid re-infecting a compromised host.

8. Multi-vector and Polymorphic Attacks

• Multi-vector attacks leverage various attack types (e.g., phishing, exploit kits) to increase infection chances. Polymorphic malware continually changes its code or appearance to avoid signature-based detection.

9. RAT (Remote Access Trojan) Features

• RATs allow attackers to gain persistent access and control over infected systems. Typical features include keylogging, screen capturing, webcam access, file exfiltration, and remote shell access.

Summary

These techniques and features demonstrate the sophisticated tactics malware can use to evade detection, establish persistence, and maximize the impact of an infection. They require multifaceted defense mechanisms to counteract.