25 Ethical • Defensive • Simulation-Only Labs
Why malware analysis must always be legal, ethical, and controlled.
Definition, goals, and impact of malicious software.
Viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, ransomware, rootkits.
Initial access → execution → persistence → command & control.
Email, web downloads, exploits, USB, supply chain attacks.
Malware disguised as legitimate software.
Self-propagating malware without user interaction.
Credential theft, keylogging, and surveillance malware.
Annoyance software vs malicious intent.
Encryption, extortion, and recovery strategies.
Deep system compromise and stealth techniques.
Living off the land attacks using legitimate tools.
Registry keys, services, scheduled tasks.
How malware communicates with attackers.
How stolen data leaves a network.
Files, hashes, IPs, domains, behaviors.
Traditional antivirus scanning.
EDR and anomaly detection.
Safely observing malware execution.
Detecting malware that never touches disk.
Detect → Contain → Eradicate → Recover.
Stopping malware spread quickly.
System cleaning, reimaging, backups.
Patching, least privilege, application control.
Design a full enterprise malware prevention and response plan.
CTF{MALWARE_DEFENSE_COMPLETE}