Malware sandboxes are indispensable for threat analysis, but many of their capabilities are often overlooked. On a closer look, they offer a surprising array of benefits that extend beyond typical scenarios. Here are some of them.
1. Empowering Junior Staff with AI
Malware sandboxes equipped with advanced AI capabilities can significantly enhance the training and productivity of junior security staff. The ANY.RUN sandbox, for instance, integrates ChatGPT for all tasks launched in the public mode to provide AI-generated descriptions of different events and objects detected by the service.
By providing junior staff with access to these enhanced AI-powered analysis tools, malware sandboxes can accelerate their learning curve, empower them to make informed decisions, and contribute more effectively to the organization’s cybersecurity efforts.
Learn more about ChatGPT-assisted malware analysis reports.
Try the ANY.RUN sandbox for 14 days at no cost and access:
Windows 7/8/10/11 VMs
Private mode
Shared space for teams
Configurable analysis environment2. Exposing Quishing Attacks
Quishing, a form of phishing that utilizes QR codes to distribute malicious payloads, has emerged as a prevalent cybersecurity threat in 2023. Many security solutions have yet to catch up on this tactic, leaving clients’ systems susceptible to infection.
Proactively analyzing files and links containing hijacked QR codes to a malware sandbox like ANY.RUN can prevent such stealthy attacks from compromising your infrastructure.
A sandbox can automatically extract the QR code content and present you with the embedded URL for further analysis in its safe environment. This automated process eliminates the need for manual intervention and speeds up the detection of malicious QR codes.
Learn more about quishing attacks and how to expose them with a sandbox.
3. Unmasking Script-Based Threats
An example of a compiled VBE script’s execution, including its requested functions
Script-based attacks are another type of threat that may go unnoticed, especially for users who have limited knowledge of existing hacking techniques. Attackers regularly exploit scripting languages like JScript, VBScript, and Macro 4.0 as part of their campaigns to execute malicious code.
A malware sandbox can effectively detect and analyze script-based attacks by providing a controlled environment to execute the scripts and monitor their behavior just like in this example.
As a result, security analysts can gain detailed insights into the actions performed within scripts, including API calls, OS version checks, and WMI requests. This visibility enables analysts to identify malicious activities and prevent the scripts from causing harm.
Learn more about sandbox analysis of scripts.
4. Validating Digital Signatures
Digital signatures act as indicators, allowing analysts to quickly determine if a certain file can be trusted or has been tampered with. A malware sandbox’s great feature of digital signature analysis can ensure quick and precise file authenticity verification.
A sandbox can offer users information about missing, revoked, or untrusted digital signatures that serve as red flags, alerting analysts to potentially malicious files. It can also provide details about digital signatures, including the issuer, signing timestamps, and ASN.1 trees for in-depth analysis.
Learn more about signatures and how they can aid in your malware analysis.
5. Uncovering Geo-Targeted Phishing Attacks
Geo-targeted phishing and malware campaigns are designed to target users in specific regions. This means that users from outside the destination area will not be able to detonate the attack.
Analyzing any suspicious attachment or URL in a free interactive malware sandbox like ANY.RUN can instantly provide you with a conclusive verdict.
Yet, a malware sandbox equipped with a residential proxy can effectively bypass these restrictions, allowing security analysts to analyze geo-targeted campaigns without problem. The residential proxy feature replaces the sandbox’s default datacenter IP with a residential one from any part of the world.
This masks the source of the analyst’s traffic, letting them gain access to trigger attacks and gather valuable intelligence about them.
Learn more about the value of a residential proxy when investigating threats.
Explore all of these Features in ANY.RUN
If you want to see how an advanced malware analysis sandbox can improve your company’s security posture and streamline your team’s workflows, use ANY.RUN 14-day free trial.
In addition to all of the aforementioned features, you can use a private space for your team, Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 VMs, and API integration completely for free – Request a 14-day free trial.