Malware Handling Disclaimer!

During this course you will be downloading, handling and analyzing malware files, including destructive ransomware. Please do so carefully and ensure that you are handling them safely, so you do not accidentally execute and infect yourself.


We recommend you use a network-isolated virtual machine (VM) (VMware, VirtualBox etc), where the network adapter is removed or disabled, or has other network settings that keep it from communicating with the internet.


Most of the files used in the course are Linux or Windows executables. If you’re using a Mac you might be OK without a VM, but still be careful nonetheless.


If you don’t already have one ready, here are some good instructions for building a malware analysis VM:
- https://zeltser.com/free-malware-analysis-windows-vm/
- https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/building-a-custom-malware-analysis-lab-environment/


Note that you can download free Windows 11 VMs in several virtual machine formats directly from Microsoft: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/