Payload – the evil within

The attacker develops malware for a purpose. This is typically to cause harm to the target, maybe because of hate, for fun, for monetary or, probably, political reasons. Here are some typical malware payloads that were seen in the wild:

• Encrypting files for ransom
• Deleting all files
• Formatting drives
• Gaining full access to the system and the network
• Stealing accounts and passwords
• Stealing documents, images, and videos
• Changing specific configuration and settings
• Turning the computer into a proxy server
• Installing cryptocoin miners
• Continuously opening websites - ad or porn sites
• Installing more malware
• Installing adware

One of the conclusions that a reverse engineer includes in the report is the payload. This determines what malware actually does to the machine other than getting installed.