Homoglyph Attack Detection in Augmented Reality Code Review
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current development environments are vulnerable to homoglyph attacks, where malicious Unicode characters that appear identical to standard characters can deceive human reviewers, leading to source code attacks.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for detecting homoglyph attacks in augmented reality displays by building a homoglyph pattern repository and using an attack detector client to identify non-coding script characters that are homoglyphs of coding script characters, alerting users and allowing them to replace such characters to prevent malicious code execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Unicode characters are used in source code, then character diversity and internationalization are improved, but vulnerability to homoglyph attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection system that sits between the source code and the reviewer. This system analyzes Unicode characters in the code, identifies homoglyph pairs, and alerts reviewers before they can be deceived. The intermediary validates character authenticity without preventing the use of diverse Unicode characters in the code itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs visual differentiation techniques where detected homoglyph characters are highlighted or colored differently in the augmented reality display. This allows reviewers to immediately distinguish between legitimate Unicode characters and potential homoglyph attacks through visual cues, maintaining character diversity while preventing deception.
2Reliability
If code review processes are enhanced to detect homoglyphs, then security is improved, but review time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs homoglyph detection automatically during the code review process before final approval. By implementing preliminary detection of suspicious Unicode characters and presenting findings to reviewers via augmented reality, the system prevents time-consuming manual inspection of each character while maintaining high security standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection of Unicode characters with an automated detection system using augmented reality technology. The system automatically analyzes code for homoglyphs and presents findings to reviewers, eliminating the need for manual character-by-character verification while improving both speed and accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If manual inspection of Unicode characters is performed, then detection accuracy is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with an automated augmented reality-based detection system. The system uses algorithms to identify homoglyph pairs and presents them to reviewers with visual indicators, maintaining high detection accuracy while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating tedious manual character inspection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the code display through augmented reality, overlaying detection results on top of the original code. This allows reviewers to see both the original code and the detection findings simultaneously without switching between views, maintaining accuracy while improving workflow efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for detection of a homoglyph attack in code reviewed in an augmented reality display. A determination is made whether a line of code of source code includes a non-coding script character in a non-coding script that is a homoglyph of a coding script character in a coding script as indicated in a homoglyph pair. Valid statements in a computer language in which the source code is written are formed from characters in the coding script and not from characters in the non-coding script. In response to determining that the line of code includes the non-coding script character in the homoglyph pair, transmitting information on the homoglyph pair to cause the augmented reality display to render information on indication of the homoglyph.