Learn More About Malware Analysis Tools
How to Buy Malware Analysis Tools
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Malware Analysis Tools
Whether a company is looking to buy its first malware analysis tool or switching to a new solution—wherever a business is in its buying process, g2.com can help select the best tool to suit the organization’s requirements.
The organization’s security professionals team should think about the pain points and jot them down, and these should be used to help create a criteria checklist. The business pain points might be related to the functionalities the tool must have to meet expectations. Besides technical and performance considerations, the team must also take into account how the new solution can add value to the existing security stack of the company. The checklist is a detailed guide that includes security requirements, necessary and nice-to-have features, budget, number of users, integrations, cloud or on-premises solutions, etc.
Depending on the scope of the deployment, it might be helpful to produce a request for information (RFI), a one-page list with a few bullet points describing what is needed from the malware analysis tool.
Compare Malware Analysis Tools Products
Create a long list
Vendor evaluations are essential to the software buying process, from meeting the business functionality needs to implementation. It helps to prepare a consistent list of questions regarding specific requirements and concerns to ask each vendor. The buyer may choose between an open-source or a closed-source tool.
The malware analysis products should be evaluated based on the following major parameters:
User-friendly interface: Malware analysis is not an easy task. As such, the tools for this job should come with a couple of user-friendly features which make the job of malware analysts as easy as possible. The tools should provide easy-to-use customizable features to help them stay organized.
Extensive library of malware variants: It becomes imperative for the tool to have large threat repositories of malware samples to help in the easy identification of different kinds of malware that can infect the system. The tools used for malware analysis typically use signature-based detection, which scans the database for artifacts of known malware families. Malware can go undetected if there is no record of the same variant in the database.
Automation: Without automation capabilities, malware detection can become tedious and error-prone even as evasive and advanced malware are becoming more common. To ensure higher accuracy, it is desirable to have additional automation capabilities within the tool as compared to a regular malware analysis solution. The organization can benefit from tools that incorporate machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in malware detection and analysis. ML is not limited to signature-based analysis. Machine learning algorithms help in behavior-based malware detection through the evaluation of objects for malicious behavior by identifying patterns and trends.
Create a short list
From the long list of vendors, narrowing down the list of contenders is pragmatic. Buyers must read user reviews, view ratings on the G2 Grid for the malware analysis software category and read useability ratings. Buyers can compare the features offered by different products, such as decompilation, disassembly, assembly, graphing, and scripting, along with various other features. It is also recommended to compare the pricing structure of various solutions to shorten the list to a handful of contenders.
Conduct demos
While extensive documentation and tutorials are available on vendor websites, it is beneficial to request the provider for a live demo to have a better understanding of their offering. During each demo, buyers must ask questions and get clarifications on different use cases to best evaluate how each vendor stacks up against the competition.
Selection of Malware Analysis Tools
Choose a selection team
Before getting started, creating a winning team that will work together throughout the entire process, from identifying pain points to implementation, is essential. The selection team should consist of organization members with the right interest, skills, and time to participate in this process. A good starting point is to aim for three to five people who fill the required roles. This may include the primary decision maker, cyber security incident response professional, technical lead, and IT administrator.
Users must make sure that the selection team takes productivity-driven data into account. The selection process should involve comparing notes, facts, and figures noted during the process, such as the availability of advanced capabilities, usability, and security features.
Negotiation
It is important to discuss with the vendor their pricing structure, subscription fees, and licensing costs. For instance, the vendor may be willing to give a discount for multi-year contracts or for recommending the tool to other users.
Final decision
Selecting a vendor that has a strategy aligned with the company’s security objectives will accelerate growth. Before going all in, it is recommended to roll out a test run or pilot program to test adoption with a small sample size of users. If the tool is well used and received, the buyer can be confident that the selection is correct. If not, it might be time to evaluate other offerings.
