Hardware-Level Security Agent for Self-Modifying Malware Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security systems struggle to effectively detect and neutralize self-modifying malware, as traditional methods operate within the operating system's kernel mode and are susceptible to evasion by malware that can alter its own code and behavior, making detection and eradication challenging.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a security agent that operates below the operating system level, trapping and analyzing memory accesses to detect suspicious behavior, and modifying malicious code in real-time to prevent its execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional anti-malware security techniques operating at user- or kernel-mode level are used, then security software can filter and neutralize malware, but self-modifying malware can evade detection by altering its code and behavior in real-time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new operational dimension by implementing security agents at the hardware level (CPU microcode, cache memory, memory management unit) rather than at the traditional software level (user mode or kernel mode). This dimensional shift allows security checks to occur before malware can execute self-modification instructions, effectively neutralizing the malware's adaptability without compromising detection reliability.
2Ease of operation
If security software operates within the operating system kernel mode, then it can access system functions to detect and neutralize malware, but malware can compromise both the operating system and the integrity of the security software itself by operating at the same level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the security functionality into multiple hierarchical levels: hardware-level security agents (microcode, cache, MMU) and software-level security agents (kernel mode, user mode). This segmentation ensures that critical security functions operate at isolated hardware levels where they cannot be compromised by malware, while higher-level agents provide ease of operation for detection and response.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hardware security mechanisms as intermediaries between malware and the operating system. These intermediaries (cache memory intercepts, MMU page fault hooks, microcode instructions) mediate all memory access operations, allowing security checks to occur without exposing the security software to malware at the same execution level.
3Productivity
If operating system functions are used to erase or neutralize malware, then malware can be removed from the system, but sophisticated malware can detect or track such techniques and avoid erasure or neutralization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary security actions by establishing hardware-level monitoring and interception mechanisms before malware can execute its malicious payload or detect security measures. Cache memory intercepts and MMU page fault hooks are configured in advance to trap and analyze memory access patterns, enabling detection of self-modifying malware before it can evade traditional neutralization techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for securing an electronic device may include a memory, a processor; one or more operating systems residing in the memory for execution by the processor; and a security agent configured to execute on the electronic device at a level below all of the operating systems of the electronic device accessing the memory. The security agent may be further configured to: (i) trap attempted accesses to the memory, wherein each of such attempted accesses may, individually or in the aggregate, indicate the presence of self-modifying malware; (ii) in response to trapping each attempted access to the memory, record information associated with the attempted access in a history; and (iii) in response to a triggering attempted access associated with a particular memory location, analyze information in the history associated with the particular memory location to determine if suspicious behavior has occurred with respect to the particular memory location.