How to Install REMnux on VirtualBox

REMnux is a free and open-source reverse engineering and malware analysis-oriented Linux distribution based on Ubuntu 20.04. It’s a crowd favorite among professional malware analysts due to being modular and feature-rich.

If you’re looking to kickstart your journey as a malware analyst, having REMnux in your arsenal is a must. Let’s learn how you can install REMnux on VirtualBox.

Download the REMnux Virtual Appliance

A virtual appliance is a pre-built and portable virtual machine file that you can use on the go without having to dabble with configurations.

The REMnux Open Virtualization Appliance (OVA) is about 5GB in size, so make sure you have a stable internet connection before starting the download. Once downloaded, you will need to load it on VirtualBox.

Download: REMnux VirtualBox Image (Free)

Add the REMnux Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

Once the OVA file has been downloaded, fire up a new instance of VirtualBox. Click on Import and navigate to the directory where you’ve stored the REMnux OVA file. Select it and configure the settings of the machine as per your requirement.

Once done, confirm the settings, and REMnux virtual machine should be loaded. Boot up the virtual machine and try out a few commands.

That’s all the steps needed to install and set up REMnux Linux in VirtualBox.

Get Started With Malware Analysis on VirtualBox

Windows-targeted malware makes up a large portion of the entire pool of malware floating on the internet. Most of the malware you will encounter as an analyst target Windows machines. Therefore, you must have a Windows virtual machine at your disposal to experiment with malware.

A crucial phase of malware analysis is dynamic analysis, where the malware is triggered in a live environment. This would not be possible without a Windows virtual machine and therefore, it’s important to learn how to create a Windows virtual machine.