Adversaries may develop malware and malware components that can be used during targeting. Building malicious software can include the development of payloads, droppers, post-compromise tools, backdoors (including backdoored images), packers, C2 protocols, and the creation of infected removable media. Adversaries may develop malware to support their operations, creating a means for maintaining control of remote machines, evading defenses, and executing post-compromise behaviors.^{[1],[2],[3],[4]}

During malware development, adversaries may intentionally include indicators aligned with other known actors in order to mislead attribution by defenders.^[5],[6],[7]

As with legitimate development efforts, different skill sets may be required for developing malware. The skills needed may be located in-house, or may need to be contracted out. Use of a contractor may be considered an extension of that adversary's malware development capabilities, provided the adversary plays a role in shaping requirements and maintains a degree of exclusivity to the malware.

Some aspects of malware development, such as C2 protocol development, may require adversaries to obtain additional infrastructure. For example, malware developed that will communicate with Twitter for C2, may require use of Web Services.^[8]

References

1. Mandiant. (n.d.). APT1 Exposing One of China’s Cyber Espionage Units. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
2. Kaspersky Lab's Global Research and Analysis Team. (2015, December 4). Sofacy APT hits high profile targets with updated toolset. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
3. Dan Goodin. (2014, June 30). Active malware operation let attackers sabotage US energy industry. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
4. The Record. (2022, January 7). FBI: FIN7 hackers target US companies with BadUSB devices to install ransomware. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
5. Paul Rascagneres, Martin Lee. (2018, February 26). Who Wasn’t Responsible for Olympic Destroyer?. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
6. Catalin Cimpanu. (2025, January 22). Risky Bulletin: Threat actor impersonates FSB APT for months to target Russian orgs. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
7. Knownsec 404 Advanced Threat Intelligence team. (2025, January 21). Love and hate under war: The GamaCopy organization, which imitates the Russian Gamaredon, uses military — related bait to launch attacks on Russia. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
8. FireEye Labs. (2015, July). HAMMERTOSS: Stealthy Tactics Define a Russian Cyber Threat Group. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

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