T1027.002sub-technique of T1027 Obfuscated Files or Information

Software Packing

Linux · macOS · Windowsnothing on this site yetT1027.002 on attack.mitre.org

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.

MITRE ATT&CK 19.2, retrieved 2026-09-12

how MITRE says to see it

Obfuscated Binary Unpacking Detection via Behavioral Patterns

  • Detection of unpacking behavior through abnormal memory allocation, followed by executable code injection and execution from non-image sections.
  • Correlates ELF file execution with high-entropy writable memory segments and self-modifying code patterns.
  • Detection of packed Mach-O binaries unpacking into memory and transferring control to dynamically modified code segments.

what reduces it

  • M1049 Antivirus/Antimalware. Employ heuristic-based malware detection. Ensure updated virus definitions and create custom signatures for observed malware.

the rest of T1027

The description, detection analytics and mitigations are reproduced from MITRE ATT&CK, version 19.2, under its terms of use. The checklists, hunts, labs and everything else linked here are this site’s.