reverse-engineering-malware-with-ghidra

name	reverse-engineering-malware-with-ghidra
description	Reverse engineers malware binaries using NSA's Ghidra disassembler and decompiler to study internal logic, cryptographic routines, C2 protocols, and evasion techniques at the assembly and pseudo-C level. Use when static or dynamic analysis flags suspicious functionality needing deeper code review, such as reversing C2 protocols, encryption algorithms, custom obfuscation, or a sample's exploit mechanism.
domain	cybersecurity
subdomain	malware-analysis
tags	["malware","reverse-engineering","Ghidra","disassembly","decompilation"]
version	1.0.0
author	mahipal
license	Apache-2.0
nist_csf	["DE.AE-02","RS.AN-03","ID.RA-01","DE.CM-01"]
mitre_attack	["T1027","T1055","T1140","T1497","T1070"]

Reverse Engineering Malware with Ghidra

When to Use

• Static and dynamic analysis have identified suspicious functionality that requires deeper code-level understanding
• You need to reverse engineer C2 communication protocols, encryption algorithms, or custom obfuscation
• Understanding the exact exploit mechanism or vulnerability targeted by a malware sample
• Extracting hardcoded configuration data (C2 addresses, encryption keys, campaign IDs) embedded in compiled code
• Developing precise YARA rules or detection signatures based on unique code patterns

Do not use for initial triage of unknown samples; perform static analysis with PEStudio and behavioral analysis with Cuckoo first.

Prerequisites

• Ghidra 11.x installed (download from https://ghidra-sre.org/) with JDK 17+
• Analysis VM isolated from production network (Windows or Linux host)
• Familiarity with x86/x64 assembly language and Windows API conventions
• PDB symbol files for Windows system DLLs to improve decompilation accuracy
• Ghidra scripts repository (ghidra_scripts) for automated analysis tasks
• Secondary reference: IDA Free or Binary Ninja for cross-validation of analysis results

Workflow

Step 1: Create Project and Import Binary

Set up a Ghidra project and import the malware sample:

1. Launch Ghidra: ghidraRun (Linux) or ghidraRun.bat (Windows)
2. File -> New Project -> Non-Shared Project -> Select directory
3. File -> Import File -> Select malware binary
4. Ghidra auto-detects format (PE, ELF, Mach-O) and architecture
5. Accept default import options (or specify base address if known)
6. Double-click imported file to open in CodeBrowser
7. When prompted, run Auto Analysis with default analyzers enabled

Headless analysis for automation:

# Run Ghidra headless analysis with decompiler
/opt/ghidra/support/analyzeHeadless /tmp/ghidra_project MalwareProject \
  -import suspect.exe \
  -postScript ExportDecompilation.py \
  -scriptPath /opt/ghidra/scripts/ \
  -deleteProject

Step 2: Identify Key Functions and Entry Points

Navigate the binary to locate critical code sections:

Navigation Strategy:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
1. Start at entry point (OEP) - follow execution from _start/WinMain
2. Check Symbol Tree for imported functions (Window -> Symbol Tree)
3. Search for cross-references to suspicious APIs:
   - VirtualAlloc/VirtualAllocEx (memory allocation for injection)
   - CreateRemoteThread (remote thread injection)
   - CryptEncrypt/CryptDecrypt (encryption operations)
   - InternetOpen/HttpSendRequest (C2 communication)
   - RegSetValueEx (persistence via registry)
4. Use Search -> For Strings to find embedded URLs, IPs, and paths
5. Check the Functions window sorted by size (large functions often contain core logic)