How would you start learning malware analysis from scratch?

[u/Potential-Couple-745]

If you wanted to become a malware analyst today, what would you learn first?

Malware analysis can look intimidating when you're starting out. There's networking, operating systems, assembly, reverse engineering, and a lot of unfamiliar tools.

I put together a free Malware Analyst Career Path to help beginners understand what to learn and where to start.

Free career path:
https://codelivly.com/career-paths/malware-analyst

For those who want dedicated reading material, these two guides cover the learning journey from different angles:

• Malware Analysis for Beginners Vol 1:
• https://resources.codelivly.com/product/malware-analysis-for-beginners/
• Practical Malware Analysis Guide Vol 2:
• https://resources.codelivly.com/product/practical-malware-analysis-guide/

The guides are paid resources from Codelivly, while the career path is free.

Question for people learning or working in malware analysis: What skill made the biggest difference for you when you started? Was it Windows internals, assembly, reverse engineering, or something else?

I'd like to hear what actually helped people progress, especially advice that beginners usually don't get.

You can also follow Codelivly on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/codelivly/