Anti-Virus File Format Validation and Regeneration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Computer systems face challenges in resisting the spread of unwanted code, such as viruses, which can infect machines and spread through email systems, causing bandwidth wastage and performing unwanted actions like erasing files.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an anti-virus (AV) application that analyzes incoming electronic files against predefined formats, scrambles executable code, and regenerates files to conform to known formats, preventing viruses from infecting the operating system and ensuring only safe data is processed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional antivirus scanning is used to detect viruses, then virus detection capability is improved, but system processing speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by analyzing and validating file formats before files are fully processed or executed. The conformity analyzing device checks incoming files against predetermined formats at the point of entry, preventing non-conforming files from entering the system in the first place. This proactive approach eliminates the need for continuous scanning of files during processing, thereby maintaining high system processing speed while ensuring virus detection capability.
2Reliability
If all incoming files are scanned and analyzed, then virus protection is improved, but bandwidth consumption deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing only the non-conforming portions of files rather than processing or blocking entire files. The conformity analyzing device identifies and extracts only the specific data portions that do not match predetermined formats, allowing conforming portions to pass through unchanged. This selective approach provides virus protection by blocking only harmful non-conforming data while minimizing bandwidth consumption by not retransmitting or processing entire files.
3Reliability
If file format validation is performed on all incoming data, then data security is improved, but processing time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing format validation at the point of data entry, before files are stored or processed by the operating system. The conformity analyzing device validates files against predetermined formats immediately upon receipt, preventing non-conforming files from entering the system. This upfront validation ensures data security without adding processing time to subsequent file operations, as files are already validated before normal processing begins.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for resisting spread of unwanted code and data without scanning incoming electronic files for unwanted code and data, the method comprising the steps, performed by a computer system, includes receiving, at the computer system, an incoming electronic file containing content data encoded and arranged in accordance with a predetermined file type corresponding to a set of rules, determining a purported predetermined file type of the incoming electronic file by analysing the encoded and arranged content data, the purported predetermined file type and the associated set of rules specifying allowable content data for the purported predetermined file type, parsing the content data by dividing the content data into separate parts in accordance with a predetermined data format identified by the associated set of rules corresponding to the purported predetermined file type and determining nonconforming data in the content data by identifying content data that does not conform to the purported predetermined file format, and if the separate parts of the content data do conform to the predetermined data format, regenerating the allowable parsed content data to create a substitute regenerated electronic file in the purported predetermined file type by extracting the separate parts that do conform and putting them into the substitute regenerated electronic file.