Metamorphic Code Engine using LLMs

A research prototype designed to generate metamorphic C code variants using Large Language Models (LLMs). This tool provides a graphical user interface to manage the entire lifecycle of code mutation, from prompt engineering and generation to compilation, analysis, and evaluation.

It supports both local models (via LM Studio) and cloud-based APIs (OpenAI, Grok) and was developed as part of a master's thesis on automated malware obfuscation.

✨ Key Features

• Dual LLM Support: Local models via LM Studio and cloud models such as GPT-4o and Grok
• Graphical User Interface: PyQt6-based GUI for full workflow control
• Real-time Editing: Modify code, instructions, and context on-the-fly
• Advanced Mutation Control:
  • Sequential Mode: Mutations evolve from the previous version
  • Base Mode: All mutations derive from the original base code
• Integrated Toolchain:
  • MinGW GCC compiler for Windows executables
  • VirusTotal API integration for evasion analysis
  • Statistical comparison using Levenshtein distance, entropy, complexity, and more
• Session Management: Automatic organization into timestamped folders

🏗️ Architecture Overview

• main.py — Application entry point
• gui.py & dialogs.py — GUI and dialogs
• core.py — LLM communication, prompts, and compilation
• config_manager.py — API keys and model configuration
• statistics_collector.py — Code diversity and complexity metrics
• virustotalcheck.py — VirusTotal API integration

📋 Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Git
• LM Studio (optional for local models)
• MinGW-w64 GCC (x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc.exe in PATH)

📦 Installation

• Clone the repository:

  git clone <your-repository-url>
  cd <repository-directory>

• Create virtual environment:

  python -m venv .venv

• Activate environment (Windows):

  .\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

• Activate environment (Linux/macOS):

  source .venv/bin/activate

• Upgrade pip:

  python -m pip install --upgrade pip

• Install dependencies:

  pip install -r requirements.txt

⚙️ Configuration

On first run, the application generates a config.ini file. Edit it to add API keys and configure local models.

[API_KEYS]
GPT = YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE
GEMINI = YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY_HERE
GROK = YOUR_API_KEY_HERE
COPILOT = YOUR_API_KEY_HERE
VIRUSTOTAL = YOUR_VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY_HERE

[LOCAL_MODELS]
model1 = mistralai/mistral-small-3.2
model2 = qwen/qwen3-coder-30b

🚀 Usage

python main.py

🧠 Model Selection

🖥️ Main Interface

Tabs allow editing of instructions, code, and context. The sidebar provides access to mutation control, compilation, statistics, and VirusTotal analysis.

📊 Statistics Collector

🦠 VirusTotal Analysis