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

• US 9,069,964 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2014
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2008
• 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:
  US14/153,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20140130169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 system and associated computer program product for identifying malware. The system includes 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 include program instructions to receive a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of the computer and the computer. The program instructions may 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.

Claims

1. 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 a computer and the computer, wherein the data communication simulates manual user input, via a keyboard, to a chat session;

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; and

program instructions, 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.

2. 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 a computer and the computer;

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; and

program instructions, 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,

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.

3. A computer program product for identifying malware, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions stored on the one or more storage devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of a 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.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, further comprising:

program instructions, 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.

5. The computer program product of claim 3, 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.

6. A computer program product for identifying malware, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions stored on the one or more storage devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a data communication simulating manual interaction between a user of a 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 mode or state selected from the group consisting of a screen saver mode, a keyboard-locked state, or a screen powered-down mode.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the mode or state is the screen saver mode.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the mode or state is the keyboard-locked state.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the mode or state is the screen powered-down mode.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the data communication simulates manual user input via a keyboard.

11. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising:

program instructions, 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.