Honey Patch Decoy for Zero-Day Vulnerability Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computing systems face vulnerabilities due to unpatched systems and the 'zero day' vulnerability period, where systems are susceptible to attacks before patches are issued, and attackers can reverse-engineer patches to develop exploits, leading to security flaws and data breaches.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that transform security patches into 'honey patches' which, when installed, create a decoy system that detects attackers and informs administrators by adding alert service calls, using abstract syntax trees and machine-learning techniques to identify and analyze security fixes, and compiling these patches to intercept attempted attacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security patches are applied to fix vulnerabilities, then system security is improved, but attackers can reverse-engineer patches to develop exploits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates honey patches that are copies of real security patches but contain trap code instead of actual security fixes. These deceptive copies lure attackers into attempting exploitation, allowing detection and analysis of attack vectors without compromising actual system security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful action of attackers reverse-engineering patches into a beneficial detection mechanism. By placing trap code in honey patches, the system benefits from attacker activities as they inadvertently trigger alerts and reveal exploitation attempts that can be analyzed and defended against.
2Reliability
If traditional security patches are used, then vulnerabilities are fixed, but systems remain vulnerable during the zero day period before patches are issued
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary detection capabilities by deploying honey patches before actual attacks occur. These patches prepare trap code in advance that can immediately detect and report exploitation attempts during the zero day period, enabling proactive security monitoring rather than reactive patching.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback mechanism where honey patches continuously monitor and report exploitation attempts to security administrators. This real-time feedback allows organizations to detect active attacks during the zero day period and respond dynamically, reducing the effective vulnerability window.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If honey patches with trap code are deployed, then attacker detection capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between security patches and the system they protect. The honey patches act as mediators that intercept exploitation attempts and redirect them to trap code, isolating the detection logic from the core system and simplifying overall architecture while maintaining detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for implementing security patches on a computer system is disclosed. The method includes finding one or more security patches; analyzing one of the one or more security patches to find one or more localized security fixes within the one or more security patches; and transforming a security patch within the one or more security patches into a honey patch that is configured to report security violations.