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A polymorphic engine (sometimes called mutation engine or mutating engine) is a software component that uses polymorphic code to alter the payload while preserving the same functionality. Polymorphic engines are used almost exclusively in malware , with the purpose of being harder for antivirus software to detect.
For the code to function as before, a decryption function is added to the code. When the code is executed, this function reads the payload and decrypts it before executing it in turn. Encryption alone is not polymorphism. To gain polymorphic behavior, the encryptor/decryptor pair is mutated with each copy of the code.
Self-modifying code is also sometimes used by programs that do not want to reveal their presence, such as computer viruses and some shellcodes. Viruses and shellcodes that use self-modifying code mostly do this in combination with polymorphic code. Modifying a piece of running code is also used in certain attacks, such as buffer overflows.
Metamorphic code is used by computer viruses to avoid the pattern recognition of anti-virus software.Metamorphic viruses often translate their own binary code into a temporary representation, editing the temporary representation of themselves and then translate the edited form back to machine code again. [1]
Composition over inheritance (or composite reuse principle) in object-oriented programming (OOP) is the principle that classes should favor polymorphic behavior and code reuse by their composition (by containing instances of other classes that implement the desired functionality) over inheritance from a base or parent class. [2]
The Smeg Virus Construction Kit (or SMEG) is a polymorphic engine written by virus writer Chris Pile, known as The Black Baron. SMEG is an acronym for Simulated Metamorphic Encryption Generator. SMEG is an acronym for Simulated Metamorphic Encryption Generator.
A polymorphic packer is a file binder with a polymorphic engine. It thus has the ability to make its payload mutate over time, so it is more difficult to detect and remove. [ citation needed ]
However, some developers may employ code obfuscation for the purpose of reducing file size or increasing security. The average user may not expect their antivirus software to provide alerts about an otherwise harmless piece of code, especially from trusted corporations, so such a feature may actually deter users from using legitimate software.