Solidifying the executable software set of a computer

• US 7,873,955 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Sebes, E. John
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sanders; Stephen
• Application Number:
  US10/935,772
• Time in Patent Office: 2,324 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files

Abstract

System and method for solidifying (or “freezing”) the set of software and configuration data available for execution on a computer. Any additional software installed on the computer after the solidification process will not execute, regardless of whether the installation is initiated or otherwise performed by a person with administrative privilege. The ability to allow new or modified software to execute on the computer rests with an integrity server separate from and outside of the solidified computer. The solidification of software and configuration data proceeds on a level of granularity selectable by the integrity server and any operators thereof.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for executing an original software program within a plurality of software programs on a first computer, the original software program comprising a first one or more references corresponding to one or more original calling names associated with the original interface, wherein a set of data is received from a second computer over a network at the first computer that includes the original interface, wherein the second computer authorizes modifications to the plurality of software programs being executed on the first computer, and wherein a new software program downloaded by the first computer remains unexecutable until the second computer authorizes the new software program using a checksum operation; and

translating the original software program to obtain a translated software program, including replacing the first one or more references with a second one or more references corresponding to one or more translated calling names associated with a translated interface, wherein the one or more translated calling names are invalid for calling the original interface, and

reverse translating the translated software program to obtain a reverse translated software program, the reverse translated software program not being executable as the original software program if the translated software program comprises additional references corresponding to the one or more original calling names prior to the reverse translation, and wherein at least a portion of the translated calling names are not mapped to a corresponding unique name in an original name space, and wherein a calling name space translation is larger than the original name space; and

communicating enabling data to the first computer, wherein the first computer includes additional software that is unexecutable due to the translating activities, and wherein the enabling data is configured to be used by the first computer to enable the additional software to execute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the original interface comprises a language interface provided by a language interpreter residing on the first computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first checksum is associated with one of the translated software programs, such that upon a request for execution of one of the translated software programs, a second checksum is computed for the one of translated software programs, further wherein the translated software program is executed when the second checksum matches the first checksum and is not executed when the second checksum does not match the first checksum.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first checksum is generated or approved by a second computer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the original interface comprises a set of one or more system calls provided by an operating system of the first computer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the translated software program on the first computer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the executing step comprises:

passing one or more requests to an implementor of the original interface, the one or more requests as represented by the first one or more references.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the executing step comprises passing one or more requests to an implementor of the translated interface, the one or more requests as represented by the second one or more references.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a first checksum is associated with the original software program, and further comprising:

computing a second checksum for the translated software program;

executing the translated software program on the first computer when the second checksum matches the first checksum; and

refusing to execute the translated software program on the first computer when the second checksum does not match the first checksum.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first checksum is generated or approved by a second computer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a second computer controls the translating.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the original interface is text based and wherein the translated interface is text based.

5. A method, comprising:

receiving a set of data from a first computer over a network at a second computer, wherein the first computer authorizes modifications to a plurality of software programs being executed on the second computer, and wherein a new software program downloaded by the second computer remains unexecutable until the first computer authorizes the new software program using a checksum operation;

generating a calling name space translation on the second computer according to the set of data, wherein one or more original calling names associated with an original interface are translated into one or more translated calling names associated with a translated interface,

translating an original software program of the plurality of software programs to obtain a translated software program, the original software program comprising a first one or more references corresponding to the one or more original calling names, wherein the translating includes replacing the first one or more references with a second one or more references corresponding to the one or more translated calling names, wherein the one or more translated calling names are invalid for calling the original interface,

reverse translating the translated software program to obtain a reverse translated software program, the reverse translated software program not being executable as the original software program if the translated software program comprises additional references corresponding to the one or more original calling names prior to the reverse translation, and wherein at least a portion of the translated calling names are not mapped to a corresponding unique name in an original name space, and wherein the calling name space translation is larger than the original name space.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising verifying that the set of data comprises a valid digital signature.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the calling name space translation on the second computer.

8. A method, comprising:

sending, by an administrative server, a set of data to a computer over a network, wherein the administrative server authorizes modifications to a plurality of software programs being executed on the computer, and wherein a new software program downloaded by the computer remains unexecutable until the administrative server authorizes the new software program using a checksum operation;

generating a calling name space translation on the computer according to the set of data, wherein one or more original calling names associated with an original interface are translated into one or more translated calling names associated with a translated interface,

translating an original software program of the plurality of software programs to obtain a translated software program, the original software program comprising a first one or more references corresponding to the one or more original calling names, wherein the translating includes replacing the first one or more references with a second one or more references corresponding to the one or more translated calling names, wherein the one or more translated calling names are invalid for calling the original interface, and

reverse translating the translated software program to obtain a reverse translated software program, the reverse translated software program not being executable as the original software program if the translated software program comprises additional references corresponding to the one or more original calling names prior to the reverse translation, and wherein at least a portion of the translated calling names are not mapped to a corresponding unique name in an original name space, and wherein the calling name space translation is larger than the original name space; and

communicating enabling data to the computer, wherein additional software in the computer is unexecutable due to the translating activities, and wherein the enabling data is configured to be used by the computer to enable the additional software to execute.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising digitally signing the set of data prior to sending the set of data.

10. Computer readable media, comprising:

an original calling name space associated with an original interface, wherein a set of data is received from a first computer over a network at a second computer that includes the original calling name space, wherein the first computer authorizes modifications to a plurality of software programs being executed on the second computer, and wherein a new software program downloaded by the second computer remains unexecutable until the first computer authorizes the new software program using a checksum operation;

a translated calling name space residing in the second computer and comprising a name space translation of the original calling name space, wherein one or more original calling names associated with the original calling name space are translated into one or more translated calling names associated with the translated calling name space, and

a data structure including one or more sequences of instructions for translating an original software program to obtain a translated software program, wherein the original software program comprises a first one or more references corresponding to the one or more original calling names, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions includes replacing the first one or more references with a second one or more references corresponding to the one or more translated calling names, wherein the second one or more translated calling names are invalid for calling the original interface, and wherein the translated software program is reverse translated to obtain a reverse translated software program, the reverse translated software program not being executable as the original software program if the translated software program comprises additional references corresponding to the one or more original calling names prior to the reverse translation, and wherein at least a portion of the translated calling names are not mapped to a corresponding unique name in an original name space, and wherein the calling name space translation is larger than the original name.