Trend Micro Inc.

Ben Huang

Qiang Huang

Xiaochuan Wan

Xinfeng Liu

Yuefeng Li

Xiaodong Huang

Kai Yu

Xuebin Chen

Hailiang Fan

The present disclosure provides an automated technique to detect and rectify input-dependent evasion code in a generic manner during runtime. Pattern-based detection is used to detect the evasion code and trigger an identification process. The identification process marks the evasion code and rectifies the execution flow to a more 'significant' path. The execution then moves on by following this path to bypass the evasion code. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Method and system to identify and rectify input dependency based evasion in dynamic analysis

A sandbox system includes a mixed analysis engine that allows for dynamic and static analysis of a sample process for malware. The sample process is executed in a virtual machine and interrupted to allow the mixed analysis engine to identify functions that are called by malware to perform a malicious behavior. The functions are correlated to identify a behavior node that is indicative of the malicious behavior, and behavior nodes are correlated to identify a behavior net. The behavior net is scored to determine if the sample process is malware.

Mixed analysys-based virtual machine sandbox

An emulator on a host computer includes a static analysis module that analyzes executable code of a suspicious sample to determine whether the code identifies that a particular packing program (packer) has packed the sample. Once identified, a custom configuration file is generated that identifies particular API hooks or instructions that should be disabled (or enabled) so that the sample file cannot use these hooks or instructions to detect that it is executing within an emulator. The emulator (such as a virtual machine or sandbox) is configured using the configuration file. The suspicious sample is then executed and its behaviors are collected. The sample is prevented from detecting that it is operating within an emulator and thus prevented from terminating prematurely. Malicious behaviors are scored and a total score indicates whether or not the suspicious sample is malicious or not. Static analysis identifies signatures, instructions or strings.

Tuning sandbox behavior based on static characteristics of malware

A computer executes a suspicious software sample directly on its CPU in order to detect if the software sample is malicious. The software sample does not execute within a sandbox or virtual machine. Before the sample executes, a memory state of the computer is saved and a virtual disk file is created to bootstrap the computer at a later time. Malicious behavior of the software sample is collected while it executes and a report is generated. Hard disk access requests are redirected to a virtual disk file. The software sample does not detect that it is being analyzed. After execution of the sample, the computer is reverts to a clean state by bootstrapping the computer from the saved virtual disk file and then restoring the computer's volatile and non-volatile virtual memory from the saved memory state. A new software sample may then be executed and analyzed on the clean computer.

Detection of advanced persistent threat having evasion technology

A single virtual machine is implemented upon a computer and an operating system executes within this virtual machine. A sample file suspected of being malware is received and any number of versions of the software application corresponding to the sample file are installed. Each version of the software application is executed within the operating system, each version opening the sample file. Behavior of each version and of the sample file is collected while each version is executing. A score indicating malicious behavior for each version with respect to the sample file is determined and reported. The versions may execute serially in the happening system, each version terminating before the next version begins executing. Or, all versions may execute concurrently within the operating system. Files and registries are hidden to facilitate installation. System information is changed to facilitate execution.

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Nanjing, China

Ben Huang