File Stream Blocking via Initial Portion Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current techniques for identifying malicious files in networks are time-consuming and resource-intensive, often resulting in false positives and negatives, and require processing the entire file, which slows down network traffic and consumes computing resources.
Innovation Solution
A network device that processes an initial portion of a file stream to determine if it is a known benign file, and if not, uses a machine learning model to analyze features of the file to determine if it is malicious, thereby blocking or allowing the file stream without needing to process the entire file.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the entire file is processed to identify malicious behavior, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the network traffic speed decreases and computing resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the file processing into segments by analyzing only the initial portion (e.g., first 1024 bytes) of the file rather than processing the entire file. This segmentation allows the system to make detection decisions quickly based on the initial analysis, thereby maintaining network traffic speed while achieving sufficient detection accuracy for malicious file identification.
2Measurement precision
If the entire file is processed to identify malicious behavior, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the computing resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary initial portion of the file for analysis instead of processing the entire file. By taking out just the initial segment (e.g., first 1024 bytes), the system reduces computing resource consumption significantly while still maintaining the ability to detect malicious files with acceptable accuracy.
3Reliability
If traditional malware detection methods are used, then the security coverage is improved, but the false positive rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of analysis depth by focusing on the initial portion of the file rather than the entire file. This parameter change allows the system to achieve better detection accuracy with fewer false positives, as the initial portion analysis reduces the likelihood of misinterpreting legitimate file structures while maintaining security coverage through the use of machine learning models trained on file characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A network device may be configured to receive a file stream associated with an file. The network device may be configured to identify, based on receiving the file stream, an initial portion of the file. The network device may be configured to process the initial portion of the file to determine one or more features of the file. The network device may be configured to generate, based on the one or more features of the file, a determination as to whether the file is malicious. The network device may be configured to block or allow, based on the determination, the file stream.