Polymorphic malware
Polymorphic malware is malware that changes each instance to avoid detection. It typically has two parts: the decryptor and the encrypted program body. Each instance can encrypt the malware program differently and hence has a different decryptor; however, once decrypted, the same malware code is executed. (contrast with metamorphic malware).
Definitions
According to the CyBOK (version 1),
- Polymorphic malware. Malware that changes each instance to avoid detection. It typically has two parts: the decryptor and the encrypted program body. Each instance can encrypt the malware program differently and hence has a different decryptor; however, once decrypted, the same malware code is executed. (contrast with metamorphic malware).