Patent · US Active

Methods for protecting software hooks, and related computer security systems and apparatus

US11042633B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
7References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 27, 2018
Grant dateJun 22, 2021
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 15, 2039

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/455
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A computing apparatus for protecting software hooks from interference may include a processing device and a memory access monitoring device configured to monitor access to the memory addresses of one or more hooks. When a task T1 attempts to write to a memory address of a monitored hook, the monitoring device may generate a notification (e.g., an interrupt), and the processing device may pause execution of the task T1 and initiate execution of a hook protection task T2. The hook protection task T2 may determine whether to allow task T1 to modify the monitored hook. If task T1 is not a trusted task (e.g., if task T1 is or may be malware), the processing device blocks T1 from modifying the monitored hook. In this manner, some attempts to unhook critical software hooks may be thwarted.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.