Mitigation of malware

• US 10,482,247 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2019
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Inventors: Alme, Christoph, Hahn, Slawa, Thoene, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): Tabor, Amare F
• Application Number:
  US16/367,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20190228152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 236 Days
• Field of Search: 726 23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/562 Static detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/563 by source code analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/564 by virus signature recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/565 by checking file integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/033 Test or assess software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided in example embodiments for mitigating malicious calls. The system can be configured to determine a series of checksums for a file, compare the series of checksums to a checksum tree, where the checksum tree includes a plurality of nodes that each include a fuzzy checksum of known malware, and assign one or more classifications to the file, where each of the one or more classifications is based on each node of the checksum tree that matches a checksum in the series of checksums and includes whether the file includes malware or benign checksums.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium including one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:

determining a first checksum at a first region or area of a first file;

comparing the first checksum to a root in a checksum tree, the root indicating a checksum at a point of a second file or a fuzzy checksum at the point of the second file;

determining a second checksum at a second region or area of the first file offset from the first region or area of the first file, if the first checksum matches the root;

comparing the second checksum to a descendant node of the root in the checksum tree, the descendant node indicating a checksum or fuzzy checksum, wherein the checksum or fuzzy checksum indicated by the descendant node is offset from the point of the second file;

assigning a classification to the first file, if the second checksum matches the descendant node, wherein the classification indicates malware or a benign file; and

assigning a percentage to the classification.

2. The medium of claim 1, the method further comprising:

creating and sending a feature vector to classify the first file.

3. The medium of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving file data related to new malware or a new benign file; and

creating and sending the checksum tree to analyze the first file.

4. The medium of claim 1, the method further comprising:

comparing the second checksum to a sibling to the descendant node in the checksum tree, if the second checksum does not match the descendant node, the sibling to the descendant node indicating a checksum or fuzzy checksum.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the second region or area is determined at an entry point of the first file, at a resources section of the first file, or a text section of the first file.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured

to determine a first checksum at a first region or area of a first file;

to compare the first checksum to a root in a checksum tree, the root indicating a checksum at a point of a second file or a fuzzy checksum at the point of the second file;

to determine a second checksum at a second region or area of the first file offset from the first region or area of the first file, if the first checksum matches the root;

to compare the second checksum to a descendant node of the root in the checksum tree, the descendant node indicating a checksum or fuzzy checksum, wherein the checksum or fuzzy checksum indicated by the descendant node is offset from the point of the second file;

to assign a classification to the first file, if the second checksum matches the descendant node, wherein the classification indicates malware or a benign file; and

to assign a percentage to the classification.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to create and send a feature vector to classify the first file.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to receive file data related to new malware or a new benign file, and to create and send the checksum tree to analyze the first file.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to compare the second checksum to a sibling to the descendant node in the checksum tree, if the second checksum does not match the descendant node, the sibling to the descendant node indicating a checksum or fuzzy checksum.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second region or area is determined at an entry point of the first file, at a resources section of the first file, or a text section of the first file.

11. A method, comprising:

determining a first checksum at a first region or area of a first file;

comparing the first checksum to a root in a checksum tree, the root indicating a checksum at a point of a second file or a fuzzy checksum at the point of the second file;

determining a second checksum at a second region or area of the first file offset from the first region or area of the first file, if the first checksum matches the root;

comparing the second checksum to a descendant node of the root in the checksum tree, the descendant node indicating a checksum or fuzzy checksum, wherein the checksum or fuzzy checksum indicated by the descendant node is offset from the point of the second file;

assigning a classification to the first file, if the second checksum matches the descendant node, wherein the classification indicates malware or a benign file; and

assigning a percentage to the classification.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

creating and sending a feature vector to classify the first file.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving file data related to new malware or a new benign file; and

creating and sending the checksum tree to analyze the first file.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

comparing the second checksum to a sibling to the descendant node in the checksum tree, if the second checksum does not match the descendant node, the sibling to the descendant node indicating a checksum or fuzzy checksum.