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TermTechnique

VM detection

Malware checking whether it is running in a virtual machine or analysis environment and stopping if so.

Flow

  1. 1Reads the environment
  2. 2Compares
  3. 3Decides
Related families
Lumma Stealer
MITRE ATT&CK
T1497 · Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion
Sources
3 sources
01

Overview

Security researchers and automated analysis systems run samples in virtual machines. If the malware recognizes this environment, it behaves harmlessly and the analysis result is misleading. MITRE ATT&CK

The checks look for signs such as virtual hardware driver names, low processor and memory values, processes belonging to analysis tools and the absence of user interaction. MITRE ATT&CK

02

How it works

  1. 1

    Reads the environment

    It collects hardware, driver and process information. MITRE ATT&CK

  2. 2

    Compares

    It matches it against known traces of virtual machines and analysis tools. MITRE ATT&CK

  3. 3

    Decides

    If there is a match, it exits, sleeps or takes a harmless path. MITRE ATT&CK

03

Real-world examples

04

How to detect it

  • Processes that make many hardware and driver queries within a short time and then exit. MITRE ATT&CK
05

What to do

  • Make analysis environments resemble real user devices; do not treat a single virtual machine result as enough for a “harmless” verdict. MITRE ATT&CK
06

MITRE ATT&CK

07

Related families and terms

08

Sources

  1. 1Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion (T1497) · MITRE ATT&CK
  2. 2System Checks (T1497.001) · MITRE ATT&CK
  3. 3Lumma Stealer — family entry and report index · Malpedia (Fraunhofer FKIE)
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