Antivirus Update Sandboxing for Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The rapid update cycle of anti-virus software often results in instability issues due to potential errors, especially when updates are not thoroughly tested across diverse computer system configurations, leading to crashes, false positives, and disruptions in malware detection and removal processes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a sandbox environment to test updates before applying them to the main anti-virus system, where control tests are run using known clean and malicious files to ensure the updated module functions correctly, preventing normal scanning if tests fail and alerting the provider of issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If anti-virus software updates are applied rapidly to keep up with new malware threats, then the responsiveness and effectiveness of malware detection is improved, but system stability and reliability deteriorate due to potential errors in updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a sandbox environment where updates are tested before being applied to the main anti-virus system. Control tests are executed in advance using known clean and malicious files to verify update functionality, preventing unstable updates from reaching production and thus maintaining both rapid update capability and system reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The sandbox environment serves as an intermediary between update deployment and main system operation. This intermediate testing layer allows updates to be validated in isolation before integration, resolving the contradiction by enabling fast updates while filtering out unreliable ones through the mediating test environment
2Reliability
If comprehensive testing across diverse computer system configurations is performed before updating, then update reliability is improved, but the time required for quality assurance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the testing process from the main update deployment workflow by implementing it in a separate sandbox environment. This extraction allows testing to occur in parallel and independently, reducing the time impact on production systems while maintaining comprehensive quality checks across diverse configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The sandbox creates a copy of the testing environment that mirrors production conditions without affecting actual system operations. By copying the essential test capabilities into an isolated environment, comprehensive testing can be performed without time penalties to the main system, resolving the contradiction between thorough testing and quick deployment
3Reliability
If the anti-virus software runs at a high system level to effectively detect and remove malware, then detection capability is improved, but the impact of update errors on system stability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by preparing a rollback mechanism and alternative engine versions before deploying updates. If an update causes system disruption, the system can revert to the previous stable version, cushioning the impact of high-level operations going wrong and allowing the system to maintain both high detection capability and stability
Data Source
AI summary
A method of updating an anti-virus application including an updatable module running on a client terminal. The method includes receiving an update at the client terminal, initializing the updatable module within a sandbox environment and applying the update to the updatable module. Control tests are then run on the updated sandboxed module and if the control tests are passed, the updated module is brought out of the sandbox environment and normal scanning is allowed to proceed using the updated module. If the control tests are not passed, however, normal scanning using the updated module is prevented.