Blog: Category - Reverse Engineering

There are numerous ways of concealing sensitive data and code within malicious files and programs. Fortunately, attackers use one particular XOR-based technique very frequently, because offers sufficient protection and is simple to implement. Here's a look at several tools for deobfuscating XOR-encoded data during static malware analysis.

MASTIFF is an open source framework for automating static malware analysis. This tool, created by Tyler Hudak, determines the type of file that is being analyzed and then applies only the static analysis techniques that are appropriate for that file type. MASTIFF offers a useful way for performing triage on a large set of suspicious files.

This week in Case Leads we have a great new update to REMnux, two new tools for registry analysis and be sure to vote for the Forensic 4cast Awards right after you hop over to the new REM community on Stack Exchange.

If you have an item you'd like to contribute to Digital Forensics Case Leads, please send it tocaseleads@sans.org.

Tools:

• REMnux, the linux distro designed for malware reverse-engineering, has been updated to version 4 and it's now distributed as a VMware virtual appliance, a bootable ISO and as an OVA virtual appliance. An overview of the appliance installation was covered on this blog a couple of days ago, and SANS is hosting a webcast to go over what's new in

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REMnux is a lightweight Linux distribution for assisting malware analysts with reverse-engineering malicious software. Here is how to install the REMnux virtual appliance using common virtualization tools, such as VMware and VirtualBox, thanks to the Open Virtualization Format (OVF/OVA).

SANS Windows Memory Forensics Training (FOR526) — Knocks it out of the park!

Jesse Kornblum and Alissa Torres just finished up their first official course dedicated to Windows Memory Forensics at the SANS Institute at SANS2013 in Orlando. The course teaches key techniques used by actual practioners in the field who use it in their jobs daily -- using memory forensics to find evil and doing a great job at it. The key to this course is that like all SANS training it is not tool dependent but teaches the fundamentals that each analyst should know when responding to incidents with these skills.

SANS is offering a 10%

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