Journal Area Virus Scanning for File System Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional anti-virus programs are processor-intensive and time-consuming, degrading computer performance, and often fail to detect viruses in cache scanning due to limited memory size, which may not contain the entire virus.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that scans data stored in a journal area of memory before writing changes to virtual memory, including scanning adjacent data portions to detect viruses, thereby reducing system resource consumption and improving detection efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional anti-virus programs scan all files after they are stored, then virus detection is performed, but system performance degrades due to processor intensity and time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by scanning files in the journal area before they are written to the file system. The journal area serves as a temporary staging ground where files are scanned for viruses prior to being committed to the main file system, thus preventing infected files from entering the system while avoiding the need to scan entire files after storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the file scanning process by focusing only on the journal area rather than scanning all files in the file system. This segmentation reduces the scanning scope to a specific, manageable portion of the system, thereby decreasing processor intensity and time consumption while maintaining effective virus detection.
2Productivity
If conventional anti-virus programs scan only the cache area, then system resources are conserved, but virus detection accuracy decreases because the cache may not contain the entire virus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the journal area as a preliminary scanning zone where files are scanned before being written to the file system. This preliminary action ensures that the entire file content is available in the journal area for complete virus detection, eliminating the partial scanning problem of cache-based approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The journal area serves as an intermediary between the cache and the file system. It provides a complete copy of file data that can be scanned entirely for viruses, acting as a mediator that enables accurate virus detection without requiring the cache to hold complete file contents.
3Productivity
If the journal area is scanned for viruses before writing to virtual memory, then virus detection efficiency is improved, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the virus scanning function with the existing journaling file system operations. By integrating virus scanning into the journal write process, the system performs both logging and security checking in a unified workflow, reducing the perceived complexity despite adding a scanning step.
Solution Approach 2:
The journaling file system itself provides the scanning service by automatically scanning files in the journal area before they are written to the file system. This self-service approach embeds the security function within the existing system infrastructure, minimizing the need for separate external scanning processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for detecting viruses. According to the method, data is stored in a journal area of memory before changes embodied in the data are written to virtual memory. At least a first portion of the data in the journal area of memory is scanned for viruses. In some embodiments, a second portion of data that immediately precedes and/or immediately follows data to which the first portion of the data pertains is scanned for viruses. Preferably, the virtual memory includes a persistent storage device. Also provided is a system that includes a processor, a memory that includes virtual memory and a journal storage area, and a virus scanner controlled by the processor. The virus scanner scans the journal storage area for viruses.