Malware Scanning Offloading to Server
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Solution Overview
Problem
Anti-malware applications consume significant resources on client computers, requiring frequent scans of files to detect and protect against evolving malware, which interferes with other operations and increases resource demands.
Innovation Solution
Redirecting resource-intensive file scanning processes to an external server, where file copies are scanned and scan reports are sent to the client computer to set access directives, allowing multiple scan applications to be used without overburdening individual client computers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If anti-malware application performs frequent scans of files on client computer, then protection against malware is improved, but resource consumption and interference with other operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the file scanning function from the client computer and implements it on a remote server. The client computer sends files to the server for scanning, receives scan reports, and sets access directives based on the results. This extraction eliminates the resource consumption problem on client computers while maintaining effective malware protection through regular scanning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between the client computer and the scanning process. The server acts as a mediator that performs the resource-intensive scanning operation remotely, communicates scan results back to the client, and enables the client to make informed decisions about file access without consuming local resources.
2Measurement precision
If anti-malware application scans files multiple times with updated definitions, then detection accuracy is improved, but resource demands on client computer increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the multiple scanning operation from the client computer and implements it on the remote server. The server can perform repeated scans with updated malware definitions without consuming client resources, while still providing comprehensive detection accuracy through multiple analysis passes.
3Ease of operation
If client computer runs local anti-malware application, then ease of operation is maintained, but device complexity increases due to need for multiple scan applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal scanning service on the remote server that can perform multiple types of scanning operations (initial scan, re-scan with updated definitions, etc.) through a single interface. The client computer maintains simple operation by only needing to send files and receive reports, while the server handles the complexity of coordinating multiple scan applications and definitions.
Data Source
AI summary
A client computer maintains storage of a trusted set of files. For files that the client computer detects that are not part of the trusted set, a server scans copies of files to protect the client computer against malicious software. After scanning, the server sends to the client computer a scan report indicating in which, if any, of the files malicious software was found. The client computer then sets access directives for the files based on the scan report. The system may be configured so that, when the client computer detects a file that is not part of the trusted set, the client computer creates an identifier for the file and sends the identifier to the server. The server can use the file identifier to determine if it has a copy of the file, and only if it does not will it request a copy of the file.