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Why this module exists. Anti-analysis techniques — VM detection, debugger detection, sleep loops, dead code, indirect API resolution — are how modern malware authors slow down researchers. Defeating these is the prerequisite to doing real analysis on advanced samples. This module is the taxonomy and the countermeasures.
Why this module exists. A sandbox report that shows “did nothing” or a debugger that crashes when you single-step are not bugs in your tooling — they are the malware authors’ deliberate design. Knowing the catalogue of anti-analysis techniques lets you recognise them and respond appropriately.
The four classes of anti-analysis
- Anti-VM / sandbox detection. Refuses to run if the environment looks artificial.
- Anti-debugger detection. Detects and disrupts attached debuggers.
- Anti-disassembly. Confuses static disassemblers with junk instructions and opaque control flow.
- Time-based stalling. Sleeps or loops until analyst attention dissipates.
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