Intermediate Malware Analysis

Intermediate Malware Analysis Training Near Washington, DC

TrainACE's Intermediate Malware Analysis course is a four-day, instructor-led program for analysts who have the fundamentals down and need to handle the samples that fight back: packed binaries, script-based droppers, injected code, encrypted C2, rootkits, and ransomware. Training is delivered in Greenbelt, MD, and live online, with 24 hands-on labs run in an isolated lab environment and a full multi-technique capstone on the final day.

This course builds directly on Fundamentals of Malware Analysis. It assumes you are already comfortable with PE file structure, hashing and triage, strings and basic YARA, Process Monitor and Autoruns, Wireshark, introductory Volatility 3, and basic navigation in Ghidra and x64dbg. If those tools are new to you, start with Fundamentals first.

Quick decision snapshot

• Best for: SOC analysts, incident responders, threat hunters, and junior malware analysts ready to move past basic triage.
• What you will be able to do: Unpack and analyze evasive samples, trace injection and persistence, decrypt and fingerprint C2 traffic, and produce a complete analysis report with IOCs, YARA rules, and MITRE ATT&CK mapping.
• Format: 4 days, 24 hours of instruction, lab-heavy throughout, built entirely on free and open-source tooling you can keep using after class.

 

Why Choose TrainACE for Intermediate Malware Analysis Training?

Intermediate malware analysis is learned by doing. You need time on real samples, an instructor who can explain why a technique works when the sample does something unexpected, and a lab you can break safely. That is the environment TrainACE is built to provide.

• Lab-first instruction: Every session includes two to three hands-on labs in an isolated VMware Workstation environment, so most of your time goes to working real samples rather than watching slides.
• Instructors with real credentials: TrainACE malware classes are taught by practitioners with deep offensive and forensic backgrounds. See below for an example.
• Price & Quality Guarantee: TrainACE stands behind the quality of every class we deliver. Ask an advisor for full guarantee details.
• Small class sizes: Enrollment is capped so you can get direct help when a sample does not behave the way you expect.
• Lifetime Career Support: Free Skills Clinics, Study Groups, and Career Path Recommendations after you graduate.
• Tools you can keep using: Every tool in the course is free, open source, or offers a free tier, so your workflow carries straight back to your day job.

The Caliber of Instructor You Can Expect

All TrainACE instructors hold active certifications in the subjects they teach and have a minimum of three years of classroom experience. To give you a concrete sense of what that means, here is our lead malware analysis instructor, Timber Wolfe.

Timber has spent his entire 22-year professional career in the DoD world, with a background that runs from low-level electronics, board-level hardware, and micro-controllers to high-level software interfaces and applications. He has been conducting penetration tests on software and hardware systems for more than ten years, participates in government-sponsored Red Team events and cyber defense competitions, and authored TrainACE's HoneyNetting and Honey Pot training course. He holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Florida.

Selected certifications

• EC-Council CHFI (Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator)
• EC-Council CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker)
• EC-Council ECSA and LPT
• CompTIA Security+

That mix of hardware depth, offensive experience, and forensic training is exactly what intermediate malware analysis demands, and it reflects the standard behind every TrainACE security class.

Intermediate Malware Analysis Prerequisites

This course picks up where Fundamentals of Malware Analysis ends, and Day 1 opens with a short review before moving into intermediate techniques. Completing Fundamentals, or having equivalent hands-on experience, is strongly recommended.

You are likely a fit if you

• Have completed Fundamentals of Malware Analysis or already perform basic static and dynamic triage on the job
• Are comfortable with PE structure, Process Monitor, Wireshark, introductory Volatility 3, and basic Ghidra/x64dbg navigation
• Work in a SOC, incident response, threat intelligence, or forensics role and need to go deeper on evasive or unfamiliar samples

You may need a different first step if you

• Have not yet done hands-on malware triage or used the core tools listed above - start with Fundamentals of Malware Analysis
• Are new to security operations and need foundational knowledge first - consider CompTIA Security+

Course Format & Lab Environment

• Length: 4 days, 24 hours of instruction
• Daily structure: A three-hour morning session and a three-hour afternoon session
• Hands-on labs: 24 labs total, two to three per session, plus a multi-lab capstone on Day 4
• Lab environment: Isolated VMware Workstation lab built for safe detonation of live samples
• Certification exam: None - this is a skills-based course focused on practical analysis capability

Tools you will use

• Unpacking and anti-analysis: x64dbg, Scylla, ScyllaHide
• Script and .NET analysis: oletools, CyberChef, dnSpy/dnSpyEx
• API monitoring and instrumentation: API Monitor, Frida, ProcDOT
• Network analysis: mitmproxy, Wireshark (JA3/JA3S), VirusTotal Graph, MISP
• Memory, persistence, and family analysis: Volatility 3, RegRipper, Registry Explorer, Sysmon, YARA

All tools are free, open source, or offer a free tier, so the workflows you practice in class transfer directly to your own environment.

What You'll Learn in This Intermediate Malware Analysis Class

The course moves from advanced static analysis and unpacking on Day 1 through dynamic analysis, memory forensics, and persistence, finishing with ransomware, threat intelligence, and a full capstone analysis.

Day 1, Part 1: Manual Unpacking & Anti-Analysis Bypass

• Identifying packed and obfuscated code and locating the Original Entry Point (OEP)
• Manual unpacking in x64dbg with single-step tracing and memory breakpoints
• Dumping unpacked processes and rebuilding import tables with Scylla
• Bypassing anti-debugging and anti-VM checks with ScyllaHide

Day 1, Part 2: Script-Based & .NET Malware

• Malicious Office documents and VBA macro analysis with oletools
• Deobfuscating PowerShell downloaders and JavaScript/VBScript droppers
• .NET malware, IL bytecode, and decompilation with dnSpy/dnSpyEx

Day 2, Part 1: API Monitoring, Injection & Instrumentation

• API hooking concepts and capturing call sequences with API Monitor
• Recognizing process hollowing, reflective DLL injection, and process doppelgänging
• Dynamic instrumentation with Frida and behavior graphing with ProcDOT

Day 2, Part 2: Advanced Network Analysis & C2 Identification

• Intercepting and decrypting malware TLS traffic with mitmproxy
• JA3/JA3S fingerprinting to identify C2 frameworks
• DNS tunneling, domain generation algorithms, and beacon pattern recognition
• Pivoting on network indicators with VirusTotal Graph and MISP

Day 3, Part 1: Advanced Memory Forensics

• Extending Volatility 3 with dlllist, handles, ldrmodules, and malfind
• Detecting injection artifacts and hidden or unlinked processes and modules
• Extracting and reconstructing injected payloads from a memory image
• Building an incident timeline from combined memory and host artifacts

Day 3, Part 2: Rootkits, Persistence & Living-off-the-Land

• User-mode vs. kernel-mode rootkits and cross-view detection techniques
• WMI event subscriptions, COM hijacking, and DLL search-order hijacking
• LOLBins and fileless techniques investigated through Sysmon logs
• Deep registry analysis with RegRipper and Registry Explorer

Day 4, Part 1: Ransomware & Malware Family Analysis

• Ransomware behavior: encryption routines, backup deletion, and ransom notes
• Safe ransomware detonation practices in a lab environment
• Family and variant clustering with YARA and fuzzy hashing
• Mapping behaviors to MITRE ATT&CK and using public decryptor resources

Day 4, Part 2: Threat Intelligence, Reporting & Capstone

• Structuring and sharing IOCs with MISP and standard threat-intel formats
• Writing an intermediate-level analysis report, and the limits of attribution claims
• Capstone: full static, dynamic, memory, and network analysis of an unknown sample
• Producing an IOC package with YARA rule and ATT&CK mapping, followed by peer report review

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the Intermediate Malware Analysis training?

The course runs four days with 24 hours of instruction, split each day into a three-hour morning session and a three-hour afternoon session. Contact an advisor for current class times and format availability.

Is this the right level for me?

If you can already triage a sample with basic static and dynamic tools and want to handle packed, injected, or evasive malware, yes. If you have not yet worked with PE structure, Process Monitor, Wireshark, or basic Volatility, start with Fundamentals of Malware Analysis first.

Does this course prepare me for a certification exam?

No certification exam is attached to this course. It is focused on practical analysis skills you can apply immediately, though the material supports the hands-on side of forensics and incident response certifications.

Is it safe to work with live malware in class?

Yes. All labs run in an isolated VMware Workstation environment, and the course covers safety practices specific to detonating high-risk samples such as ransomware.

Do I need special equipment or software?

No software purchases are required. TrainACE provides the lab environment, and every tool used in class is free, open source, or offers a free tier. For live-online attendance, you will need a reliable internet connection and a computer capable of participating in the class sessions.

Where Does Intermediate Malware Analysis Take You Next?

Intermediate Malware Analysis gives you a complete working methodology. From here, most students go deeper into code-level analysis or broaden into forensics.

• Reverse Engineering Malware
  Builds on your x64dbg and unpacking work with deeper debugging, Windows API internals, rootkit analysis, and decoding of encrypted malware.
• Advanced Malware Analysis
  The top tier of the pathway, covering anti-disassembly, polymorphic malware, shellcode, C++ analysis, and 64-bit malware.
• CHFI - Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator
  Extends the memory forensics and timeline work from this course into a full investigation and evidence-handling certification.

Ready to Enroll?

Select a class date from the schedule below, or call us at (301) 220-2802 to speak with an advisor. Do not settle for anonymous, online-only training - choose the DC-area experts who deliver real-world results.

Got Questions?

For more information about your specific needs, call us at (301) 220 2802 or complete the form below:

Get your Intermediate Malware Analysis Training at our convenient IT training center in Greenbelt, Maryland or attend live-online from anywhere.