System, method, and computer program product for monitoring and/or analyzing at least one aspect of an invocation of an interface

• US 9,824,215 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Inventors: Dalcher, Gregory William
• Primary Examiner(s): HERZOG, MADHURI R
• Application Number:
  US14/701,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22- 25, 713187-188
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3089 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in sensing the monitored data, e.g. interfaces, connectors, sensors, probes, agents software debugging using additional hardware using a specific debug interface G06F11/3656; performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3604 Software analysis for verifying properties of programs byte-code verification G06F9/44589
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3668 Software testing software testing in telephone exchanges H04M3/242, testing of hardware G06F11/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/54 by adding security routines or objects to programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/033 Test or assess software

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are provided. In use, execution of a portion of internal code of an interface is identified. Further, in response to the execution of the portion of internal code, at least one aspect of an invocation of the interface is monitored and/or analyzed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying execution of an interface, including identifying by utilizing a callback function that a code segment internal to the interface has been executed;

in response to the execution of the interface, determining whether the interface was executed as a result of executing a defined entry point of the interface, the entry point located logically before the code segment;

determining that the execution of the interface is malicious based upon the determination that the interface was executed as a result of executing the code segment prior to executing the defined entry point of the interface; and

in response to the determination that the execution is malicious, initiating an action including at least one of;

preventing further execution of the interface;

transmitting an alert;

or

recording information associated with the execution of the interface.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising predetermining that the code segment is to be monitored for execution with respect to the entry point.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the code segment is determined during runtime by:

determining a starting address of the interface; and

determining a size of the interface.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising determining whether the execution is malicious further based upon whether the interface includes a single entry point.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining whether the execution of the code segment is malicious based upon a determination that the entry point of the interface was not invoked.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

verifying the callback function by determining whether a memory address associated with the callback function is located within code of the interface.

7. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising instructions that, when loaded and executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

identify execution of an interface, including identifying by utilization of a callback function that a code segment internal to the interface has been executed;

in response to the execution of the interface, determine whether the interface was executed as a result of execution of a defined entry point of the interface, the entry point located logically before the code segment;

determine that the execution of the interface is malicious based upon the determination that the interface was executed as a result of execution of the code segment prior to the execution of the defined entry point of the interface; and

in response to the determination that the execution is malicious, initiate an action, the action including at least one of;

prevention of further execution of the interface;

transmission of an alert;

or

recordation of information associated with the execution of the interface.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to predetermine that the code segment is to be monitored for execution with respect to the entry point.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to determine the code segment to be monitored during runtime by:

determining a starting address of the interface; and

determining a size of the interface.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the execution is malicious further based upon whether the interface includes a single entry point.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to determine whether the execution is malicious based upon a determination that the entry point of the interface was not invoked.

13. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to:

identify that another portion of internal code of the interface was invoked; and

determine that the execution is malicious based at least upon an identification that the other portion of internal code was invoked prior to execution of the code segment;

wherein the code segment is located logically before the other portion of internal code.

14. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to

verify the callback function by determining whether a memory address associated with the callback function is located within code of the interface.

8. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor;

computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to identify execution of an interface by utilization of a callback function, including identifying that a code segment internal to the interface has been executed;

in response to the execution of the interface, computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to determine whether the interface was executed as a result of execution of a defined entry point of the interface, the entry point located logically before the code segment;

computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to determine that the execution of the interface is malicious based upon the determination that the interface was executed as a result of execution of the code segment prior to the execution of the defined entry point of the interface; and

in response to the determination that the execution is malicious, computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to initiate an action, the action including at least one of;

prevention of further execution of the interface;

transmission of an alert;

or

recordation of information associated with the execution of the interface.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to identify execution of an interface is further executable by the processor to configure the system to predetermine that the code segment is to be monitored for execution with respect to the entry point.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to identify execution of an interface is further executable by the processor to determine the code segment to be monitored during runtime by:

determining a starting address of the interface; and

determining a size of the interface.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to determine that the execution is malicious is further executable by the processor to determine whether the execution is malicious further based upon whether the interface includes a single entry point.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to determine that the execution is malicious is further executable by the processor to determine whether the execution is malicious based upon a determination that the entry point of the interface was not invoked.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to identify execution of an interface is further executable to identify that another portion of internal code of the interface was invoked; and

the computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to determine that the execution is malicious is further executable to determine that the execution is malicious based at least upon an identification that the other portion of internal code was invoked prior to execution of the code segment;

wherein the code segment is located logically before the other portion of internal code.

20. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions executable by the processor to determine that the execution is malicious is further executable by the processor to

verify the callback function by determining whether a memory address associated with the callback function is located within code of the interface.