WOBURN, MA - May 18 - Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of Internet threat management solutions that protect against all forms of malicious software, has been awarded a U.S. patent (# 7 526 516) for a technology that detects unauthorized modifications of data.
Unsanctioned modification of data - intentional or accidental - can result in data distortion and outright data loss, while unauthorized software code modifications can lead to program execution errors or a user unknowingly running malicious code by opening executable files modified by malware.
Existing data protection methodologies use hashing, utilizing digital signatures or tracking the most recent modifications made to a file. However, these methods are too resource-intensive and unreliable to be standardized across all the files on a computer system. Additionally, many malicious programs alter time-stamps to thwart modification tracking efforts, causing infected files to remain undetected and allowed to propagate.
The advanced data protection technology developed by Kaspersky Lab allows users and administrators to check file integrity reliably and quickly, without significant resource consumption. The technology is based on the interception of requests to change timestamps for one or more files. These requests are tracked for each file and stored in a database.
Upon entry into the database, the information is then provided to a special module, usually a component of the antivirus program, which compares the timestamp update counter with the relevant file timestamp. Changes to the timestamp update counter which are not accompanied by the relevant changes to the actual timestamp indicate file modification and possible infection. The antivirus program can then scan the file for malicious code or display an alert.
This method and its software has been patented by Kaspersky Lab to provide quick and reliable tracking of file modifications, triggering antivirus scans to prevent execution of malicious code.
Quote:
Nadia Kashchenko, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel
Kaspersky Lab
"The greatest advantage of this method is that it is fast and allows files to be scanned with minimal consumption of system resources. The technology makes the antivirus program's operation more transparent to the user without sacrificing its high level of protection. This is a very significant invention that is unique to Kaspersky Lab and it has already been implemented in the company's products."
About Kaspersky Lab
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Media Contact:
Greg Sabey
Kaspersky Lab Americas
P: + 1 781 503 2654