A well-designed and implemented encryption solution can make malware C2 communications impossible to crack, but a mistake here can make the malware’s use of encryption completely worthless. HIDER 2 VS ENCRYPTO CODEMost standardized encryption algorithms (like AES and RSA) are published with code samples freely available. Malware can also use a custom encryption solution to protect its communications. One TLS session looks a lot like the other, so using TLS and a common port (like 443) allows malware C2 to blend into the crowd. Many legitimate communications use Transport Level Security (TLS) to protect their communications (it’s the protocol that secures HTTPS). Malware C2 can either be designed to use the encryption already available on the Internet or include their own. If these defenses can recognize the malware’s C2 communications, they can block them and take action to remove the malware. Many organizations deploy network-based cybersecurity defenses that examine all traffic going to and from computers within the network. As a result, the operator can provide a hacking experience customized to the compromised machine and the data stored on it.Ĭommand and control (C2) communications are the most common place for malware to use encryption. This allows the malware to receive additional commands from the operator and send data back to the hacker. Once malware manages to establish itself on a target machine, it often opens up a communications channel to servers under the attacker’s control. Most malware is not designed to operate completely independent of its owner. By encrypting the malware as it moves to the machine (and its later communications), malware operators decrease the probability that useful data will be captured in these alerts or log files. The alerts provided by these systems and computer system logs are regularly monitored and reviewed by security teams as part of their detection strategy. This behavior is extremely important when malware is attempting to evade the protections provided by Intrusion Detection Systems and similar cybersecurity solutions. HIDER 2 VS ENCRYPTO SOFTWAREBy encrypting the majority of the sample and leaving just enough code unencrypted to decrypt and run the code, malware authors can make their software that much harder to detect. Most antiviruses work based off of signature matching, which attempts to identify certain bits of code or text in the malware sample. Malware is delivered in a variety of different ways, everything from phishing emails to infected USB drives to network worms that spread themselves by exploiting vulnerabilities in network-facing services.Įncryption plays a key role in the success of many malware variants trying to perform this initial step of delivery and execution. This creates a high bar for malware authors, who not only need to get their malware into a target network but also need to be able to execute it on the target systems once it’s there. While these solutions aren’t always effective, they work fairly effectively against many known threats. As a result, individuals and organizations deploy antivirus, firewalls, and other cyber defense solutions in order to minimize the probability that they’ll be infected. Most people don’t want malware on their computers – obviously. Common uses of malware include aiding in delivery and execution of the malicious code, concealing the command and control communications channels between the malware and its operator, and helping to protect the malware’s ability to achieve its operational objectives. In order to protect their operations, malware authors often incorporate encryption into several stages of the malware infection lifecycle. As a result, people actively try to search for and destroy any malware on their systems. Malware is designed for a variety of purposes, but all of these purposes are not in the best interests of the malware’s target. The main purpose of cryptography is to keep secrets, and malware authors have a lot of secrets to keep. However, not all uses of cryptography are benign, This is very useful for legitimate purposes, like protecting sensitive data as it is stored and moves across the Internet. Without knowledge of the secret key, it’s impossible to read the encrypted data. The modern ciphers that we use every day are designed to be impossible to break with current technology. With a greater understanding of mathematics and the principles of information security, cryptographers have been able to design ciphers that are both functional and secure. Since then, cryptography has improved dramatically. Early forms included Caesar’s Box, a simple cipher used by Julius Caesar to securely communicate with his generals while in the field. How Malware Uses Encryption to Evade Cyber DefenseĮncryption has been around for a very long time.
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