Automating Pikabot’s String Deobfuscation

This technical analysis details Pikabot's string obfuscation and decryption workflow: strings are RC4-decrypted individually, post-processed with a Base64 step that substitutes '_' for '=', then decrypted with AES-CBC using a consistent key/IV. The report explains heuristics and IDA microcode-based methods to extract the AES key/IV, RC4 encrypted arrays and their sizes, and RC4 keys, noting challenges and validation checks used to ensure correct recovery of plaintext strings.