Collaborative Work in Malware Analysis: Understanding the Roles and Challenges of Malware Analysts

Malware analysis provides useful information for defending organizations against the growing number of cyberattacks. To leverage such information to enhance security, malware analysts are expected to collaborate with members of their own and other teams. However, there has been insufficient research into their actual collaboration and communication. Furthermore, given that challenges in their communication can lead to critical errors, it is imperative to understand and mitigate these challenges. We interviewed 15 malware analysts to explore their roles, collaborators, and communication means and challenges. We found that the roles within malware analysis teams are diverse and identified the roles and collaborations in which analysts leverage malware analysis knowledge effectively. We also identified several key communication challenges, including difficulties in aligning understanding in collaborative analysis and low motivation for information sharing. On the basis of our findings, we provide recommendations to address each communication challenge.