• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.1043-1053
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• 2023

Malware analysts work diligently to analyze and counteract malware, while developers persistently devise evasion tactics, notably through packing and obfuscation techniques. Although previous works have proposed general unpacking approaches, they inadequately address techniques like OEP obfuscation and API obfuscation employed by modern packers, leading to occasional failures during the unpacking process. This paper examines the OEP and API obfuscation techniques utilized by various packers and introduces a system designed to automatically de-obfuscate them. The system analyzes the memory of packed programs, detects trampoline codes, and identifies obfuscated information, for program reconstruction. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our system in de-obfuscating programs that have undergone OEP and API obfuscation techniques.

• KIPS Transactions on Computer and Communication Systems
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2015

Reflection is a feature of the Java programming language that can examine and manipulate components of program itself. If you use the reflection, you can get an obfuscation effect of Java source because it converts sources into complicated structures. However, when using it, strings of components name of program are exposed. Therefore, it cannot prevent static analysis. In this paper, we presents a method and a tool of interfere with static analysis using reflection. And in this case, exposed strings are encoded using Vigen$\acute{e}$re cipher. Experimental results show that this tool is effective in increasing the overall complexity of the source code. Also the tool provides two types decryption method based on server and local. It can be selected based on the importance of the API because it affects the execution speed of the application.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
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• 2014.01a
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• pp.99-102
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• 2014

리플렉션은 자바 언어의 기능 중 하나로, 자바 프로그램을 실행해서 해당 프로그램을 조사하거나 내부의 동작 구조를 조작할 수 있다. 리플렉션을 사용하게 되면 자바 소스의 난독화 뿐만 아니라 정적 분석 도구의 API 호출 탐지를 방해하게 되어 분석 결과의 정확도를 떨어뜨리게 된다. 만약 이 특성을 악용해 악성 앱 제작자가 특정 API 메소드 호출을 은닉하는 목적으로 사용한다면 정적 분석에 의존하는 기존 분석 도구들이 API 메소드 호출을 탐지하기 어렵기 때문에 큰 위협이 될 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 안드로이드 환경에서 표본 어플리케이션에 직접 설계한 도구를 이용하여 API 메소드에 리플렉션을 적용하고, 원본 소스와 리플렉션 후 디컴파일된 소스를 비교하여 API 메소드 호출이 리플렉션을 통해서 은닉 가능함을 보여준다.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2014.04a
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• pp.487-490
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• 2014

리플렉션은 자바 프로그램을 실행하여 객체 내부의 모든 요소를 조사하거나 호출 혹은 조작할 수 있는 자바 언어의 한 기능이다. 한 클래스 내부의 메소드에 리플렉션을 적용하여 호출하게 되면 String형의 메소드 이름으로 간접 호출하기에 정적 분석 도구의 API 호출 탐지를 방해하게 되어 분석결과의 정확도를 떨어뜨릴 수 있고, 또한 일반적인 호출보다 복잡한 절차를 거치게 되어 소스 자체의 난독화 효과를 갖게 된다. 또한 디컴파일러의 역공학 분석을 어렵게 만드는 장점도 있다. 이 특성을 이용한다면 안드로이드 환경에서 특정 API를 은닉하여 개인정보를 누출하도록 악용하거나 디컴파일러 이용을 방지하는 데 활용될 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 안드로이드 환경에서 직접 설계한 도구와 표본 앱을 이용하여 API 메소드에 리플렉션을 적용하고, 원본 소스와 리플렉션 후 디컴파일된 소스를 비교하여 API 호출이 리플렉션을 통해서 은닉 가능함을 보여준다.

• KIPS Transactions on Computer and Communication Systems
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.297-304
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• 2021

Commercial obfuscation tools (protectors) aim to create difficulties in analyzing the operation process of software by applying obfuscation techniques and Anti-reversing techniques that delay and interrupt the analysis of programs in software reverse engineering process. In particular, in case of virtualization detection and anti-debugging functions, the analysis tool exits the normal execution flow and terminates the program. In this paper, we analyze Anti-reversing techniques of executables with Debugger Detection and Viralization Tools Detection options through VMProtect 3.5.0, one of the commercial obfuscation tools (protector), and address bypass methods using Pin. In addition, we predicted the location of the applied obfuscation technique by finding out a specific program termination routine through API analysis since there is a problem that the program is terminated by the Anti-VM technology and the Anti-DBI technology and drew up the algorithm flowchart for bypassing the Anti-reversing techniques. Considering compatibility problems and changes in techniques from differences in versions of the software used in experiment, it was confirmed that the bypass was successful by writing the pin automation bypass code in the latest version of the software (VMProtect, Windows, Pin) and conducting the experiment. By improving the proposed analysis method, it is possible to analyze the Anti-reversing method of the obfuscation tool for which the method is not presented so far and find a bypass method.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.37-47
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• 2011

In the recent years, malicious codes called malware are having shown significant increase due to the code obfuscation to evade detection mechanisms. When the code obfuscation technique is applied to malwares, they can change their instruction sequence and also even their signature. These malwares which have same functionality and different appearance are able to evade signature-based AV products. Thus, AV venders paid large amount of cost to analyze and classify malware for generating the new signature. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for detecting metamorphic malwares. The proposed mechanism first converts malware's API call sequences to call graph through dynamic analysis. After that, the callgraph is converted to semantic signature using 128 abstract nodes. Finally, we extract all subgraphs and analyze how similar two malware's behaviors are through subgraph similarity. To validate proposed mechanism, we use 273 real-world malwares include obfuscated malware and analyze 10,100 comparison results. In the evaluation, all metamorphic malwares are classified correctly, and similar module behaviors among different malwares are also discovered.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.105-115
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• 2019

Recently, intelligent Android malicious codes have become difficult to detect malicious behavior by static analysis alone. Malicious code with SO file, dynamic loading, and string obfuscation are difficult to extract information about original code even with various tools for static analysis. There are many dynamic analysis methods to solve this problem, but dynamic analysis requires rooting or emulator environment. However, in the case of dynamic analysis, malicious code performs the rooting and the emulator detection to bypass the analysis environment. To solve this problem, this paper investigates a variety of root detection schemes and builds an environment for bypassing the rooting detection in real devices. In addition, SDK code hooking module for Android malicious code analysis is designed using Xposed, and intent tracking for code flow, dynamic loading file information, and various API information extraction are implemented. This work will contribute to the analysis of obfuscated information and behavior of Android Malware.

• KIPS Transactions on Computer and Communication Systems
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.363-372
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• 2022

Since the recent COVID-19 Pandemic, the ransomware fandom has intensified along with the expansion of remote work. Currently, anti-virus vaccine companies are trying to respond to ransomware, but traditional file signature-based static analysis can be neutralized in the face of diversification, obfuscation, variants, or the emergence of new ransomware. Various studies are being conducted for such ransomware detection, and detection studies using signature-based static analysis and behavior-based dynamic analysis can be seen as the main research type at present. In this paper, the frequency of ".text Section" Opcode and the Native API used in practice was extracted, and the association between feature information selected using K-means Clustering algorithm, Cosine Similarity, and Pearson correlation coefficient was analyzed. In addition, Through experiments to classify and detect worms among other malware types and Cerber-type ransomware, it was verified that the selected feature information was specialized in detecting specific ransomware (Cerber). As a result of combining the finally selected feature information through the above verification and applying it to machine learning and performing hyper parameter optimization, the detection rate was up to 93.3%.

• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.43-53
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• 2019

Recently, a number of military intranet infiltrations suspected of North Korea have been discovered. There was a problem that a vulnerability could occur due to the modification of user authentication data that can access existing military information systems. In this paper, we applied mutual verification technique and API (Application Programming Interface) forgery / forgery blocking and obfuscation to solve the authentication weakness in web browsers that comply with FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) standard. In addition, user convenience is improved by implementing No-Plugin that does not require separate program installation. Performance tests show that most browsers perform about 0.1ms based on the RSA key generation rate. In addition, it proved that it can be used for commercialization by showing performance of less than 0.1 second even in the digital signature verification speed of the server. The service is expected to be useful for improving military information system security as an alternative to browser authentication by building a web secure storage.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.709-719
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• 2015

This paper introduces a proper renaming service using variable action and security services against the analysis techniques in Java code. The renaming service that is introduced is separated into API pattern and loop condition. We present our scheme algorithm with known Java obfuscation techniques and tools in order to help readers understanding, and implement prototype to prove practicality in this paper. Test result using prototype shows 73% successful variable renaming rate. Using our scheme, cooperators can intuitionally understand all of code. Also, It helps malware analysts to predict malware action by variable name. But application source code that is developed by Java is exposed to hackers easily using our scheme. So we introduce Java application code protection methods, too.