Malware Development for Ethical Hackers: Hands-on techniques for building and analyzing malware on Windows and Linux , 2nd Edition

Expanded to cover malware development across Windows and Linux, persistence, injection, evasion, and malware analysis, this practical, lab-based guide uses real-world examples to equip ethical hackers with hands-on skills.

Key Features

• Build practical malware PoCs using C/C++ and Assembly in controlled labs
• Apply red and blue team perspectives to understand malware behavior, detection opportunities, and forensic artifacts
• Explore execution, injection, persistence, evasion, and anti-analysis techniques
• Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Book Description

Malware Development for Ethical Hackers, Second Edition is a practical guide to understanding how modern malware works across Windows and Linux in an ethical, research-driven context. It focuses on controlled proof-of-concept development, showing how adversaries build capabilities such as droppers, keyloggers, infostealers, loaders, persistence modules, and process injection techniques.

The second edition covers malware development for Windows and Linux, with hands-on examples in C/C++ and Assembly. You’ll explore execution techniques, evasion, persistence, anti-analysis, abuse of legitimate APIs, low-level system techniques, and real-world tradecraft inspired by modern APTs and malware families. The book also connects offensive development with malware analysis, detection opportunities, and forensic artifacts for security researchers and Blue Team readers.

By the end of this book, you’ll understand how malware is designed, executed, hidden, persisted, and analyzed across Windows and Linux. You’ll be able to build safe lab PoCs, understand adversary behavior, recognize forensic artifacts, and apply this knowledge to ethical hacking, red team simulations, malware research, and practical defense.

What you will learn

• Implement execution and injection techniques across Windows and Linux
• Explore persistence mechanisms and the artifacts they leave behind
• Develop practical PoCs for droppers, keyloggers, infostealers, and loaders
• Study evasion, anti-analysis, and living-off-the-land techniques to understand how malware avoids detection
• Reconstruct real-world adversary tradecraft for red team simulations, security research, and defensive improvement

Who this book is for

This book is for penetration testers, red team engineers, malware researchers, exploit developers, threat hunters, and blue team analysts who want to understand how real-world malware techniques work in practice. It is also useful for ethical hackers and cybersecurity students seeking hands-on experience with malware concepts across Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS in controlled lab environments. Familiarity with C/C++, basic Assembly, operating system internals, and core cybersecurity concepts will help readers get the most from the examples.

Table of Contents

1. Malware Families and Capabilities for Windows
2. Exploring Malware Running Techniques for Windows
3. Windows Malware Persistence Mechanisms
4. Bypass Windows OS Security and Cat and Mouse Game for Windows
5. Linux Malware Capabilities
6. Exploring Malware Running Techniques for Linux
7. Linux Malware Persistence Mechanisms