Temporal Whitelist Enforcement for Malware Attack Surface Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing malware protection systems, including application whitelisting, face challenges in reducing the attack surface as even authorized applications can be vulnerable to malicious code, requiring continuous monitoring and updates, and may not effectively limit execution times to prevent unauthorized execution.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a temporal application whitelisting system that assigns and enforces rules specifying permitted execution times for whitelisted applications, allowing execution only during designated periods, thereby reducing the attack surface and vulnerability by limiting execution windows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If applications are permitted to execute continuously on a computing device, then application functionality and user convenience are maintained, but the attack surface and vulnerability to malware increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by allowing applications to execute only during specific scheduled time periods rather than continuously. The system assigns time-based rules that permit application execution during designated windows and automatically block execution outside these periods, creating a rhythmic pattern of allowed and blocked execution states that reduces vulnerability while maintaining necessary functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the application execution permission dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors the current time against assigned time periods and automatically adjusts execution permission in real-time, transitioning between allowed and blocked states based on temporal conditions, thereby creating a dynamic security control mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If the whitelist of permitted applications is expanded to ensure functionality, then user convenience is improved, but the risk of malicious code execution increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces malicious code risk by implementing periodic action through time-limited permissions. Even applications on the whitelist can only execute during their assigned time periods, automatically creating blocking periods that prevent potential malicious execution. This temporal restriction layer adds security without requiring a smaller whitelist.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-assigning time periods to whitelist applications before execution is attempted. The system proactively configures temporal rules that will automatically permit or block execution based on the current time, preventing malicious execution before it can occur rather than reacting after detection.
3Reliability
If time period restrictions are imposed on whitelisted applications, then the attack surface is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces system complexity by implementing universality through a single time-based control mechanism that applies to all whitelist applications. Rather than creating separate control systems for different applications, the system uses a universal temporal permission framework that can be assigned to multiple applications, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive security.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatuses are provided for managing an execution of applications in a computing environment. A whitelist list of applications that are permitted to execute in a computing environment is obtained. For one or more of the applications on the whitelist, a temporal rule is assigned that specifies a time period in which the application is permitted to execute in the computing environment. For instance, the temporal rule may be obtained via a user input or may be determined automatically by analyzing an execution history of the application. Applications are permitted to execute in the computing environment during the time period specified by the temporal rule, and are prevented from executing outside of the time period. By restricting the time period in which an application can execute, the overall vulnerability to malware attacks in a computing environment may be reduced.