1. Automated Malware Analysis : Runs suspicious files in an isolated environment to analyze their behavior.
2. Comprehensive Reports : Generates detailed reports on system changes, network activity, and file modifications.
3. Memory Dumping : Captures memory dumps of malware processes for deeper forensic analysis.
4. Network Traffic Monitoring : Records network traffic in PCAP format for further investigation.
5. Screenshots & Logging : Takes screenshots during execution and logs system interactions.
6. Cross-Platform Support : Works with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS environments.
7. Customizable Plugins : Allows users to extend functionality with custom modules.

Cuckoo Sandbox works by running suspicious files in an isolated virtual environment to analyze their behavior. Here's a simplified breakdown of how it operates :

1. File Submission: Users submit a file (such as an executable or document) for analysis.
2. Virtual Machine Execution: The file is executed inside a controlled virtual machine (VM) that mimics a real system.
3. Behavior Monitoring: Cuckoo tracks system changes, network activity, API calls, and file modifications.
4. Memory Dumping: It captures memory dumps to analyze malware behavior at a deeper level.
5. Network Traffic Analysis: It records network traffic in PCAP format to detect communication with malicious servers.
6. Report Generation: After execution, Cuckoo generates a detailed report outlining the file's behavior.

• Malware Detection: Identifies and analyzes suspicious files for malicious behavior.
• Threat Intelligence: Helps organizations understand malware tactics and improve defenses.
• Incident Response: Assists security teams in investigating breaches and identifying attack vectors.
• Security Research: Enables researchers to study malware behavior in a controlled environment.
• Forensic Analysis: Provides detailed reports on system changes, network activity, and memory dumps.

1. File Submission: Users submit a file (such as an executable or document) for analysis.
2. Virtual Machine Execution: The file runs inside an isolated virtual machine (VM).
3. Behavior Monitoring: Tracks system changes, network activity, API calls, and file modifications.
4. Memory Dumping: Captures memory dumps for deeper forensic analysis.
5. Network Traffic Analysis: Records network traffic in PCAP format to detect malicious communication.
6. Report Generation: Produces a detailed report outlining the file’s behavior.

• libffi-dev
• libssl-dev
• libjpeg-dev
• zlib1g-dev
• swig (For M2Crypto)
• libcap2-bin (For privilege management)

Terminal Installation Commands ...
GUI Installation Steps ...

Linux

1. Create a dedicated user for running Cuckoo : sudo adduser cuckoo

1. If using VirtualBox, add the user to the vboxusers group : sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers cuckoo

1. If using KVM/libvirt, add the user to the libvirtd group : sudo usermod -a -G libvirtd cuckoo
2. Upgrade pip and setuptools : sudo pip install -U pip setuptools
3. Install Cuckoo : sudo pip install -U cuckoo
4. (Recommended) Install in a virtual environment :

$ virtualenv venv

$ . venv/bin/activate

$ pip install -U pip setuptools

$ pip install -U cuckoo

5. Install dependencies :

$ sudo apt-get install python python-sqlalchemy python-bson python-dpkt python-jinja2 python-magic python-pymongo python-gridfs python-libvirt python-bottle python-pefile bridge-utils python-pyrex

6. Install packet-sniffing tools :

$ sudo apt-get install tcpdump

$ sudo setcap cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin=eip /usr/sbin/tcpdump

Windows

1. Install Python (Cuckoo requires Python 2.7) :
• Download Python 2.7 from Python's official site.
• Install it and ensure pip is included.
2. Install dependencies: Open Command Prompt and run :

$ pip install -U pip setuptools

$ pip install -U cuckoo

3. Install Virtualization Software :
• Install VirtualBox or VMware for running virtual machines.
• Configure a Windows VM with Guest Additions installed.
4. Configure Cuckoo :
• Initialize Cuckoo : cuckoo init
• Set up the configuration file (cuckoo.conf) to define VM settings.
5. Install TCPDump (for network monitoring) : pip install pcapy
6. Start Cuckoo : cuckoo

MacOS

1. Install Homebrew (if not already installed) :

$ /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Install Python (Cuckoo requires Python 2.7, but newer versions may work) : brew install python@2
3. Install dependencies :

$ pip install -U pip setuptools

$ pip install -U cuckoo

4. Install Virtualization Software :
• Install VirtualBox or VMware for running virtual machines.
• Configure a macOS VM with Guest Additions installed.
5. Configure Cuckoo :
• Initialize Cuckoo : cuckoo init
• Set up the configuration file (cuckoo.conf) to define VM settings.
6. Install TCPDump (for network monitoring) :

$ brew install tcpdump

$ sudo chmod +s /usr/sbin/tcpdump

7. Start Cuckoo : cuckoo

Terminal Uninstallation Commands ...
GUI Uninstallation Steps ...

Linux

1. Deactivate virtual environment (if used) : deactivate
2. Uninstall Cuckoo : sudo pip uninstall cuckoo
3. Remove dependencies :

$ sudo apt-get remove --purge python-sqlalchemy python-bson python-dpkt python-jinja2 python-magic python-pymongo python-gridfs python-libvirt python-bottle python-pefile bridge-utils python-pyrex

4. Delete the Cuckoo user : sudo deluser cuckoo
5. Remove configuration files : rm -rf ~/.cuckoo

Windows

1. Stop Cuckoo : cuckoo stop
2. Uninstall Cuckoo : pip uninstall cuckoo
3. Remove dependencies : pip uninstall pcapy setuptools
4. Delete configuration files : rmdir /s /q %USERPROFILE%\.cuckoo

MacOS

1. Stop Cuckoo : cuckoo stop
2. Uninstall Cuckoo : pip uninstall cuckoo
3. Remove dependencies :

$ pip uninstall setuptools

$ brew uninstall python@2 tcpdump

4. Delete configuration files : rm -rf ~/.cuckoo