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Malware Behavior Detection and Correlation

In this lab, you will develop core cybersecurity skills by performing log ingestion, analysis, and visualization to detect Indicators of Compromise (IOCs). You will learn to ingest and parse system logs using the ELK stack, analyze authentication attempts and process execution logs to identify suspicious activity, and create dynamic visualizations to trace malware propagation. By the end of the session, you will be proficient in configuring Filebeat for log ingestion, querying logs in Kibana to detect malicious behavior, and building dashboards to enhance monitoring and investigation capabilities. These techniques will empower you to effectively detect, investigate, and respond to potential security incidents.

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Lab Info
Level
Beginner
Last updated
Jul 30, 2025
Duration
1h 4m

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Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Getting Started in the Lab Environment

    Here are the initial instructions and explanation of the lab environment. Read this while your environment is busy creating itself from nothing. Yes, this violates physics; we know. How fun!

  2. Challenge

    Log Ingestion and Kibana Setup

    In this challenge, you will ingest pre-captured Ubuntu logs (auth.log, syslog, and audit.log) into an ELK stack. To ensure proper ingestion into Elasticsearch, you will configure Filebeat to parse these logs. Then, verify the ingested data using Elasticsearch API calls and set up Kibana data views for comprehensive log analysis. This challenge emphasizes hands-on practice with ELK stack configuration and log ingestion—key skills for monitoring and analyzing system activity.

  3. Challenge

    Analyzing Logs for Malware Activity

    In this challenge, you will analyze logs to detect potential malware activity. Examine logs for unusual authentication attempts, suspicious command executions, and signs of lateral movement. Using Kibana, you will query specific events such as repeated failed login attempts or privilege escalation commands to identify Indicators of Compromise (IOCs). This challenge emphasizes the importance of correlating events across logs using timestamps to reconstruct potential attack patterns and detect malicious activity.

  4. Challenge

    Visualizing Malware Activity with Kibana

    In this challenge, you will create visualizations in Kibana to enhance malware detection and track activity across logs. You will build bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs to represent key events, including failed logins, suspicious commands, and outbound network activity. After creating these visualizations, you will consolidate them into a dynamic dashboard for streamlined monitoring and analysis. By completing this challenge, you will learn how to leverage visualization tools for actionable insights, improving your ability to detect and respond to malware-related incidents in real time.

  5. Challenge

    The Last Challenge

    Welcome to the final challenge! This is your last chance to experiment in the environment. Clicking Finish Lab will end this little world that flittered into existence just for you.

About the author

Sean Wilkins is an accomplished networking consultant and writer for infoDispersion (www.infodispersion.com) who has been in the IT field for over 20 years working with several large enterprises.

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