Unpacking malware functionality and behavior
This chapter provides an overview of the various malware behaviors, some of which you may already be familiar with. My objective is to provide a summary of common behaviors and to equip you with a well-rounded knowledge base that will enable you to develop a variety of malicious applications. Because new malware is constantly being created with seemingly limitless capabilities, I cannot possibly cover every type of malware, but I can give you a decent idea of what to look for.
Types of malware
Let’s start by discussing some of the most common types of malware. There are many different categories, but we can start by talking about viruses, worms, and trojans. Viruses are pieces of code that attach themselves to other programs and replicate themselves, often causing damage in the process. Worms are similar to viruses, but they are self-replicating and can spread across networks without human intervention. Trojans are pieces of...
