Registry Backup Comparison for Malware Injection Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Malware, particularly ransomware, can infect operating system registries, leading to negative user experiences and system vulnerabilities, such as loss of personalized settings, application errors, and difficulties logging into user accounts.
Innovation Solution
A method for detecting and protecting against malware by creating backups of registry files, extracting and interrogating them for changes, and comparing with previous backups to identify added, deleted, or modified registry keys, enabling remedial actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If registry files are monitored continuously for malware infections, then detection reliability is improved, but system performance and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by creating backups of registry files at scheduled intervals or after specific events (installation, uninstallation, system updates) before malware infection can occur. These backups are stored in a secure location and prepared for future comparison, enabling rapid detection without continuous real-time monitoring of the entire registry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of registry files in the form of backups that are stored separately from the original registry. These copies are then compared against the current registry state to detect unauthorized changes or malware injections, eliminating the need for continuous scanning of the live registry while maintaining detection capability.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive backup and comparison operations are performed on registry files, then malware detection accuracy is improved, but computational resources and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and compares only specific registry keys and values that are relevant to malware detection, rather than performing comprehensive analysis of the entire registry. This selective extraction approach maintains detection accuracy for known malware patterns while significantly reducing computational overhead and resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different analysis methods to different parts of the registry based on their importance and vulnerability to malware. Critical registry keys associated with known malware behavior are analyzed with higher precision, while less critical areas use lighter verification methods, optimizing the balance between detection accuracy and resource usage.
Data Source
AI summary
One example method includes creating a backup of registry files of a system registry, extracting the registry files from the system registry, interrogating the extracted registry files to determine if malware is present in the registry files, comparing the backup with another backup of the registry files to determine if malware is present in the backup, and when malware is determined, by the interrogating and/or the comparing, to be indicated, performing a remedial action to attenuate an impact of the malware.