Malware Forensics: Legacy Solutions, Recent Advances, and Future Challenges

Abstract

AbstractMalware applications are continuing to grow across all computing and mobile platforms. Since the last decade, every day, half a million malware applications emerge as a real threat and hamper both mobile and computer ecosystems. With the rapid evolution and expansion of the smartphone market, malware detection and prevention for handheld devices need a paramount attention and effective solutions. Enrichment and diversification of smart applications, tools, sensors, and various services with underlying sensitive information always allure malware writers to exploit vulnerabilities. As Android is open-source and the smartphone’s market leader, it is therefore more vulnerable and has contributed to the boom of a variety of android malware applications. Malware is the payload created by an attacker to compromise the system’s integrity, availability, and confidentiality. Mostly, the interest is to steal confidential information, financial data, or crippling critical infrastructure and servers. Malware leads sometimes to severe damages and huge financial losses to businesses, institutions, and individuals. Malware writers keep coining novice methods and sophisticated routes for creating malware for mobile devices, computers, and servers. Therefore, it is very essential to devise a system that can detect and prevent legacy and new malware with as high accuracy as possible under different settings. In this chapter, we will cover the background of malware across different platforms, the existing solutions and techniques for malware analysis, prevention, and detection, as well as the recent advances in malware research domain employing cutting edge technologies.KeywordsMalwareMobile applicationsDetection systemsMachine learning