Which component is responsible for producing mutation variants of the virus to evade detection?

• A. Mutation engine
• B. Decryptor routine
• C. Polymorphic viruses
• D. Encryption viruses

Answer: (A)

Mutating malware changes its appearance to slip past signature-based detections, and the mechanism that creates those new appearances is the mutation engine. It generates different versions of the virus by altering code structure, inserting junk instructions, or reworking the decryptor, all while keeping the original malicious behavior intact. This is why polymorphic malware relies on a mutation engine to produce varied forms over time.

The decryptor routine, by contrast, is the part that unlocks or decrypts the payload at runtime; it isn’t responsible for generating new variants. A polymorphic virus describes the mutation-capable family, but the actual producer of the variants is the mutation engine. Encryption viruses aren’t the mechanism for producing mutation variants.