Real technologies at work

Real technologies at work
Let’s now examine exactly which algorithms are used in which malware detection technologies.
Typically, manufacturers give new names to the new technologies they develop (Proactive Protection in Kaspersky Anti-Virus, TruPrevent from Panda, and DeepGuard from F-Secure). This is good as it means that individual technologies will not automatically be pigeon-holed in narrow technical categories. Nevertheless, using more general terms such as “heuristic,” “emulation,” “sandbox,” and "behaviour blocker” is unavoidable when attempting to describe technologies in an accessible, relatively non-technical way.
This is where the tangled web of terminology begins. These terms do not have clear-cut meanings (ideally, there would be one clear definition for each term). One person may interpret a term in a completely different way from someone else. Furthermore, the definitions used by the authors of so-called "accessible descriptions" are often very different from the meanings used by professionals. This explains the fact that descriptions of technologies on developer websites may be crammed with technical terminology while not actually describing how the technology works or giving any relevant information about it.
For example, some antivirus software manufacturers say their products are equipped with HIPS, proactive technology or nonsignature technology. A user may understand “HIPS” as being a monitor that analyzes system events for malicious code, and this may not be correct. This description could mean almost anything e.g. that an emulator engine is equipped with a heuristic analysis system (see below). This kind of situation arises even more often when a solution is described as heuristic without giving any other details.
This is not to say that developers are trying to deceive clients. It’s likely that whoever prepares the description of technologies has simply got the terms confused. This means that descriptions of technologies prepared for end users may not accurately describe how the technology works, and that clients should be cautious if using descriptions when selecting a security solution.
Now let’s take a look at the most common terms in antivirus technologies There are few variations in the meanings of signature detection: from a technical perspective, it means working with file byte code, and from an analytical point of view, it is a primitive means of processing data, usually by using simple comparison. This is the oldest technology, but it is also the most reliable. That’s why despite the considerable costs incurred in keeping databases up to date, this technology is still used today in all antivirus software.
There aren't many possible interpretations of the terms emulator or sandbox, either. In this type of technology the analytical component can be an algorithm of any complexity, ranging from simple comparison to expert systems.
The term heuristic is less transparent. According to Ozhegova-Shvedovaya, the definitive Russian dictionary, "heuristics is a combination of research methods capable of detecting what was previously unknown." Heuristics are first and foremost a type of analytical component in protection software, but not a clearly defined technology. Outside a specific context, in terms of problem-solving, it closely resembles an “unclear” method used to resolve an unclear task.
When antivirus technologies first began to emerge - which was when the term heuristic was first used - the term meant a distinct technology: one that would identify a virus using several flexibly assigned byte templates, i.e. a system with a technical component, (e.g. working with files), and an analytical component (using complex comparison). Today the term heuristic is usually used in a wider sense to denote technology that is used to search for unknown malicious programs. In other words, when speaking about heuristic detection, developers are referring to a protection system with an analytical component that uses a fuzzy search to find a solution (this could correspond to an analytical component which uses either complex analysis or an expert systemThe technological foundation of the protection software i.e. the method it uses to gather data for subsequent analysis can range from simply working with files up to working with events or the status of the operating system.
Behavioral detection and proactive detection are terms which are even less clearly defined. They can refer to a wide variety of technologies, ranging from heuristics to system event monitoring.
The term HIPS is frequently used in descriptions of antivirus technologies, but not always appropriately. Despite the fact that the acronym stands for Host Intrusion Prevention System, this does not reflect the essential nature of the technology in terms of antivirus protection. In this context, the technology is very clearly defined: HIPS is a type of protection which from a technical point of view is based on monitoring system events. The analytical component of the protection software may be of any type, ranging from coinciding separate suspicious events to complex analysis of a sequence of program actions. When used to describe an antivirus product, HIPS may be used to denote a variety of things: primitive protection for a small number of registry keys, a system that provides notification of attempts to access certain directories, a more complex system that analyzes program behaviour or even another type of technology that uses system event monitoring as its basis.

No comments: