: Search for these hashes on VirusTotal to see if other security vendors have already flagged it as malicious.

: Disable the VM's internet connection (Host-Only mode) to prevent the malware from communicating with its Command & Control (C2) server. 2. Basic Static Analysis

To prevent accidental infection of your main system, you must use a .

: Use tools like Strings or PEstudio to look for human-readable text within the code, such as IP addresses, URLs, or suspicious registry keys. 3. Basic Dynamic Analysis

Static analysis involves examining the file without actually running it.

: Extract the ZIP (carefully) to see the actual files inside. Common malicious payloads include .exe , .vbs , .js , .lnk , or heavily obfuscated .iso / .img files designed to trick users.

This involves running the malware in your isolated VM to observe its behavior.