How can you safely use reverse engineering to study malware?

A malware sample should be treated like a sample of a biological pathogen. Would you test a potentially infectious viral or bacterial material on yourself? It will make you sick. A similar concept should be applied to malware analysis. It should be tested on a fully isolated system called a sandbox. There are several ways you can build yourself a sandbox or simply use existing ones, like Cuckoo Sandbox - automated and open source malware analysis system.

While the use of virtual machines are often relied upon, we need to be mindful of guest escapes. Vulnerabilities could be exploited in the guest VM to gain privileged entry into the host machine or server. Therefore, it would be much safer to deploy a physically isolated environment beyond just virtually isolated.

From experience, I can't stress enough the criticality of a well-fortified environment. Over the years, there have been instances where malware was inadvertently unleashed during the analysis phase, causing significant damage. The choice between a physical lab or a virtualized setup is crucial; physical environments provide a higher degree of isolation but come with logistical challenges. However, the advent of advanced malware that can detect virtualized environments and behave differently or self-destruct means sometimes a physical lab becomes indispensable.

Selecting the right tools is crucial & depends on the desired level of analysis & the type of malware being examined. Different tools serve different purposes in the process. Disassemblers: IDA Pro & Ghidra are to convert binary code into assembly language, making it easier to understand. Debuggers such as OllyDbg / x64dbg allow step-by-step execution of the malware, enabling analysts to modify variables & registers during runtime. Overall, the selection of tools for reverse engineering malware depends on the specific goals of the analysis, the type of malware being examined, the expertise of the analyst. Utilizing the right combination of tools, analysts can gain a understanding of the malware, its functionality, potential countermeasures

Like in solving a complex jigsaw puzzle, beginning without a strategy can be both overwhelming and fruitless. The mentioned steps are fundamental, but I'd emphasize the importance of the comparative analysis. Cross-referencing your results with shared intelligence from the cybersecurity community often provides crucial insights. Moreover, with the prevalence of polymorphic malware, recognizing slight variances and derivatives becomes a paramount task.

While all the above points are pivotal, one must also appreciate the psyche behind malware creation. Often, understanding the motives—whether financial, political, or ideological—provides unique insights into its design and possible future iterations. Networking with fellow professionals, attending workshops, and continuous learning are not just beneficial but essential. In this ever-evolving field, the moment you stop learning is the moment you become obsolete.