' Step 4: Execute CreateThread 0, 0, ptr, 0, 0, 0
To understand VBA-RunPE, you must understand three key components: , Process Hollowing/Injection logic , and Payload Encoding . vba-runpe
| Security Layer | Bypass Technique | | :--- | :--- | | | Payload never written to disk; only memory-resident. | | Application whitelisting | Injects into a whitelisted process (e.g., notepad.exe ). | | Network proxies | Payload can be embedded directly; no download required. | | Script-based detection | VBA code is heavily obfuscated; APIs are dynamically resolved. | | AMSI (Antimalware Scan Interface) | Partial bypass via obfuscation or using low-level ntdll calls. | ' Step 4: Execute CreateThread 0, 0, ptr,
: Macros are often heavily obfuscated to hide the names of sensitive APIs like WriteProcessMemory . | | Network proxies | Payload can be
The implementation typically follows these steps using Windows API calls (via KERNEL32 and NTDLL ):
: Adjust the entry point and thread context so that when the process is resumed, it executes the injected code instead of the original. Why It Is a "Game Changer"