/awesome-malware-analysis

A curated list of awesome malware analysis tools and resources

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Awesome Malware Analysis

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A curated list of awesome malware analysis tools and resources. Inspired by awesome-python and awesome-php.

Malware Collection

Anonymizers

Web traffic anonymizers for analysts.

  • Anonymouse.org - A free, web based anonymizer.
  • OpenVPN - VPN software and hosting solutions.
  • Privoxy - An open source proxy server with some privacy features.
  • Tor - The Onion Router, for browsing the web without leaving traces of the client IP.

Honeypots

Trap and collect your own samples.

  • Conpot - ICS/SCADA honeypot.
  • Cowrie - SSH honeypot, based on Kippo. Dionaea - Honeypot designed to trap malware.
  • Glastopf - Web application honeypot.
  • Honeyd - Create a virtual honeynet.
  • HoneyDrive - Honeypot bundle Linux distro.
  • Mnemosyne - A normalizer for honeypot data; supports Dionaea.
  • Thug - Low interaction honeyclient, for investigating malicious websites.

Malware Corpora

Malware samples collected for analysis.

  • Clean MX - Realtime database of malware and malicious domains.
  • Contagio - A collection of recent malware samples and analyses.
  • Exploit Database - Exploit and shellcode samples.
  • Malshare - Large repository of malware actively scrapped from malicious sites. samples directly from a number of online sources.
  • MalwareDB - Malware samples repository.
  • Open Malware Project - Sample information and downloads. Formerly Offensive Computing.
  • Ragpicker - Plugin based malware crawler with pre-analysis and reporting functionalities
  • theZoo - Live malware samples for analysts.
  • Tracker h3x - Agregator for malware corpus tracker and malicious download sites.
  • ViruSign - Malware database that detected by many anti malware programs except ClamAV.
  • VirusShare - Malware repository, registration required.
  • VX Vault - Active collection of malware samples.
  • Zeltser's Sources - A list of malware sample sources put together by Lenny Zeltser.
  • Zeus Source Code - Source for the Zeus trojan leaked in 2011.

Open Source Threat Intelligence

Tools

Harvest and analyze IOCs.

  • AbuseHelper - An open-source framework for receiving and redistributing abuse feeds and threat intel.
  • AlienVault Open Threat Exchange - Share and collaborate in developing Threat Intelligence.
  • Combine - Tool to gather Threat Intelligence indicators from publicly available sources.
  • Fileintel - Pull intelligence per file hash.
  • Hostintel - Pull intelligence per host.
  • IntelMQ - A tool for CERTs for processing incident data using a message queue.
  • IOC Editor - A free editor for XML IOC files.
  • ioc_writer - Python library for working with OpenIOC objects, from Mandiant.
  • Massive Octo Spice - Previously known as CIF (Collective Intelligence Framework). Aggregates IOCs from various lists. Curated by the CSIRT Gadgets Foundation.
  • MISP - Malware Information Sharing Platform curated by The MISP Project.
  • PassiveTotal - Research, connect, tag and share IPs and domains.
  • PyIOCe - A Python OpenIOC editor.
  • threataggregator - Aggregates security threats from a number of sources, including some of those listed below in other resources.
  • ThreatCrowd - A search engine for threats, with graphical visualization.
  • ThreatTracker - A Python script to monitor and generate alerts based on IOCs indexed by a set of Google Custom Search Engines.
  • TIQ-test - Data visualization and statistical analysis of Threat Intelligence feeds.

Other Resources

Threat intelligence and IOC resources.

Detection and Classification

Antivirus and other malware identification tools

  • AnalyzePE - Wrapper for a variety of tools for reporting on Windows PE files.
  • chkrootkit - Local Linux rootkit detection.
  • ClamAV - Open source antivirus engine.
  • Detect-It-Easy - A program for determining types of files.
  • ExifTool - Read, write and edit file metadata.
  • File Scanning Framework - Modular, recursive file scanning solution.
  • hashdeep - Compute digest hashes with a variety of algorithms.
  • Loki - Host based scanner for IOCs.
  • Malfunction - Catalog and compare malware at a function level.
  • MASTIFF - Static analysis framework.
  • MultiScanner - Modular file scanning/analysis framework
  • nsrllookup - A tool for looking up hashes in NIST's National Software Reference Library database.
  • packerid - A cross-platform Python alternative to PEiD.
  • PEV - A multiplatform toolkit to work with PE files, providing feature-rich tools for proper analysis of suspicious binaries.
  • Rootkit Hunter - Detect Linux rootkits.
  • ssdeep - Compute fuzzy hashes.
  • totalhash.py - Python script for easy searching of the TotalHash.cymru.com database.
  • TrID - File identifier.
  • YARA - Pattern matching tool for analysts.
  • Yara rules generator - Generate yara rules based on a set of malware samples. Also contains a good strings DB to avoid false positives.

Online Scanners and Sandboxes

Web-based multi-AV scanners, and malware sandboxes for automated analysis.

  • APK Analyzer - Free dynamic analysis of APKs.
  • AndroTotal - Free online analysis of APKs against multiple mobile antivirus apps.
  • AVCaesar - Malware.lu online scanner and malware repository.
  • Cryptam - Analyze suspicious office documents.
  • Cuckoo Sandbox - Open source, self hosted sandbox and automated analysis system.
  • cuckoo-modified - Modified version of Cuckoo Sandbox released under the GPL. Not merged upstream due to legal concerns by the author.
  • cuckoo-modified-api - A Python API used to control a cuckoo-modified sandbox.
  • DeepViz - Multi-format file analyzer with machine-learning classification.
  • detux - A sandbox developed to do traffic analysis of Linux malwares and capturing IOCs.
  • Document Analyzer - Free dynamic analysis of DOC and PDF files.
  • DRAKVUF - Dynamic malware analysis system.
  • File Analyzer - Free dynamic analysis of PE files.
  • firmware.re - Unpacks, scans and analyzes almost any firmware package.
  • Hybrid Analysis - Online malware analysis tool, powered by VxSandbox.
  • IRMA - An asynchronous and customizable analysis platform for suspicious files.
  • Joe Sandbox - Deep malware analysis with Joe Sandbox.
  • Jotti - Free online multi-AV scanner.
  • Limon - Sandbox for Analyzing Linux Malwares
  • Malheur - Automatic sandboxed analysis of malware behavior.
  • malsub - A Python RESTful API framework for online malware and URL analysis services.
  • Malware config - Extract, decode and display online the configuration settings from common malwares.
  • Malwr - Free analysis with an online Cuckoo Sandbox instance.
  • MASTIFF Online - Online static analysis of malware.
  • Metadefender.com - Scan a file, hash or IP address for malware (free)
  • NetworkTotal - A service that analyzes pcap files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware using Suricata configured with EmergingThreats Pro.
  • Noriben - Uses Sysinternals Procmon to collect information about malware in a sandboxed environment.
  • PDF Examiner - Analyse suspicious PDF files.
  • ProcDot - A graphical malware analysis tool kit.
  • Recomposer - A helper script for safely uploading binaries to sandbox sites.
  • Sand droid - Automatic and complete Android application analysis system.
  • SEE - Sandboxed Execution Environment (SEE) is a framework for building test automation in secured Environments.
  • URL Analyzer - Free dynamic analysis of URL files.
  • VirusTotal - Free online analysis of malware samples and URLs
  • Visualize_Logs - Open source visualization library and command line tools for logs. (Cuckoo, Procmon, more to come...)
  • Zeltser's List - Free automated sandboxes and services, compiled by Lenny Zeltser.

Domain Analysis

Inspect domains and IP addresses.

  • boomerang - A tool designed for consistent and safe capture of off network web resources.
  • Desenmascara.me - One click tool to retrieve as much metadata as possible for a website and to assess its good standing.
  • Dig - Free online dig and other network tools.
  • dnstwist - Domain name permutation engine for detecting typo squatting, phishing and corporate espionage.
  • IPinfo - Gather information about an IP or domain by searching online resources.
  • Machinae - OSINT tool for gathering information about URLs, IPs, or hashes. Similar to Automator.
  • mailchecker - Cross-language temporary email detection library.
  • MaltegoVT - Maltego transform for the VirusTotal API. Allows domain/IP research, and searching for file hashes and scan reports.
  • Multi rbl - Multiple DNS blacklist and forward confirmed reverse DNS lookup over more than 300 RBLs.
  • SenderBase - Search for IP, domain or network owner.
  • SpamCop - IP based spam block list.
  • SpamHaus - Block list based on domains and IPs.
  • Sucuri SiteCheck - Free Website Malware and Security Scanner.
  • TekDefense Automater - OSINT tool for gathering information about URLs, IPs, or hashes.
  • URLQuery - Free URL Scanner.
  • Whois - DomainTools free online whois search.
  • Zeltser's List - Free online tools for researching malicious websites, compiled by Lenny Zeltser.
  • ZScalar Zulu - Zulu URL Risk Analyzer.

Browser Malware

Analyze malicious URLs. See also the domain analysis and documents and shellcode sections.

  • Firebug - Firefox extension for web development.
  • Java Decompiler - Decompile and inspect Java apps.
  • Java IDX Parser - Parses Java IDX cache files.
  • JSDetox - JavaScript malware analysis tool.
  • jsunpack-n - A javascript unpacker that emulates browser functionality.
  • Krakatau - Java decompiler, assembler, and disassembler.
  • Malzilla - Analyze malicious web pages.
  • RABCDAsm - A "Robust ActionScript Bytecode Disassembler."
  • swftools - Tools for working with Adobe Flash files.
  • xxxswf - A Python script for analyzing Flash files.

Documents and Shellcode

Analyze malicious JS and shellcode from PDFs and Office documents. See also the browser malware section.

  • AnalyzePDF - A tool for analyzing PDFs and attempting to determine whether they are malicious.
  • box-js - A tool for studying JavaScript malware, featuring JScript/WScript support and ActiveX emulation.
  • diStorm - Disassembler for analyzing malicious shellcode.
  • JS Beautifier - JavaScript unpacking and deobfuscation.
  • JS Deobfuscator - Deobfuscate simple Javascript that use eval or document.write to conceal its code.
  • libemu - Library and tools for x86 shellcode emulation.
  • malpdfobj - Deconstruct malicious PDFs into a JSON representation.
  • OfficeMalScanner - Scan for malicious traces in MS Office documents.
  • olevba - A script for parsing OLE and OpenXML documents and extracting useful information.
  • Origami PDF - A tool for analyzing malicious PDFs, and more.
  • PDF Tools - pdfid, pdf-parser, and more from Didier Stevens.
  • PDF X-Ray Lite - A PDF analysis tool, the backend-free version of PDF X-RAY.
  • peepdf - Python tool for exploring possibly malicious PDFs.
  • QuickSand - QuickSand is a compact C framework to analyze suspected malware documents to identify exploits in streams of different encodings and to locate and extract embedded executables.
  • Spidermonkey - Mozilla's JavaScript engine, for debugging malicious JS.

File Carving

For extracting files from inside disk and memory images.

  • bulk_extractor - Fast file carving tool.
  • EVTXtract - Carve Windows Event Log files from raw binary data.
  • Foremost - File carving tool designed by the US Air Force.
  • Hachoir - A collection of Python libraries for dealing with binary files.
  • Scalpel - Another data carving tool.

Deobfuscation

Reverse XOR and other code obfuscation methods.

  • Balbuzard - A malware analysis tool for reversing obfuscation (XOR, ROL, etc) and more.
  • de4dot - .NET deobfuscator and unpacker.
  • ex_pe_xor & iheartxor - Two tools from Alexander Hanel for working with single-byte XOR encoded files.
  • FLOSS - The FireEye Labs Obfuscated String Solver uses advanced static analysis techniques to automatically deobfuscate strings from malware binaries.
  • NoMoreXOR - Guess a 256 byte XOR key using frequency analysis.
  • PackerAttacker - A generic hidden code extractor for Windows malware.
  • unpacker - Automated malware unpacker for Windows malware based on WinAppDbg.
  • unxor - Guess XOR keys using known-plaintext attacks.
  • VirtualDeobfuscator - Reverse engineering tool for virtualization wrappers.
  • XORBruteForcer - A Python script for brute forcing single-byte XOR keys.
  • XORSearch & XORStrings - A couple programs from Didier Stevens for finding XORed data.
  • xortool - Guess XOR key length, as well as the key itself.

Debugging and Reverse Engineering

Disassemblers, debuggers, and other static and dynamic analysis tools.

  • angr - Platform-agnostic binary analysis framework developed at UCSB's Seclab.
  • bamfdetect - Identifies and extracts information from bots and other malware.
  • BAP - Multiplatform and open source (MIT) binary analysis framework developed at CMU's Cylab.
  • BARF - Multiplatform, open source Binary Analysis and Reverse engineering Framework.
  • binnavi - Binary analysis IDE for reverse engineering based on graph visualization.
  • Binary ninja - A reversing engineering platform that is an alternative to IDA.
  • Binwalk - Firmware analysis tool.
  • Bokken - GUI for Pyew and Radare. (mirror)
  • Capstone - Disassembly framework for binary analysis and reversing, with support for many architectures and bindings in several languages.
  • codebro - Web based code browser using clang to provide basic code analysis.
  • dnSpy - .NET assembly editor, decompiler and debugger.
  • Evan's Debugger (EDB) - A modular debugger with a Qt GUI.
  • Fibratus - Tool for exploration and tracing of the Windows kernel.
  • FPort - Reports open TCP/IP and UDP ports in a live system and maps them to the owning application.
  • GDB - The GNU debugger.
  • GEF - GDB Enhanced Features, for exploiters and reverse engineers.
  • hackers-grep - A utility to search for strings in PE executables including imports, exports, and debug symbols.
  • IDA Pro - Windows disassembler and debugger, with a free evaluation version.
  • Immunity Debugger - Debugger for malware analysis and more, with a Python API.
  • Kaitai Struct - DSL for file formats / network protocols / data structures reverse engineering and dissection, with code generation for C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby.
  • LIEF - LIEF provides a cross-platform library to parse, modify and abstract ELF, PE and MachO formats.
  • ltrace - Dynamic analysis for Linux executables.
  • objdump - Part of GNU binutils, for static analysis of Linux binaries.
  • OllyDbg - An assembly-level debugger for Windows executables.
  • PANDA - Platform for Architecture-Neutral Dynamic Analysis
  • PEDA - Python Exploit Development Assistance for GDB, an enhanced display with added commands.
  • pestudio - Perform static analysis of Windows executables.
  • plasma - Interactive disassembler for x86/ARM/MIPS.
  • PPEE (puppy) - A Professional PE file Explorer for reversers, malware researchers and those who want to statically inspect PE files in more detail.
  • Process Explorer - Advanced task manager for Windows.
  • [Process Hacker] (http://processhacker.sourceforge.net/) - Tool that monitors system resources
  • Process Monitor - Advanced monitoring tool for Windows programs.
  • PSTools - Windows command-line tools that help manage and investigate live systems.
  • Pyew - Python tool for malware analysis.
  • Radare2 - Reverse engineering framework, with debugger support.
  • RegShot - Registry compare utility that compares snapshots.
  • RetDec - Retargetable machine-code decompiler with an online decompilation service and API that you can use in your tools.
  • ROPMEMU - A framework to analyze, dissect and decompile complex code-reuse attacks.
  • SMRT - Sublime Malware Research Tool, a plugin for Sublime 3 to aid with malware analyis.
  • strace - Dynamic analysis for Linux executables.
  • Triton - A dynamic binary analysis (DBA) framework.
  • Udis86 - Disassembler library and tool for x86 and x86_64.
  • Vivisect - Python tool for malware analysis.
  • X64dbg - An open-source x64/x32 debugger for windows.

Network

Analyze network interactions.

  • Bro - Protocol analyzer that operates at incredible scale; both file and network protocols.
  • BroYara - Use Yara rules from Bro.
  • CapTipper - Malicious HTTP traffic explorer.
  • chopshop - Protocol analysis and decoding framework.
  • CloudShark - Web-based tool for packet analysis and malware traffic detection.
  • Fiddler - Intercepting web proxy designed for "web debugging."
  • Hale - Botnet C&C monitor.
  • Haka - An open source security oriented language for describing protocols and applying security policies on (live) captured traffic.
  • INetSim - Network service emulation, useful when building a malware lab.
  • Laika BOSS - Laika BOSS is a file-centric malware analysis and intrusion detection system.
  • Malcom - Malware Communications Analyzer.
  • Maltrail - A malicious traffic detection system, utilizing publicly available (black)lists containing malicious and/or generally suspicious trails and featuring an reporting and analysis interface.
  • mitmproxy - Intercept network traffic on the fly.
  • Moloch - IPv4 traffic capturing, indexing and database system.
  • NetworkMiner - Network forensic analysis tool, with a free version.
  • ngrep - Search through network traffic like grep.
  • PcapViz - Network topology and traffic visualizer.
  • Python ICAP Yara - An ICAP Server with yara scanner for URL or content.
  • Squidmagic - squidmagic is a tool designed to analyze a web-based network traffic to detect central command and control (C&C) servers and malicious sites, using Squid proxy server and Spamhaus.
  • Tcpdump - Collect network traffic.
  • tcpick - Trach and reassemble TCP streams from network traffic.
  • tcpxtract - Extract files from network traffic.
  • Wireshark - The network traffic analysis tool.

Memory Forensics

Tools for dissecting malware in memory images or running systems.

  • BlackLight - Windows/MacOS forensics client supporting hiberfil, pagefile, raw memory analysis
  • DAMM - Differential Analysis of Malware in Memory, built on Volatility
  • evolve - Web interface for the Volatility Memory Forensics Framework.
  • FindAES - Find AES encryption keys in memory.
  • Muninn - A script to automate portions of analysis using Volatility, and create a readable report.
  • Rekall - Memory analysis framework, forked from Volatility in 2013.
  • TotalRecall - Script based on Volatility for automating various malware analysis tasks.
  • VolDiff - Run Volatility on memory images before and after malware execution, and report changes.
  • Volatility - Advanced memory forensics framework.
  • VolUtility - Web Interface for Volatility Memory Analysis framework.
  • WDBGARK - WinDBG Anti-RootKit Extension.
  • WinDbg - Live memory inspection and kernel debugging for Windows systems.

Windows Artifacts

  • AChoir - A live incident response script for gathering Windows artifacts.
  • python-evt - Python library for parsing Windows Event Logs.
  • python-registry - Python library for parsing registry files.
  • RegRipper (GitHub) - Plugin-based registry analysis tool.

Storage and Workflow

  • Aleph - Open Source Malware Analysis Pipeline System.
  • CRITs - Collaborative Research Into Threats, a malware and threat repository.
  • FAME - FAME is a malware analysis framework. It features a pipeline that can be extended with custom modules that can be chained and interact with each other to perform end-to-end analysis.
  • Malwarehouse - Store, tag, and search malware.
  • Polichombr - A malware analysis platform designed to help analysts to reverse malwares collaboratively.
  • stoQ - Distributed content analysis framework with extensive plugin support, from input to output, and everything in between.
  • Viper - A binary management and analysis framework for analysts and researchers.

Miscellaneous

  • al-khaser - A PoC malware with good intentions that aimes to stress anti-malware systems.
  • Binarly - Search engine for bytes in a large corpus of malware.
  • DC3-MWCP - The Defense Cyber Crime Center's Malware Configuration Parser framework.
  • MalSploitBase - A database containing exploits used by malware.
  • Malware Museum - Collection of malware programs that were distributed in the 1980s and 1990s.
  • Pafish - Paranoid Fish, a demonstration tool that employs several techniques to detect sandboxes and analysis environments in the same way as malware families do.
  • REMnux - Linux distribution and docker images for malware reverse engineering and analysis.
  • Santoku Linux - Linux distribution for mobile forensics, malware analysis, and security.

Resources

Books

Essential malware analysis reading material.

Twitter

Some relevant Twitter accounts.

Other

Related Awesome Lists

Contributing

Pull requests and issues with suggestions are welcome! Please read the CONTRIBUTING guidelines before submitting a PR.

Thanks

This list was made possible by:

  • Lenny Zeltser and other contributors for developing REMnux, where I found many of the tools in this list;
  • Michail Hale Ligh, Steven Adair, Blake Hartstein, and Mather Richard for writing the Malware Analyst's Cookbook, which was a big inspiration for creating the list;
  • And everyone else who has sent pull requests or suggested links to add here!

Thanks!