Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Identify the malware component that compresses the malware file by converting it into an unreadable format.

1. Encryptor

2. Packer

3. Decryptor

4. Trojan

The correct answer is: Packer

The correct choice is the component known as the packer, which is designed to compress malware files, making them harder to detect and analyze. When malware is packed, it is transformed into an unreadable format, which serves two primary purposes: reducing the file size for easier distribution and obfuscating the code so that security software may struggle to recognize the malicious content. This technique is often employed by malware authors to evade detection by antivirus programs and to make reverse engineering more challenging for security analysts. Other components such as encryptors typically encode the malware's contents using encryption algorithms, which protect the data during transit or storage but do not necessarily focus on compression. A decryptor, as the name implies, is used to reverse the effects of encryption. Meanwhile, a Trojan refers to a type of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate application but doesn't inherently focus on the compression or unreadability of the file. Each of these plays distinct roles in the malware ecosystem, but the packer is specifically responsible for compressing files into unreadable formats.