Types of Malware

When performing malware analysis, you will find that you can often speed up your analysis by making educated guesses about what the malware is trying to do and then confirming those hypotheses. Of course, you’ll be able to make better guesses if you know the kinds of things that malware usually does. To that end, here are the categories that most malware falls into:

Backdoor. Malicious code that installs itself onto a computer to allow the attacker access. Backdoors usually let the attacker connect to the computer with little or no authentication and execute commands on the local system.
Botnet. Similar to a backdoor, in that it allows the attacker access to the system, but all computers infected with the same botnet receive the same instructions from a single command-and-control server.
Downloader. Malicious code that exists only to download other malicious code. Downloaders are commonly installed by attackers when they first gain access to a system. The downloader program will download and install additional malicious code.
Information-stealing malware. Malware that collects information from a victim’s computer and usually sends it to the attacker. Examples include sniffers, password hash grabbers, and keyloggers. This malware is typically used to gain access to online accounts such as email or online banking.
Launcher. Malicious program used to launch other malicious programs. Usually, launchers use nontraditional techniques to launch other malicious programs in order to ensure stealth or greater access to a system.
Rootkit. Malicious code designed to conceal the existence of other code. Rootkits are usually paired with other malware, such as a backdoor, to allow remote access to the attacker and make the code difficult for the victim to detect.
Scareware. Malware designed to frighten an infected user into buying something. It usually has a user interface that makes it look like an antivirus or other security program. It informs users that there is malicious code on their system and that the only way to get rid of it is to buy their “software,” when in reality, the software it’s selling does nothing more than remove the scareware.
Spam-sending malware. Malware that infects a user’s machine and then uses that machine to send spam. This malware generates income for attackers by allowing them to sell spam-sending services.
Worm or virus. Malicious code that can copy itself and infect additional computers.

Malware often spans multiple categories. For example, a program might have a keylogger that collects passwords and a worm component that sends spam. Don’t get too caught up in classifying malware according to its functionality.

Malware can also be classified based on whether the attacker’s objective is mass or targeted. Mass malware, such as scareware, takes the shotgun approach and is designed to affect as many machines as possible. Of the two objectives, it’s the most common, and is usually the less sophisticated and easier to detect and defend against because security software targets it.

Targeted malware, like a one-of-a-kind backdoor, is tailored to a specific organization. Targeted malware is a bigger threat to networks than mass malware, because it is not widespread and your security products probably won’t protect you from it. Without a detailed analysis of targeted malware, it is nearly impossible to protect your network against that malware and to remove infections. Targeted malware is usually very sophisticated, and your analysis will often require the advanced analysis skills covered in this book.