Individual skill
analyzing-packed-malware-with-upx-unpacker
Identifies and unpacks UPX-packed and other packed malware samples to expose the original executable code for static analysis. Covers both standard UPX unpacking and handling modified UPX headers that prevent automated decompression. Activates for requests involving malware unpacking, UPX decompression, packer removal, or preparing packed samples for analysis.
internal/tools/skills/data/malware-analysis/analyzing-packed-malware-with-upx-unpacker/SKILL.md
Source commit d42f381ad34843e71a42658e5c57290c713e85af
What was checked
- Matches the observed repository HEAD
- Yes
- Scanner rules are current
- Yes
- Repository scan complete
- No
- Skill scan complete
- No
- Observed behavior
- Network or broad shell
- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
These are observations at the recorded commit, not a guarantee of safety. Review the source before running it.
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Repository context
- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 1,329
- Repository last updated
- Nov 9, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.
- cybersecurity Repository topic
- security Repository topic
- bug-bounty Repository topic
- automation Repository topic
- autonomous-pentesting Repository topic
- ai-agent Repository topic
- ai-security Repository topic
- ethical-hacking Repository topic
- golang Repository topic
- penetration-testing Repository topic
- malware Declared skill tag
- unpacking Declared skill tag
- upx Declared skill tag
- packing Declared skill tag
- static-analysis Declared skill tag
- engineering Derived category
Files and excerpt
File metadata and permitted, redacted excerpts come from the recorded scan. Source links are pinned to that commit.
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# Analyzing Packed Malware with UPX Unpacker
## When to Use
- Static analysis reveals high entropy sections and minimal imports indicating the binary is packed
- PEiD, Detect It Easy, or PEStudio identifies UPX or another known packer
- The import table contains only LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress (runtime import resolution typical of packed binaries)
- You need to recover the original binary for proper disassembly and decompilation in Ghidra or IDA
- Automated UPX decompression fails because the malware author modified UPX magic bytes or headers
**Do not use** when dealing with custom packers, VM-based protectors (Themida, VMProtect), or samples where dynamic unpacking via debugging is more appropriate.
## Detection Gaps & Validation
