Endpoint Malware Pattern Detection for Early Breach Warning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network security tools struggle to detect sustained and targeted malware attacks across a large, complex attack surface, failing to provide early warning of potential breaches despite successful detection and resolution of individual incidents.
Innovation Solution
A system that identifies patterns of sequential malware tool usage across multiple endpoints, grouping indicators of breach to detect progressive deployment of malware, particularly for ransomware attacks, and notifies customers of potential breaches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual malware detections are resolved using traditional security tools, then individual attacks are detected and blocked, but sustained and targeted attack sequences across the network remain undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual malware detection signals into a unified attack pattern analysis system. By merging detection data from various endpoints and correlating them through a common threat intelligence platform, the system identifies coordinated attack sequences that individual tools would miss, thereby maintaining high reliability while gaining adaptability to sophisticated multi-stage attacks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a threat intelligence platform as an intermediary between individual malware detection tools and the overall security response. This intermediary correlates detection signals, identifies attack patterns, and provides contextual analysis, enabling the system to detect sustained targeted attacks while maintaining the effectiveness of individual detection tools
2Reliability
If security monitoring is implemented across the entire network attack surface, then comprehensive threat detection is achieved, but the complexity of analyzing and responding to threats increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex network security monitoring task into manageable components: individual endpoint detection, centralized signal aggregation, attack pattern correlation, and contextual analysis. This segmentation allows comprehensive coverage of the attack surface while reducing analysis complexity by breaking down the overwhelming data into structured, analyzable units with clear relationships
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional threat intelligence platform that performs multiple functions: collecting detection signals, correlating attack patterns, providing contextual analysis, and guiding response actions. This universal system handles the complexity of comprehensive monitoring through a single integrated platform rather than multiple separate tools, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining complete coverage
3Reliability
If traditional security tools detect and resolve individual malware incidents, then immediate threats are neutralized, but early warning of sustained targeted attacks is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by detecting and analyzing attack patterns before they culminate in successful breaches. By identifying coordinated sequences of malware deployments and correlating them across endpoints, the system provides early warning of sustained targeted attacks, enabling proactive security measures to be taken before the attack succeeds, thus gaining critical warning time while maintaining effective incident response
Data Source
AI summary
Malware detections are received from a plurality of endpoints in one or more enterprise networks. A first and second set of indicators of breach may be identified from the malware detections and, where appropriate, grouped by specific customers. The pattern of progressive deployment of malware directed toward a customer can then be used as a basis for identifying generalized targeting of the customer, or extended staging for a specific attack on the customer such as a ransomware attack.