Welcome to CyberCode Academy — your audio classroom for Programming and Cybersecurity. 🎧 Each course is divided into a series of short, focused episodes that take you from beginner to advanced level — one lesson at a time. From Python and web development to ethical hacking and digital defense, our content transforms complex concepts into simple, engaging audio learning. Study anywhere, anytime — and level up your skills with CyberCode Academy. 🚀 Learn. Code. Secure.
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Welcome to CyberCode Academy — your audio classroom for Programming and Cybersecurity. 🎧 Each course is divided into a series of short, focused episodes that take you from beginner to advanced level — one lesson at a time. From Python and web development to ethical hacking and digital defense, our content transforms complex concepts into simple, engaging audio learning. Study anywhere, anytime — and level up your skills with CyberCode Academy. 🚀 Learn. Code. Secure.
Course 6 - Network Traffic Analysis for Incident Response | Episode 6: Investigating RATs, Worms, Fileless, and Multi-Stage Malware Variants
CyberCode Academy
10 minutes
6 days ago
Course 6 - Network Traffic Analysis for Incident Response | Episode 6: Investigating RATs, Worms, Fileless, and Multi-Stage Malware Variants
In this lesson, you’ll learn about: Advanced Malware Traffic Analysis — how to detect, decode, and investigate RATs, fileless exploits, worms, and multi-stage infections using real network captures. 1. Remote Access Trojans (RATs) WSH RAT
Uses plaintext beaconing for C2 → very easy to identify.
Key data exfiltrated in HTTP requests:
Unique device ID
Computer name
Username (“admin”)
RAT version (often hidden in the User-Agent field)
NJRAT
Shows extensive data exfiltration:
Windows XP build info
CPU type (Intel Core i7)
Username (“Laura”)
Contains custom data blocks:
Likely a proprietary C2 format
Example: 4-byte value representing payload length (e.g., 16 bytes)
Decodes to an email address (e.g., Reginald/Reggie Cage) → privacy red flag.
Download of a malicious Microsoft Word file.
Stage 2 — Downloader Activity
Traffic to known malware-downloader domains (e.g., Pony botnet infrastructure).
Malware sends detailed victim metadata:
GUID
OS build number
IP address
Hardware info
Stage 3 — Command & Control
Multiple C2 messages observed:
Some Base64-encoded
Many encrypted → indicating later-stage payloads
Strong evidence that:
Word file → downloader (Pony) → secondary malware → possible tertiary stage
5. Key Techniques Demonstrated
Identifying IOCs in network captures
Detecting plaintext, encoded, and encrypted C2 protocols
Carving files and reconstructing injected payloads
Analyzing worm scanning patterns
Tracking infection chains across multiple malicious components
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CyberCode Academy
Welcome to CyberCode Academy — your audio classroom for Programming and Cybersecurity. 🎧 Each course is divided into a series of short, focused episodes that take you from beginner to advanced level — one lesson at a time. From Python and web development to ethical hacking and digital defense, our content transforms complex concepts into simple, engaging audio learning. Study anywhere, anytime — and level up your skills with CyberCode Academy. 🚀 Learn. Code. Secure.
