Methods and systems for applying genetic operators to determine systems conditions

• US 8,117,140 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telepathy Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Icosystem Corp.
• Inventors: Bonabeau, Eric, Anderson, Carl, Scott, John M., Budynek, Julien, Malinchik, Sergey
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US13/014,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 706/13
• US Class Current: 706/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/126 Evolutionary algorithms, e.g. genetic algorithms or genetic programming

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and/or processor program products that include generating a population of genotypes, the genotypes based on at least one stimulus to a system, measuring at least one response of the system upon providing the population of genotypes to at least one model of the system, and, based on the measured at least one response of the system, performing at least one of: (a) applying at least one genetic operator to at least some of the population of genotypes, and iteratively returning to generating a population of genotypes, and (b) associating a condition of the system with at least one of the population of genotypes.

Claims

1. In a computer system having at least one processor and at least one user interface including at least one output device, a method for determining a vulnerability of a subject computer system, comprising

a) generating in at least one processor an initial population of genotypes, wherein each individual in the population is a script which comprises a sequence of commands to be executed in the subject computer system,

b) for each individual in the population, determining in at least one processor a response of the subject computer system to the individual upon providing the individual to at least one model of the subject computer system,

c) for each said response of the subject computer system, determining in at least one processor an efficiency of the individual which generated said response based upon said response,

d) based on at least one individual in the population having an efficiency which reveals a vulnerability of the subject computer system, presenting data related to the said individual to at least one user through at least one output device, and

e) based on no individual in the population having an efficiency which reveals a vulnerability of the subject computer system, in at least one processor applying at least one genetic operator to at least one of the population of genotypes to obtain a further population of genotypes, and repeating step b).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the said response has revealed a vulnerability of the subject computer system by comparing the said response to at least one of a fitness function and an objective function.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the said response has revealed a vulnerability of the subject computer system by presenting the said response to a user through at least one output device, and receiving input from the said user through at least one input device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

through at least one output device, presenting information with respect to at least one response to at least one user and

through at least one input device, receiving information from the said at least one user, the information based on the said user'"'"'s evaluation of the presented information,

wherein the said received information includes at least one of:

a rank of the at least one response, a rating of the at least one response, one or more fitness values, a selection of the at least one response, a selection of a feature of the at least one response, a termination of the method, an identification of parents for a genetic algorithm, at least one constraint, a modification of at least one constraint, a modification of at least one genetic operator, and a specification of at least one genetic operator.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising terminating the method based on the received information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein applying at least one genetic operator comprises applying at least one of:

crossover, mutation, subtraction, diversity injection, elitism.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein applying at least one genetic operator comprises implementing elitism by:

through at least one output device, presenting at least two graphical representations to at least one user, each of the at least two graphical representations associated with at least one genotype in the population and at least one of the responses,

through at least one input device, receiving a selection of at least one of the graphical representations from at least one user,

identifying at least one genotype associated with the at least one selected graphical representation, and

returning to generating a population of genotypes including the identified at least one genotype.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein applying at least one genetic operator comprises implementing elitism by:

comparing the at least one response to a measure,

based on the comparison, identifying at least one genotype, and,

returning to generating a population of genotypes including the identified at least one genotype.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon which, as a result of being executed in a computer system having at least one processor and at least one user interface including at least one output device, instruct the computer system to perform a method, comprising:

a) generating in at least one processor an initial population of genotypes, wherein each individual in the population is a script which comprises a sequence of commands to be executed in the subject computer system,

b) for each individual in the population, determining in at least one processor a response of the subject computer system to the individual upon providing the individual to at least one model of the subject computer system,

c) for each said response of the subject computer system, determining in at least one processor an efficiency of the individual which generated said response based upon said response,

d) based on at least one individual in the population having an efficiency which reveals a vulnerability of the subject computer system, presenting data related to the said individual to at least one user through at least one output device, and

e) based on no individual in the population having an efficiency which reveals a vulnerability of the subject computer system, in at least one processor applying at least one genetic operator to at least one of the population of genotypes to obtain a further population of genotypes, and repeating step b).

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable instructions stored thereon as a result of being executed instruct the computer system to determine if the said response has revealed a vulnerability of the subject computer system by comparing the said response to at least one of a fitness function and an objective function.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable instructions stored thereon as a result of being executed instruct the computer system to determine if the said response has revealed a vulnerability of the subject computer system by presenting the said response to a user through at least one output device, and receiving input from the said user through at least one input device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer-readable instructions stored thereon as a result of being executed instruct the computer system to

through at least one output device, present information with respect to at least one response to at least one user and

through at least one input device, receive information from the said at least one user, the information based on the said user'"'"'s evaluation of the presented information,

wherein the said received information includes at least one of:

a rank of the at least one response, a rating of the at least one response, one or more fitness values, a selection of the at least one response, a selection of a feature of the at least one response, a termination of the method, an identification of parents for a genetic algorithm, at least one constraint, a modification of at least one constraint, a modification of at least one genetic operator, and a specification of at least one genetic operator.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable instructions stored thereon as a result of being executed instruct the computer system to terminate the method based on the received information.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein applying at least one genetic operator comprises applying at least one of:

crossover, mutation, subtraction, diversity injection, elitism.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein applying at least one genetic operator comprises implementing elitism by:

through at least one output device, presenting at least two graphical representations to at least one user, each of the at least two graphical representations associated with at least one genotype in the population and at least one of the responses,

through at least one input device, receiving a selection of at least one of the graphical representations from at least one user,

identifying at least one genotype associated with the at least one selected graphical representation, and

returning to generating a population of genotypes including the identified at least one genotype.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein applying at least one genetic operator comprises implementing elitism by:

comparing the at least one response to a measure,

based on the comparison, identifying at least one genotype, and,

returning to generating a population of genotypes including the identified at least one genotype.