Detecting Mac Address

Virtualbox and VMware use specific virtual Mac address that can be detected by Malware.

The usual mac address used by Virtualbox starts with the following number: 08:00:27.
The usual mac address used by VMware starts with the following numbers: 00:0C:29, 00:1C:14, 00:50:56, 00:05:69.

Malware can use this simple trick to detect if it is running in a virtual environment and decide to not run properly.

Technique Identifiers

U1335 B0009.028

Evasion Categories

Sandbox Evasion

Code Snippets

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "net"
    "strings"
)

func getMacAddr() ([]string, error) {
    ifas, err := net.Interfaces()
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    var as []string
    for _, ifa := range ifas {
        a := ifa.HardwareAddr.String()
        if a != "" {
            as = append(as, a)
        }
    }
    return as, nil
}

func main() {
    // Blacklist VM mac address
    var macvm = []string{"08:00:27", "00:0C:29", "00:1C:14", "00:50:56", "00:05:69"}

    as, err := getMacAddr()
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    for i, s:= range macvm {
        for _, a := range as {
            str := strings.ToUpper(a)
            if str[0:8] == s[0:8] {
                fmt.Println("VM detected!")
		fmt.Println(i, s)
            } 
         }
    }
}

About Author Open Snippet

Author: Thomas Roccia (fr0gger) / Target Platform: Windows

using System.Net.NetworkInformation;

/*
String[] vmMacAddresses =
{
    "08:00:27",
    "00:0C:29",
    "00:1C:14",
    "00:50:56",
    "00:05:69",
};
*/

var vmMacAddresses = new Dictionary<string, string>();

vmMacAddresses.Add("08:00:27", "VirtualBox");
vmMacAddresses.Add("00:0C:29", "VMWare");
vmMacAddresses.Add("00:1C:14", "VMWare");
vmMacAddresses.Add("00:50:56", "VMWare");
vmMacAddresses.Add("00:05:69", "VMWare");
// Add other ones bellow...

foreach (NetworkInterface netInterface in NetworkInterface.GetAllNetworkInterfaces())
{
    PhysicalAddress physicalAddress = netInterface.GetPhysicalAddress();
    if (physicalAddress == null)
    {
        continue;
    }

    String mac = String.Join(":", (from b in physicalAddress.GetAddressBytes().Take(3) select b.ToString("X2")));

    if (vmMacAddresses.ContainsKey(mac))
    {
        throw new Exception(
            String.Format("{0} Detected from its MAC Address.", vmMacAddresses.GetValueOrDefault(mac))            
        );
    }

    Console.WriteLine("No VM Detected :)");
}

About Author Open Snippet

Author: Jean-Pierre LESUEUR (DarkCoderSc) / Target Platform: Windows

Additional Resources

External Links

The resources provided below are associated links that will give you even more detailed information and research on current evasion technique. It is important to note that, while these resources may be helpful, it is important to exercise caution when following external links. As always, be careful when clicking on links from unknown sources, as they may lead to malicious content.

An Overview of Malware Self-Defense and Protection | McAfee Blog

Created

March 11, 2019

Last Revised

March 24, 2026