Software Instrumentation Variants for Randomized Attack Countermeasures

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing software security measures are prone to human error and resource-intensive, and once an attacker decodes a defense model, it can be exploited across similar devices, compromising all systems sharing the same sensor configuration.

Innovation Solution

Deploy obfuscated variants of software blocks with randomly generated sensor configurations to confuse attackers, using instrumentation to create multiple instrumented code blocks and maintain secrecy of the sensor configuration across devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a single sensor configuration is deployed across multiple devices, then deployment simplicity is improved, but security is worsened because attackers can decode and exploit the same defense model across all similar devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment simplicityVSAvoidsecurity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Each device is assigned a unique sensor configuration that is specific to that local instance, rather than using a uniform configuration across all devices. This local differentiation ensures that compromising one device does not compromise others, while maintaining ease of deployment through automated configuration assignment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor configuration parameters are varied across different device instances, creating unique defense models for each device. This parameter variation prevents attackers from using a single decoded model to attack multiple devices, while the configuration process remains systematic and automated.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If attack countermeasures are proactively deployed, then security posture is improved, but resource consumption increases due to continuous monitoring and code analysis requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity postureVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Security instrumentation and sensor configurations are embedded into the code during the build process, before deployment. This preliminary action allows the system to be security-hardened in advance without requiring continuous resource-intensive analysis during runtime, reducing operational resource consumption while maintaining strong security posture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If human experts manually monitor and respond to attacks, then adaptability to emerging threats is improved, but human error and resource drain increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethreat response adaptabilityVSAvoidhuman resource drain

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses automated instrumentation and sensor configurations that self-monitor and self-respond to attack patterns without requiring continuous human intervention. The embedded sensors automatically detect anomalies and trigger appropriate responses, eliminating human error while maintaining adaptability through automated threat detection algorithms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12511374B2Reconfigurable attack countermeasures deployed in software

Publication Date: 2025.12.30 ARM LTD

AI summary

A method is provided that includes receiving a source code block of a source code and a sensor configuration associated with the source code block, performing instrumentation on the source code block at least two times to generate corresponding at least two differently instrumented code blocks from the source code block, creating a corresponding model of the sensor configuration for each differently instrumented code block, and receiving a request for an instrumented variant of the source code block for execution by a processing element and deploying the instrumented variant of the source code block to the processing element. The instrumented variant of the source code block comprises one of the at least two differently instrumented code blocks from the source code block.