Obfuscated Malware Detection: Investigating Real-world Scenarios through
  Memory Analysis
S M Rakib Hasan Aakar Dhakal
In the era of the internet and smart devices, the detection of malware has
become crucial for system security. Malware authors increasingly employ
obfuscation techniques to evade advanced security solutions, making it
challenging to detect and eliminate threats. Obfuscated malware, adept at
hiding itself, poses a significant risk to various platforms, including
computers, mobile devices, and IoT devices. Conventional methods like
heuristic-based or signature-based systems struggle against this type of
malware, as it leaves no discernible traces on the system. In this research, we
propose a simple and cost-effective obfuscated malware detection system through
memory dump analysis, utilizing diverse machine-learning algorithms. The study
focuses on the CIC-MalMem-2022 dataset, designed to simulate real-world
scenarios and assess memory-based obfuscated malware detection. We evaluate the
effectiveness of machine learning algorithms, such as decision trees, ensemble
methods, and neural networks, in detecting obfuscated malware within memory
dumps. Our analysis spans multiple malware categories, providing insights into
algorithmic strengths and limitations. By offering a comprehensive assessment
of machine learning algorithms for obfuscated malware detection through memory
analysis, this paper contributes to ongoing efforts to enhance cybersecurity
and fortify digital ecosystems against evolving and sophisticated malware
threats. The source code is made open-access for reproducibility and future
research endeavours. It can be accessed at https://bit.ly/MalMemCode.