Zero-Day Rotating Guest Image Profile for Threat Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Malware detection systems are inadequate in detecting zero-day exploits due to the time lag between software component releases and the deployment of fully-instrumented software profiles, leading to missed malicious activities and ineffective classification.
Innovation Solution
A threat detection platform that provisions two virtual environments: one with a fully-instrumented legacy software profile and another with a temporary software profile based on a legacy activity monitor package, allowing for concurrent analysis and incremental updates to detect zero-day exploits until full instrumentation is complete.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fully-instrumented software profile is developed for a newly released software component, then malware detection accuracy is improved, but the development time and time lag increase, allowing zero-day exploits to go undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by creating a temporary software profile before the fully-instrumented profile is complete. This temporary profile allows immediate testing and detection of known malware patterns, reducing the time lag. The preliminary profile is later replaced or supplemented by the complete instrumentation once developed, ensuring both rapid response and thorough detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The software profile development is segmented into two phases: a temporary profile with basic activity monitors for immediate use, and a fully-instrumented profile with comprehensive monitors for complete detection. This segmentation allows the system to deploy detection capabilities immediately while the full instrumentation is being developed, eliminating the waiting period without sacrificing eventual detection thoroughness.
2Reliability
If conventional anti-virus scanning programs use known malware signatures, then detection of known malware is effective, but detection of zero-day exploits fails completely
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts its detection approach by transitioning from static signature-based detection to dynamic behavior-based detection. The temporary software profile enables behavioral monitoring that can identify zero-day exploits by detecting suspicious activities and patterns, while maintaining the ability to use known signatures for established threats. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to handle both known and unknown malware effectively.
3Measurement precision
If activity monitors are configured to capture all functionality of a software component, then complete malware detection coverage is achieved, but the instrumentation development becomes excessively time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by implementing a temporary software profile that includes only the most critical activity monitors needed for immediate detection, rather than waiting for complete instrumentation of all functionality. This partial implementation enables rapid deployment while maintaining detection of the most significant threats, and the remaining instrumentation is added subsequently without delaying initial protection.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a threat detection platform features a housing, a communication interface, a processor coupled to the communication interface, and a data store. The data store includes (i) an event log, (ii) a first virtual machine, and (iii) a second virtual machine. The first virtual machine is provisioned with a first guest image that is based on an instrumented software profile that includes a first software component and activity monitors configured for the first software component. The second virtual machine is provisioned with a second guest image that is based on a temporary software profile that includes a second software component that is a more recent version of the first software component and the activity monitors configured for the first software component.