Malware Sandboxes: 5 Reasons You Need One

Cyberattacks have long been one of the most devastating dangers to businesses of any size, and the problem is only getting worse. As reported by IBM, just over the past three years, the average cost of a data breach increased by 15% and climbed to $4.5 million. To withstand attacks, companies need to invest in an expansive security infrastructure. A malware sandbox is a core component of such an infrastructure, as it helps cyber professionals safely analyze malicious files to extract crucial information fast.

What is a malware sandbox exactly?

Most of us are well-familiar with antivirus software and, especially, the number of alerts it often generates. While many of these turn out to be false positives, some of them may point to actual threats that can deal a fatal blow to your system. To get a better understanding of these alerts, malware sandboxes are employed. Basically, they help analysts determine whether a certain file or link contains any malicious payload capable of compromising data. By uncovering the file or link's activities in a sandbox, analysts can make an informed decision about whether it is safe to open or click on it.

Sandboxes work by creating a virtual machine that lets researchers run the file they want to analyze in a safe environment. Since the VM is isolated from the user’s computer, professionals can interact with the file and see how it behaves on a granular level. Once the analysis is over, the sandbox generates a detailed report on the activities of the sample, such as the network and registry ones, and returns a result on whether it is malicious.

How can a malware sandbox help my organization?

Having a malware sandbox as part of your security stack can greatly accelerate the work of your SOC and DFIR departments, helping them gain an in-depth insight into malware much faster. The intelligence collected as part of such analysis can be used to enrich your detection capabilities and strengthen the organization’s defense. Let's take a closer look at the key benefits of a malware sandbox.

It cuts malware analysis time to seconds

Speed is the most crucial quality of any sandbox. Analysts may spend hours trying to understand if a file is harmful when examining it by hand. Sandboxing solutions largely automate this process and generate a comprehensive overview of the malware in seconds. As a result, a researcher who would otherwise process no more than a dozen potential threat alerts a day can easily increase this amount by five times with the help of a sandbox.

It examines malicious behavior with microscopic precision

Fast does not mean superficial. Sandboxes provide a wealth of information and are considered among the most powerful tools available to security researchers. For instance, they automatically track the network stream related to the analyzed file or link and document its registry activity, flagging all the suspicious and malicious events. On top of that, criminals often resort to the use of code obfuscation and segmentation of execution into multiple stages as a means of deceiving researchers. Sandboxing platforms make untangling these clever (and not-so-clever) techniques a much simpler task.

It offers real-time interaction and flexibility

Although they involve a good deal of automation, sandboxes such as ANY.RUN still provides users with full control over the process. ANY.RUN supports live interaction, which allows analysts to engage with the virtual machine environment and execute different operations in it. This can be useful for running programs and browsers to trigger malware.

Sandboxes are also configurable, with a wide variety of settings that can be tuned to better detect malicious activities. For example, by changing the VM's locale, it is possible to detonate malware that is intended to target specific geographic regions.

It slashes overheads by a tangible amount

Using a sandbox can save you resources across several areas. It can reduce the amount of time spent investigating potential malware, freeing up staff to focus on other tasks, such as incident response and security audits. It can also lower the competence barrier, making even junior specialists capable of malware research.

Sandboxes can also help to get rid of the need to run a custom VM, as they provide a turn-key solution with an already built-in analysis toolset. In addition to reducing operational expenses, sandboxes, in combination with other security solutions, can save organizations from the cost of lost data, downtime, and remediation, which every successful attack entails.

It improves compliance

Many regulations, such as HIPAA, require organizations to take steps to protect their data from cyber threats. Using a malware sandbox can help you meet these requirements. Of course, it should not be viewed as a replacement for other essential technologies such as firewalls, access control systems, as well as intrusion detection and prevention systems. Nonetheless, it can provide an added layer of protection to your organization's existing security infrastructure.

Conclusion

Wrapping it up, a sandbox solution such as ANY.RUN can strengthen security teams’ capabilities, helping them collect vital intelligence on cyberattacks. It also significantly speeds up and simplifies the threat analysis process, freeing up the hands of the staff for other tasks at hand. Overall, incorporating a sandbox can help your organization mitigate the risks of a successful cyberattack and the resulting lost productivity and reputation damage.