Asynchronous Event Notification Handler for Security Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional computer security systems face inefficiencies in event detection and analysis, particularly in hardware virtualization environments, where suspending execution to analyze potential security threats can negatively impact user experience and may be bypassed by malicious software.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a notification handler to suspend and resume process execution based on event eligibility conditions, allowing asynchronous analysis of security events, reducing the need for immediate suspension and enhancing user experience while maintaining security through a dedicated event notification mechanism and control registers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional security systems suspend process execution to analyze security events, then security analysis can be performed, but user experience deteriorates due to execution interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary filtering of security events using eligibility conditions before full analysis. The notification handler evaluates events against predefined criteria (such as event type, source, or characteristics) and only queues events that meet the criteria for full security analysis. This preliminary action reduces the need to suspend execution for all events, improving user experience while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The security analysis process is segmented into two stages: (1) asynchronous notification and queueing for events meeting eligibility conditions, and (2) synchronous analysis only for high-priority events. This segmentation allows the system to handle routine events without suspending execution, reserving process suspension only for critical security threats, thus balancing security analysis with user experience.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If intrusive actions like hooking are used to detect events, then event detection capability is improved, but system stability and performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary notification handler that sits between the event source and the security analysis system. This handler receives events through a standardized interface (such as operating system notification mechanisms or hardware interrupts) rather than using intrusive hooking. The intermediary filters and formats events before passing them to the security analysis component, maintaining detection capability while avoiding the stability issues of direct hooking into system functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The event detection functionality is extracted from the core system operations and placed into a dedicated notification handler component. This extraction allows the handler to monitor events through legitimate system interfaces without requiring intrusive modifications to operating system functions. The separated architecture reduces the risk of system instability while maintaining comprehensive event detection capability.
3Reliability
If synchronous event analysis is performed, then security threats can be identified promptly, but system productivity deteriorates due to execution suspension
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic or event-driven analysis rather than continuous synchronous analysis. Events are queued asynchronously and analyzed at appropriate intervals or when resources are available. The notification handler processes events in batches or according to priority levels, allowing the system to maintain productivity while periodically performing security analysis. This periodic approach ensures threats are identified without continuously suspending execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuity of process execution by using asynchronous event queueing. Instead of suspending processes for analysis, events are logged and analyzed in the background while processes continue to execute. The security analysis operates continuously on queued events without interrupting the main system workflow, preserving productivity while maintaining threat identification capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Described systems and methods enable an efficient detection and analysis of software events, especially in hardware virtualization configurations. In some embodiments, certain types of events are analyzed asynchronously, in the sense that the triggering entity is allowed to continue execution while the respective event is added to a queue for later processing. Some embodiments modify the instruction set architecture of the processor by adding a processor instruction dedicated to delivering event notifications. Such notification instructions allow for complex and flexible event detection without some of the disadvantages of conventional methods such as hooking.