Patent · US Active

Obfuscated malware detection

US8499352B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
2References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 5, 2012
Grant dateJul 30, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 5, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F21/577
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for detecting obfuscated malware. In one aspect, a method includes identifying call instructions in a binary executable; executing the call instruction; executing instructions subsequent to a target of the call instruction; determining that an address identified by a stack pointer is different from the return address; in response to the determination that the address is different, determining if there is a non-obfuscation signal; if there is a non-obfuscation signal, identifying the call instruction as a non-obfuscated call instruction; if there is not a non-obfuscation signal, identifying the call instruction as a possibly obfuscated call instruction; determining whether the call instructions identified as possibly obfuscated call instructions exceeds a threshold; in response to the determination that the call instructions identified as possibly obfuscated call instructions exceeds the threshold, identifying the executable as an obfuscated executable.

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