An Overview of Obfuscation Techniques used by Malware in Visual Basic for Application Scripts

Abstract

In the ever changing malware landscape, office applications with support for VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) scripts have become an important piece of the puzzle, especially since they are one of the most effective email-based delivery method for new threats. This paper presents the research on approximatively 200 such cyber-attacks emphasizing social engineering techniques used, obfuscation methods applied and post-exploitation behavior.