A Structured Pathway to Mastering Exploits, Reverse Engineering, and Advanced Malware Tactics
Phase 1: Foundations
Objective: To establish a solid understanding of computer systems, networking, and programming—essential groundwork for malware and exploit development.
1. Computer Systems & Networking Basics
Resource:Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective,
Purpose: Introduces how systems operate at the hardware and software levels, essential for understanding vulnerabilities and low-level operations.
Purpose: Build confidence using the shell and scripting, skills often used in malware automation or reverse shells.
Topics: Bash scripting, CLI tools, file and process management.
Expected Outcome:
By the end of this phase, learners will be comfortable with systems internals, C and Python programming, basic networking, and OS-level scripting, foundational for further exploit and malware development.
Phase 2: Vulnerability Research
Objective: Learn how software breaks by studying bugs and vulnerabilities, focusing on memory corruption and binary analysis.
As an exploit developer, you will often move back and forth between the vulnerable code, the compiled binary, and the corresponding assembly to understand the bug and build a working exploit
Expected Outcome:
By the end of this phase, learners will understand core vulnerability types, how to identify and exploit them, and how to reverse engineer software for analysis or attack development.
Phase 3: Exploit Development
Objective: Learn how to write functional exploits and shellcode, bypass modern defenses, and create working Proof of Concepts (PoCs).
Expected Outcome:
By the end of this phase, learners will be capable of writing functional exploits, understanding protection bypasses, and contributing to frameworks like Metasploit or writing custom shellcode.
Phase 4: Malware Development
Objective: Create and analyze malware with different capabilities, focusing on persistence, stealth, and command-and-control.
1. Windows Malware Fundamentals
Resource:Practical Malware Development
Purpose: Learn how to develop malicious code for the Windows environment.
Topics: DLL injection, keyloggers, fileless malware, Windows API abuse.
Expected Outcome:
By the end of this phase, learners will be able to write and understand fully functional malware across multiple platforms, with C2 capabilities and evasion techniques.
Phase 5: Advanced Topics
Objective: Dive into complex attack vectors including kernel-level exploitation, rootkits, and advanced malware analysis.
1. Kernel Exploitation Basics
Resource:A Guide to Kernel Exploitation by Enrico Perla
Purpose: Explore low-level vulnerabilities and exploit development inside kernel space.
Topics: Kernel modules, syscall abuse, Windows driver exploitation, privilege escalation.
2. Rootkit Development
Resource:Rootkits: Subverting the Windows Kernel
Purpose: Understand and develop stealth malware that hides within the OS itself.
Topics: Userland vs kernel rootkits, inline hooking, DKOM, hiding processes and files.
3. Advanced Malware Analysis
Resource:Practical Malware Analysis by Sikorski & Honig
Purpose: Learn how to reverse engineer and dissect malware samples in the wild.
Purpose: Learn how to develop malware with minimal forensic traceability.
Topics: Anti-forensics, timestomping, evading EDRs, malware development OPSEC.
Expected Outcome:
By the end of this phase, learners will have advanced knowledge in kernel exploitation, stealth malware, and techniques used by sophisticated threat actors.
