Kernel-Level Security Agent

• US 20140109226A1
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crowdstrike, Inc. (CrowdStrike Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Crowdstrike, Inc. (CrowdStrike Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Diehl, David F., Alperovitch, Dmitri, Ionescu, Ion-Alexandru, Kurtz, George Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,571,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/567 using dedicated hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/568 eliminating virus, restoring damaged files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1491 using deception as countermeasure, e.g. honeypots, honeynets, decoys or entrapment

Abstract

A kernel-level security agent is described herein. The kernel-level security agent is configured to observe events, filter the observed events using configurable filters, route the filtered events to one or more event consumers, and utilize the one or more event consumers to take action based at least on one of the filtered events. In some implementations, the kernel-level security agent detects a first action associated with malicious code, gathers data about the malicious code, and in response to detecting subsequent action(s) of the malicious code, performs a preventative action. The kernel-level security agent may also deceive an adversary associated with malicious code. Further, the kernel-level security agent may utilize a model representing chains of execution activities and may take action based on those chains of execution activities.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting a first action associated with malicious code;

responsive to detecting the first action, gathering data associated with the first action while refraining from taking a preventative action;

upon detecting one or more subsequent actions associated with malicious code, the one or more subsequent actions occurring after the first action, performing the preventative action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventative action is preventing the one or more subsequent actions and further actions by the malicious process or deceiving an adversary associated with the malicious code.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the gathered data in a model that tracks actions taken by processes of a system which executed the first action.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the gathered data to a remote security system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving, in response, instructions associated with the preventative action or a configuration update for configuring a security agent that performs the detecting, gathering, and performing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting, gathering, and performing are performed by a kernel-level security agent that utilizes configurable filters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first action or the one or more subsequent actions comprises observing events associated with multiple processes or threads in parallel.

8. One or more tangible computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions configured to implement a kernel-level security agent on a computer device, the kernel-level security agent performing operations comprising:

observing an event associated with a process executing on the computing device;

determining, based at least in part on the observed event, that the process is associated with malicious code; and

responsive to the determining, deceiving an adversary associated with the malicious code.

9. The one or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the deceiving comprises falsifying data acquired by the malicious code.

10. The one or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the deceiving comprises falsifying the data transmitted to the adversary.

11. The one or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises determining that the process is associated with malicious code based at least on part on a model that tracks processes of the computing device.

12. The one or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the kernel-level security agent utilizes configurable filters.

13. The one or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise providing gathered data associated with the observed event to a remote security system.

14. The one or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise preventing an action by the process.

15. A method implemented by a kernel-level security agent of a computing device, the method comprising:

observing execution activities of one or more processes of the computing device;

storing data associated with the one or more execution activities in a model of the kernel-level security agent, the model representing one or more chains of execution activities; and

taking action based at least in part on the one or more chains of execution activities.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the chains of execution activities represents a genealogy of one of the processes.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the taking action comprises halting or deceiving a process associated with malicious activity.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the stored data to a remote security system.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving, in response, instructions associated with the action or a configuration update for configuring the kernel-level security agent.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the kernel-level security agent utilizes configurable filters