Identification of malicious activities through non-logged-in host usage

• US 8,631,485 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ollmann, Gunter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cribbs, Malcolm
• Application Number:
  US13/335,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20120096556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/568 eliminating virus, restoring damaged files

Abstract

A method for identifying malware activities, implemented within a computer infrastructure, includes receiving a data communication via a data channel and determining a user is not interactively logged in to a host. Additionally, the method includes identifying the data communication as a potential malware communication in response to the determining the user is not interactively logged in to the host.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a potential malware communication in a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

the computer receiving a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of the computer and the computer, wherein the data communication simulates manual user input, via a keyboard, to a chat session; and

the computer determining that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at a time the data communication was received by the computer, and in response, the computer classifying the data communication as a potential malware communication.

2. A method for identifying a potential malware communication in a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

the computer receiving a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of the computer and the computer; and

the computer determining that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at a time the data communication was received by the computer, and in response, the computer classifying the data communication as a potential malware communication,

wherein in response to the computer classifying the data communication as a potential malware communication, further comprising the steps of;

the computer determining a program within the computer which initiated the data communication; and

the computer deleting the program which initiated the data communication.

3. A method for identifying a potential malware communication in a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

the computer receiving a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of the computer and the computer; and

the computer determining that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at a time the data communication was received by the computer, and in response, the computer classifying the data communication as a potential malware communication,

wherein the computer determines that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer by determining that a user was logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer and the computer was, at approximately the time the data communication was received by the computer, in a screen saver mode, in a keyboard-locked state, or in a screen powered-down mode.

4. A method for identifying potential malware communications in a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

the computer receiving a data communication simulating manual user input to the computer via a keyboard of the computer, wherein the data communication simulates manual user input, via the keyboard, to a chat session; and

the computer determining that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at a time that the data communication was received by the computer such that the data communication could not result from actual manual user input to the computer via the keyboard, and in response, the computer classifying the data communication as a potential malware communication.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to the computer classifying the data communication as a potential malware communication, further comprising the step of the computer notifying a recipient of the data communication that the data communication is potential malware.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein in response to the computer classifying the data communication as a potential malware communication, further comprising the steps of:

the computer determining a program within the computer which initiated the data communication; and

the computer deleting the program which initiated the data communication.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the computer determines that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer by determining that a user was logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer and the computer was in a screen saver mode at approximately the time the data communication was received by the computer.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the computer determines that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer by determining that a user was logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer and the computer was in a keyboard-locked state at approximately the time the data communication was received by the computer.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the computer determines that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer by determining that a user was logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer and the computer was in a screen powered-down mode at approximately the time the data communication was received by the computer.

10. A computer system for identifying malware, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on the one or more storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of the computer and the computer, wherein the data communication simulates manual user input, via a keyboard, to a chat session; and

program instructions to determine that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at a time the data communication was received by the computer, and in response, classify the data communication as a potential malware communication.

11. The computer system of claim 10 further comprising, program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, responsive to the classification of the data communication as a potential malware communication, to determine a program within the computer which initiated the data communication and delete the program which initiated the data communication.

12. A computer system for identifying malware, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on the one or more storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of the computer and the computer; and

program instructions to determine that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at a time the data communication was received by the computer, and in response, classify the data communication as a potential malware communication,

wherein the program instructions to determine that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer determines that no user was interactively logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer by determining that a user was logged on to the computer approximately at the time the data communication was received by the computer and the computer was, at approximately the time the data communication was received by the computer, in a screen saver mode, in a keyboard-locked state, or in a screen powered-down mode.