Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware Activity

Obfuscation and cryptography technologies are applied to malware to make the detection of malware through intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), intrusion detection systems (IDSs), and antiviruses difficult. To address this problem, the security requirements for post-detection and proper response are...

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Main Authors: Sung-Hwa Han, Daesung Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Electronics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/11/12/1871
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author Sung-Hwa Han
Daesung Lee
author_facet Sung-Hwa Han
Daesung Lee
author_sort Sung-Hwa Han
collection DOAJ
description Obfuscation and cryptography technologies are applied to malware to make the detection of malware through intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), intrusion detection systems (IDSs), and antiviruses difficult. To address this problem, the security requirements for post-detection and proper response are presented, with emphasis on the real-time file access monitoring function. However, current operating systems provide only file access control techniques, such as SELinux (version 2.6, Red Hat, Raleigh, NC, USA) and AppArmor (version 2.5, Immunix, Portland, OR, USA), to protect system files and do not provide real-time file access monitoring. Thus, the service manager or data owner cannot determine real-time unauthorized modification and leakage of important files by malware. In this paper, a structure to monitor user access to important files in real time is proposed. The proposed structure has five components, with a kernel module interrelated to the application process. With this structural feature, real-time monitoring is possible for all file accesses, and malicious attackers cannot bypass this file access monitoring function. By verifying the positive and negative functions of the proposed structure, it was validated that the structure accurately provides real-time file access monitoring function, the monitoring function resource is sufficiently low, and the file access monitoring performance is high, further confirming the effectiveness of the proposed structure.
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spelling doaj.art-af66339607044b8b806df7db3a08be6a2023-11-23T16:25:06ZengMDPI AGElectronics2079-92922022-06-011112187110.3390/electronics11121871Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware ActivitySung-Hwa Han0Daesung Lee1Department of Information Security, Tongmyong University, Busan 48520, KoreaDepartment of Computer Engineering, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan 46252, KoreaObfuscation and cryptography technologies are applied to malware to make the detection of malware through intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), intrusion detection systems (IDSs), and antiviruses difficult. To address this problem, the security requirements for post-detection and proper response are presented, with emphasis on the real-time file access monitoring function. However, current operating systems provide only file access control techniques, such as SELinux (version 2.6, Red Hat, Raleigh, NC, USA) and AppArmor (version 2.5, Immunix, Portland, OR, USA), to protect system files and do not provide real-time file access monitoring. Thus, the service manager or data owner cannot determine real-time unauthorized modification and leakage of important files by malware. In this paper, a structure to monitor user access to important files in real time is proposed. The proposed structure has five components, with a kernel module interrelated to the application process. With this structural feature, real-time monitoring is possible for all file accesses, and malicious attackers cannot bypass this file access monitoring function. By verifying the positive and negative functions of the proposed structure, it was validated that the structure accurately provides real-time file access monitoring function, the monitoring function resource is sufficiently low, and the file access monitoring performance is high, further confirming the effectiveness of the proposed structure.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/11/12/1871real-time monitoringhidden malwarefile access monitoringkernel-based structureaccess controlendpoint detection and response
spellingShingle Sung-Hwa Han
Daesung Lee
Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware Activity
Electronics
real-time monitoring
hidden malware
file access monitoring
kernel-based structure
access control
endpoint detection and response
title Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware Activity
title_full Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware Activity
title_fullStr Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware Activity
title_full_unstemmed Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware Activity
title_short Kernel-Based Real-Time File Access Monitoring Structure for Detecting Malware Activity
title_sort kernel based real time file access monitoring structure for detecting malware activity
topic real-time monitoring
hidden malware
file access monitoring
kernel-based structure
access control
endpoint detection and response
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/11/12/1871
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