Blurring of Commodity and Targeted Attack Malware

As malware and its authors continue to evolve, deciphering the purpose of specific malware-driven attacks has become more challenging. While some malware still has a feature-specific design such as DDoS tools or spam bots, it is becoming increasingly common for malware to have multiple uses for different missions. Recent banking trojans for example are likely to support remote access, which is not typically required to deliver web injects and steal credentials. In some cases, the functionality of the malware suggests the actor’s intent: A sample of a malware family known to engage in spam campaigns is unlikely to have been used as part of a targeted espionage attack. Vice vers…