Easily customizable for processing and reporting, Cuckoo is one of the more convenient and commonly used open source malware analysis tools available. Originally created in 2010 during the Google Summer of Code project, Cuckoo Sandbox is an open source platform for Windows, Android, OS X, and Linux. When malware is submitted to the VM, the Cuckoo agent documents the malware activity and sends it to the host for an analysis and detailed report. The Cuckoo agent feeds data out to the main Cuckoo app on the host. The main Cuckoo application runs on a host system where a virtual machine (VM) with a Cuckoo agent is installed inside of it. 4, 5 Keep reading to learn more about the five best open source malware analysis tools for 2021, their key features, why they are helpful, and why they can be risky to use.Ĭuckoo Sandbox is an automated malware analysis tool. Luckily, as malware variants have grown increasingly more complex, the use of free, open source malware analysis tools to counteract them has increased, too. 2 Cyber gangs and criminals are evolving their techniques, upgrading malware to hide longer before activating, and stealing massive amounts of data to guarantee their ransom demands are met. With the recent ransomware attack on the Colonial Gas Pipeline, which netted cybercriminals $5 million in ransom, 2021 is not seeing any relief from such events. 'Cybercriminals will stop at nothing to use outlier events and human empathy to line their pockets.we are constantly seeing how attacks evolve through malware delivery mechanisms, inventive social engineering, and new exploits.” 1

'Our 2020 findings depict consumers under constant assault from cybercriminals looking to capitalize on fear and societal uncertainty,' said Bogdan Botezatu, Bitdefender's Threat Research and Reporting Director.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals exploited that massive increase in online activities and took advantage of any vulnerabilities they could find compared to 2019, there was a shocking 485% rise in ransomware attacks, according to the 2020 Consumer Threat Landscape Report from Bitdefender. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused huge numbers of students and workers to turn to remote access for their technologies.

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