Sometimes there is a need to analyse files in a live environment where their composition and provenance may not be entirely certain. For the most part we can try to reply on virus detection and heuristics to detect potentially malicious files, but what about those files which have not yet been identified, or have been specifically crafted for your organisation as a targeted attack?
Note: I have updated this article to reflect the current installation requirements for Cuckoo on Ubuntu 18.04 (as at 22nd Feb 2021).