Episode 58 — Identify Malicious Code, TTPs, and Host Artifacts

Malware analysis on the SSCP exam focuses on recognizing behaviors and artifacts rather than reverse-engineering internals. We define common classes—viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, rootkits, and fileless malware—and the techniques adversaries use to persist and evade detection: scheduled tasks, registry run keys, DLL search-order hijacking, living-off-the-land binaries, and in-memory injection. You’ll learn how endpoint telemetry, application logs, and kernel events reveal execution chains, privilege changes, lateral movement initiations, and exfiltration attempts. The objective is to map tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to observable host signals and then choose evidence-backed responses.

We translate this into concrete investigative moves. Examples include correlating suspicious PowerShell activity with recent user logons, inspecting parent–child process trees for script hosts spawning network tools, and verifying integrity of system files using known-good baselines. We discuss capturing volatile data safely, hashing and quarantining samples, and documenting chain-of-custody so findings are defensible. Troubleshooting advice covers false positives from administrative tools, anti-malware exclusions that hide real infections, and incomplete cleanup that leaves persistence intact. Artifacts that close the loop—hashes, timelines, autorun entries, and validated removal reports—prove eradication. With these patterns, you’ll select exam answers that emphasize behavior recognition, evidence preservation, and methodical remediation over hasty deletion that obscures root cause. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.