Dynamic Email Attachment Delivery for Zero-Day Malware Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional email protection systems face delays in detecting and responding to zero-day malware attacks, as they rely on signature-based recognition, which can be resource-intensive and ineffective for real-time detection, especially when dealing with large volumes of content.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dynamic attachment delivery system that intercepts emails with potential threats, detaches the attachments for analysis, and reattaches them only if deemed safe, allowing for immediate delivery of the email to the recipient while assessing the attachment for malicious content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If signature-based malware protection is used, then detection accuracy is improved, but detection speed deteriorates due to delays in signature availability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by detaching and analyzing attachments before delivering the email to the recipient. The attachment is assessed in advance in a controlled environment, and only safe attachments are reattached to the delivered message. This preliminary analysis eliminates detection delays while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the email into two parts: the message body and the attachment. The attachment is separated, analyzed independently in a detonation chamber, and then reattached only if deemed safe. This segmentation allows parallel processing of the message and attachment analysis, improving detection speed without sacrificing accuracy.
2Loss of time
If behavioral analysis in a sandbox environment is used, then real-time detection is improved, but resource consumption deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the attachment from the email message and analyzes it separately in a controlled sandbox environment. This extraction allows the system to perform resource-intensive behavioral analysis only on the attachment, not the entire email, significantly reducing overall resource consumption while maintaining real-time detection capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the attachment to analyze in the sandbox environment, leaving the original attachment intact in the email. This copying approach allows safe execution of resource-intensive analysis on the copy while the original remains available for delivery if the copy is deemed safe, optimizing resource usage.
3Productivity
If traditional engine-based protection is used, then scalability is improved, but detection effectiveness against advanced attacks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two approaches: signature-based filtering for quick identification of known threats and behavioral analysis in a sandbox for detecting advanced zero-day attacks. This combination maintains scalability through automated signature matching while improving detection effectiveness against sophisticated threats that evade traditional engines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary analysis layer (the detonation chamber) between the incoming email and the recipient. This intermediary performs both signature-based and behavioral analysis, acting as a mediator that enhances detection effectiveness while maintaining system scalability through automated decision-making processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Technologies are described for dynamic attachment delivery in emails for advanced malicious content filtering. An email service may intercept emails with attachments (or other threats such as links, embedded objects, etc.) and detach the threat (e.g., attachment) from the email allowing the email to be forwarded to the recipient without delay. The threat may be sequestered and analyzed. If the threat is determined to be harmless, it may be reattached to the email and the client notified so they can open the attachment, activate the link, or perform comparable actions.