{
  "type": "attack-pattern",
  "spec_version": "2.1",
  "id": "attack-pattern--deb98323-e13f-4b0c-8d94-175379069062",
  "created": "2020-02-05T14:17:46.686Z",
  "created_by_ref": "identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5",
  "revoked": false,
  "external_references": [
    {
      "source_name": "mitre-attack",
      "url": "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1027/002",
      "external_id": "T1027.002"
    },
    {
      "source_name": "Awesome Executable Packing",
      "description": "Alexandre D'Hondt. (n.d.). Awesome Executable Packing. Retrieved March 11, 2022.",
      "url": "https://github.com/dhondta/awesome-executable-packing"
    },
    {
      "source_name": "ESET FinFisher Jan 2018",
      "description": "Kafka, F. (2018, January). ESET's Guide to Deobfuscating and Devirtualizing FinFisher. Retrieved August 12, 2019.",
      "url": "https://www.welivesecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/WP-FinFisher.pdf"
    }
  ],
  "object_marking_refs": [
    "marking-definition--fa42a846-8d90-4e51-bc29-71d5b4802168"
  ],
  "modified": "2026-05-12T15:12:00.722Z",
  "name": "Software Packing",
  "description": "Adversaries may perform software packing or virtual machine software protection to conceal their code. Software packing is a method of compressing or encrypting an executable. Packing an executable changes the file signature in an attempt to avoid signature-based detection. Most decompression techniques decompress the executable code in memory. Virtual machine software protection translates an executable's original code into a special format that only a special virtual machine can run. A virtual machine is then called to run this code.(Citation: ESET FinFisher Jan 2018) \n\nUtilities used to perform software packing are called packers. Example packers are MPRESS and UPX. A more comprehensive list of known packers is available, but adversaries may create their own packing techniques that do not leave the same artifacts as well-known packers to evade defenses.(Citation: Awesome Executable Packing)  ",
  "kill_chain_phases": [
    {
      "kill_chain_name": "mitre-attack",
      "phase_name": "stealth"
    }
  ],
  "x_mitre_attack_spec_version": "3.3.0",
  "x_mitre_contributors": [
    "Filip Kafka, ESET"
  ],
  "x_mitre_deprecated": false,
  "x_mitre_domains": [
    "enterprise-attack"
  ],
  "x_mitre_is_subtechnique": true,
  "x_mitre_modified_by_ref": "identity--c78cb6e5-0c4b-4611-8297-d1b8b55e40b5",
  "x_mitre_platforms": [
    "Linux",
    "macOS",
    "Windows"
  ],
  "x_mitre_version": "2.0"
}