Analyzing Linux ELF Malware
When to Use
- A Linux server or container has been compromised and suspicious ELF binaries are found
- Analyzing Linux botnets (Mirai, Gafgyt, XorDDoS), cryptominers, or ransomware
- Investigating malware targeting cloud infrastructure, Docker containers, or Kubernetes pods
- Reverse engineering Linux rootkits and kernel modules
- Analyzing cross-platform malware compiled for Linux x86_64, ARM, or MIPS architectures
Do not use for Windows PE binary analysis; use PEStudio, Ghidra, or IDA for Windows malware.
Prerequisites
- Ghidra or IDA with Linux ELF support for disassembly and decompilation
- Linux analysis VM (Ubuntu 22.04 recommended) with development tools installed
- strace, ltrace, and GDB for dynamic analysis and debugging
- readelf, objdump, and nm from GNU binutils for static inspection
- Radare2 for quick binary triage and scripted analysis
- Docker for isolated container-based malware execution
Workflow
Step 1: Identify ELF Binary Properties
Examine the ELF header and basic properties:
# File type identification
file suspect_binary
# Detailed ELF header analysis
readelf -h suspect_binary
# Section headers…
