System and method having an antivirus virtual scanning processor with plug-in functionalities
First Claim
1. A computer system comprising:
- an antivirus scanning engine operable with an operating system (OS);
a virus signature database including a plurality of computer virus signatures;
a library of external antivirus functions, said library being arranged to be updated by an antivirus service provider external to said computer system; and
a scanning processor virtual machine includinga plurality of internal antivirus functions for detecting computer viruses based on said virus signatures;
a processor emulator operable to execute said internal antivirus functions and said external antivirus functions; and
a plug-in module connected to said processor emulator and to said library, said plug-in module being arranged to receive said external antivirus functions from said library and to deliver said external functions to said processor emulator for execution.
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Abstract
The invention generally provides an antivirus network system and method having a virtual scanning processor with plug-in functionalities. A preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention primarily comprises an antivirus scanning module operable with an operating system (OS), an antivirus database comprising a plurality of computer virus signatures, a library of external antivirus instructions wherein an antivirus system external to the network system is operable to update the external instructions, a virtual scanning processor further comprising a processor emulator operable to execute a plurality of internal antivirus instructions in detecting computer viruses based on the virus signatures, and a plug-in module connected to the processor emulator and the library and receiving the external instructions from the library, wherein the processor emulator is operable to execute the external instructions. The virtual scanning processor according to the invention is advantageously hardware-independent, i.e., is operable transparently to the hardware of a computer or network system. Moreover, the virtual scanning processor according to the invention is advantageously cross-platform, i.e., is operable transparently to, and regardless of the type of, the operating system (OS) it is operating in conjunction with.
100 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer system comprising:
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an antivirus scanning engine operable with an operating system (OS); a virus signature database including a plurality of computer virus signatures; a library of external antivirus functions, said library being arranged to be updated by an antivirus service provider external to said computer system; and a scanning processor virtual machine including a plurality of internal antivirus functions for detecting computer viruses based on said virus signatures; a processor emulator operable to execute said internal antivirus functions and said external antivirus functions; and a plug-in module connected to said processor emulator and to said library, said plug-in module being arranged to receive said external antivirus functions from said library and to deliver said external functions to said processor emulator for execution. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An antivirus method for a computer system comprising:
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operating an antivirus scanning engine within an operating system (OS), said scanning engine including a scanning processor virtual machine; storing a plurality of computer virus signatures in a virus signature database; storing a plurality of external antivirus functions in a library; updating said external antivirus functions in said library with an antivirus service provider external to said computer system; executing a plurality of internal antivirus functions in a processor emulator in said scanning processor virtual machine for detecting computer viruses in said computer system based on said virus signatures; receiving said external functions from said library in a plug-in module connected to said processor emulator; and executing said external functions in said processor emulator. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification