Documentation

capa – command line malware analysis tool

capa is a command line malware analysis tool.

It examines executable files and related analysis reports to identify behaviors such as persistence, command execution, file system access, network communication, encryption, anti-analysis checks, and other capabilities commonly relevant to reverse engineering and threat intelligence work.

This is free and open source software.

Key Features

  • Analyzes PE, ELF, .NET modules, shellcode, and supported sandbox reports.
  • Reports identified behavior using capability namespaces and MITRE ATT&CK mappings.
  • Offers verbose output that shows the evidence and locations behind each match.
  • Includes capa Explorer Web for interactively reviewing results in a browser.
  • Supports static analysis and dynamic capability detection from CAPE, DRAKVUF, and VMRay reports.
  • Uses a YAML-based rule format that can be extended with custom rules.
  • Integrates with reverse engineering workflows through IDA Pro and Ghidra support.
  • Cross-platform support – runs under Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Website: github.com/mandiant/capa
Support:
Developer: Mandiant
License: Apache License 2.0

capa flags

capa is written in Python. Learn Python with our recommended free books and free tutorials.


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