Selective Decoding of Office XML Files for Malicious Content Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Analyzing structured files, such as MICROSOFT OFFICE XML files, for malicious content is performance-intensive due to the need to decode and scan all portions, leading to increased latency and throughput issues.
Innovation Solution
Parsing structured files into portions, checking pre-conditions, and decoding only selected portions that meet these conditions to determine maliciousness, thereby reducing analysis processing time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If every portion of the structured file is decoded and scanned, then malicious content detection accuracy is improved, but processing time and computational resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the structured file into multiple portions and applies different processing strategies to different segments. Specifically, it divides portions into those that require decoding (based on pre-condition checks) and those that can be skipped, enabling selective analysis that maintains detection accuracy for critical segments while reducing overall processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by decoding only the necessary portions of the file rather than the entire file. Pre-condition checks identify which portions contain potential malicious content, allowing the system to perform decoding operations only on those specific portions, thereby reducing computational overhead while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If every portion of the structured file is decoded and scanned, then detection completeness is improved, but system throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the file processing task into multiple independent portions and applies pre-condition checks to each segment. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple file portions simultaneously, improving system throughput while ensuring that each segment is analyzed for malicious content according to its specific characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing decoding operations only on portions that meet pre-condition criteria indicating potential malicious content. This selective approach maintains detection completeness for suspicious portions while avoiding unnecessary processing of benign portions, thereby preserving system throughput.
3Productivity
If pre-condition checks are added before decoding, then processing efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by performing pre-condition checks on file portions before initiating decoding operations. These checks examine metadata, file headers, and other preliminary indicators to determine whether a portion contains potential malicious content, allowing the system to avoid unnecessary decoding operations and improve processing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-condition check mechanism serves as an intermediary between file reception and full decoding operations. This intermediary layer filters portions based on preliminary analysis criteria, directing only those portions that warrant further analysis to the decoding stage, thereby improving efficiency while managing system complexity through a structured multi-stage approach.
Data Source
AI summary
Mechanisms for analyzing a structured file for malicious content are provided, comprising: parsing the structured file into a plurality of portions; selecting a selected portion of the portions; checking the selected portion to determine if at least one pre-condition is met; and in response to determining that the at least one pre-condition is met: decoding the selected portion to form a decoded portion; and checking the decoded portion to determine if it is malicious. In some embodiments: the at least one pre-condition can be changed; the structured file is a MICROSOFT OFFICE XML file; the selected portion is a file; the at least one pre-condition checks at least one attribute of the selected portion; decoding the selected portion comprises decompressing the selected portion; and/or checking the decoded portion to determine if it is malicious comprises checking whether a previously decoded portion of the structure file meets at least one condition.