U.S. patent number 9,270,690 [Application Number 13/810,450] was granted by the patent office on 2016-02-23 for network protection system and method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to SECULERT LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is Ron Kraitsman, David Matot, Alex Milstein, Aviv Raff. Invention is credited to Ron Kraitsman, David Matot, Alex Milstein, Aviv Raff.
United States Patent |
9,270,690 |
Kraitsman , et al. |
February 23, 2016 |
Network protection system and method
Abstract
Systems and methods for protecting at least one client from
becoming part of at least one botnet. The system may comprise
virtual machines deliberately infected with malicious content and
operable to record botnet communications to and from criminal
servers. The virtual machines are in communication with a
processing unit configured to index data collected. Data related to
the prevalence of cyber threats may be presented to users in
response to queries.
Inventors: |
Kraitsman; Ron (Petach Tikva,
IL), Milstein; Alex (Raanana, IL), Raff;
Aviv (Kiryat Ono, IL), Matot; David (Kiryat Ono,
IL) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kraitsman; Ron
Milstein; Alex
Raff; Aviv
Matot; David |
Petach Tikva
Raanana
Kiryat Ono
Kiryat Ono |
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A |
IL
IL
IL
IL |
|
|
Assignee: |
SECULERT LTD. (Petach Tikva,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
45496579 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/810,450 |
Filed: |
July 21, 2011 |
PCT
Filed: |
July 21, 2011 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/IB2011/053253 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
January 16, 2013 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2012/011070 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
January 26, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20130133072 A1 |
May 23, 2013 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61366168 |
Jul 21, 2010 |
|
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61411006 |
Nov 8, 2010 |
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61482223 |
May 4, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L
63/1425 (20130101); G06F 21/554 (20130101); H04L
63/1408 (20130101); H04L 63/1416 (20130101); G06F
16/951 (20190101); H04L 63/1433 (20130101); H04L
63/1491 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04L
29/06 (20060101); G06F 21/55 (20130101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Vaughan; Michael R
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Yagod Morris & Associates
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35
U.S.C. 371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/IB2011/053253,
which has an international filing date of Jul. 21, 2011, and which
claims the benefit of priority from US Provisional patent
application Nos. 61/366,168, filed on Jul. 21, 2010, 61/411,006,
filed on Nov. 8, 2010, and 61/482,223, filed on May 4, 2011, which
are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A remote intelligence gathering system operable to provide
intelligence to at least one network manager, said intelligence
comprising information relating to potential security threats to at
least one client network the remote intelligence gathering system
comprising: at least one communication unit configured to receive
data queries from said network manager and to send said
intelligence in response to said data queries; at least one
infected machine configured and operable to deliberately join at
least one botnet, to communicate with at least one criminal server
and to gather malicious content therefrom; and at least one
processing unit in communication with said at least one infected
machine, said processing unit configured to: analyze the malicious
content gathered by said at least one infected machine, to classify
said malicious content into indexed data to store said indexed data
in at least one storage unit, to filter said indexed data according
to the data queries received by said communication unit, and to
generate said intelligence for said communication unit to send to
said network manager.
2. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 1, wherein
said at least one client address and said at least one bot address
are selected from a group of formats consisting of: IP addresses,
IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses, MAC addresses, Virtual IP addresses
representing load-balanced clusters, domain name mappings, host
names, domain controllers and combinations thereof.
3. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 1, configured
to collect a plurality of bot addresses from a plurality of
sources.
4. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 3, wherein
said plurality of sources are selected from a group consisting of:
data sent from said at least one client address to said at least
one bot address, data sent from said at least one bot address to
said at least one client address, malware sensors, public domain
knowledge, publically available files located on criminal servers,
open access logs on servers, sinkholes, sandboxes, intrusion
detection systems, intrusion prevention systems, anti-virus logs,
firewall logs, data leakage prevention systems, operating system
logs, URL filtering systems, security information, event management
systems and combinations thereof.
5. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 1 wherein said
at least one machine is a virtual machine.
6. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 1 wherein said
at least one machine is configured and operable to download
malicious content from said at least one criminal server.
7. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 1 wherein said
machine is operable to receive machine-specific-data-queries.
8. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 7 wherein said
processing unit is operable to classify said malicious content into
machine-specific-indexed-data and to filter said
machine-specific-indexed-data into machine-specific-filtered-data
pertaining to said machine-specific-data-queries.
9. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 8 wherein said
machine is capable of storing machine-specific-indexed-data in said
storage unit.
10. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 1 wherein
said at least one machine further comprises a recording unit
operable to record communication between at least one client
address and said at least one bot address.
11. The remote intelligence gathering system of claim 1 further
configured to display said intelligence pertaining to said data
queries to said network manager via a dashboard.
12. A method for protecting at least one client network from
security threats, the method comprising: connecting, by said
network manager, to a remote intelligence gathering system, said
remote intelligence gathering system comprising at least one
database and at least one machine connected to at least one botnet,
said machine being configured and operable: to download
deliberately at least one malicious software program, to
communicate with at least one criminal server, to record
communication between infected machines of said at least one botnet
and said at least one criminal server, and to analyze said
malicious software, to store data pertaining to said malicious
software, and to index said data in said database; sending, by said
network manager to said remote intelligence gathering system, at
least one query relating to characteristics of said client network;
and receiving, by said network manager from said remote
intelligence gathering system, intelligence pertaining to the
characteristics of said client network.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said remote intelligence
gathering system is operable to identify at least one future domain
name used by said criminal server, register said domain name,
record data sent to said domain name from other members of said
botnet.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein said machine is further operable
to identify other members of said botnet.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein said intelligence comprises at
least one item selected from: at least one current IP address of
said criminal server, at least one future IP address of said
criminal server, at least one current URL of said criminal server,
at least one future URL of said criminal server, at least one
current domain name of said criminal server, at least one future
domain name of said criminal server, at least one geographical
location of said security threat; at least one vulnerability
exploited by said malicious software, time stamps and combinations
thereof.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein said remote intelligence
gathering system is operable to identify at least one future domain
name used by said criminal server, monitor traffic related to said
domain name, record data sent to said domain name from other
members of said botnet.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to internet security. In particular
the invention relates to protecting computers and networks from
becoming part of a botnet.
BACKGROUND
Internet security is challenging, and the types of threats
computers are exposed to are rapidly increasing. Software infecting
computers is commonly known as malware. Malware types include
examples such as worms, bankers, proxy, DDoS, password stealers,
fake anti-virus, spammers, downloaders and the like.
The term `worms` is given to self-replicating malware which uses a
computer network to send copies of itself to other computers on the
network. The term `bankers` is given to malware which steals
banking information.
The term `proxy` is given to malware which sets the infected
computer as a proxy between other computers (for example as used
for Fast Flux and the like).
The term `DoS` is given to malware which is used for
Denial-of-Service attack against websites or networks.
The term `password stealers` is given to malware which steals any
type of information.
The term `Fake Anti-Virus` is given to malware which misleads users
into paying for a fake removal of malware.
The term `Spammers` is given to malware which uses an infected
computer to send spam emails.
The term `Downloaders` is given to malware which downloads other
malware to an infected computer.
Malware types may be differentiated according to criteria such as
self-distribution, point of control, data stealing, level of
protection and the like. The self-distribution is the capability of
the malware to spread itself to other computers. Point of control
refers to the capability of the malware to be controlled by a
central remove server, for example its vulnerability to receiving
commands, sending information, automatic updating and the like.
Data stealing refers to the capability of the malware to send
information from the computer to a remote server.
The level of protection of malware refers to the systems put into
place by the malware author in order to decrease detection by end
point security products, such as anti-virus software, malware
detection software, and the like, and gateway protection software,
such as firewalls and the like. For example, some malware is
designed to be polymorphic, for example changing executable
signature, while maintaining the malware payload. Some malware may
use encryption of the network communication between the malware and
a drop zone at a criminal server.
Cyber criminals use different methods to infect machines with
malware. Examples include the social engineering, exploitation of
specific vulnerabilities, use of exploit kits, distribution of
email attachment and the like.
Social engineering is one method for deceiving users into
downloading malware. In one example a website which offers to show
a video. In order to view the video the user is required to
download software purporting to be an update for commonly used
software such as Adobe Flash or the like. In reality the update is
an executable file installing malware onto the host.
Specific vulnerability may be identified and exploited, certain
malicious webpages, for example, exploit known vulnerabilities of a
browser, application or operating system in order to install the
malware surreptitiously.
Exploit kits are a collections of exploits traded in the
underground, and used by cyber criminals to increase the
probability of installing the malware surreptitiously.
Email attachments are often used to distribute malware to
unsuspecting recipients. For example, executable files may be
attached to spam email or email purporting to be from a member of
the user's contact list. A botnet generally comprises a set of
malware infected computers, or bots, all connected to a common
criminal sever, also known as a bot server, or a bot server set
comprising a plurality of bot servers. The bot server or bot server
set may include a command and control module, which is able to
control all the infected computers, an update module which updates
the malware code in the infected computers, and a drop zone for
collecting data received from the infected computers.
SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS
It is according to one aspect of the current disclosure to present
a system for protecting at least one client from becoming part of
at least one botnet. The client may have at least one client
address, and the botnet may be controlled by at least one criminal
server having at least one bot address. The botnet may be operable
to communicate data between the at least one client address and the
at least one bot address. The system may comprise at least one
processing unit, the processing unit configured to classify the
data into indexed data and to filter the indexed data into filtered
data pertaining to data queries; at least one storage unit
configured to store the indexed data; and at least one
communication unit configured to receive the data queries and send
filtered data pertaining to the data queries.
Variously, the at least one client address and the at least one bot
address may be selected from a group of formats consisting of: IP
addresses, IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses, MAC addresses, Virtual
IP addresses representing load-balanced clusters, domain name
mappings, host names, domain controllers and combinations
thereof.
Where appropriate, the at least one data collection system may be
configured to collect the bot addresses from a plurality of
sources. For example, the plurality of sources may be selected from
a group consisting of: data sent from the at least one client
address to the at least one bot address, data sent from the at
least one bot address to the at least one client address, malware
sensors, public domain knowledge, publically available files
located on criminal servers, open access logs on servers,
sinkholes, sandboxes, intrusion detection systems, intrusion
prevention systems, anti-virus logs, firewall logs, data leakage
prevention systems, operating system logs, URL filtering systems,
security information, event management systems and combinations
thereof.
Accordingly, the data collection system may comprise at least one
machine operable to join at least one botnet. Optionally, the at
least one machine is a virtual machine. The machine may be operable
to communicate with the at least one criminal server. Furthermore,
the machine may be operable to download malicious content from the
at least one criminal server. Moreover, the machine may be operable
to communicate with the at least one processing unit. Alternatively
or additionally, the machine may be operable to send the malicious
content to the at least one processing unit.
Where required, the machine may be operable to receive
machine-specific-data-queries and to analyse the malicious content.
Accordingly, the machine may be operable to classify the malicious
content into machine-specific-indexed-data and filter the
machine-specific-indexed-data into machine-specific-filtered-data
pertaining to the machine-specific-data-queries. In some
embodiments, the machine may be capable of storing
machine-specific-indexed-data in the storage unit.
Where appropriate, the machine further comprises a recording unit
operable to record communication between at least one client
address and the at least one bot address. Optionally, the system
may further comprise at least one display unit configured to
display the filtered data pertaining to the data queries.
According to another aspect of the disclosure a method is taught
for protecting at least one asset from becoming part of at least
one botnet, the asset having at least one client address and the
botnet being controlled by at least one criminal server having at
least one bot address, the botnet operable to communicate data
between the at least one client address and the at least one bot
address. The method may comprise: defining at least one asset which
requires botnet protection, the asset having at least one asset
address; processing traffic sent to and from the at least one asset
address and the at least one bot address; and identifying at least
one bot attack pertaining to the at least one asset.
Defining the at least one asset may comprise defining at least one
IP range representing the asset. Alternatively or additionally,
defining the at least one asset may comprise defining at least one
network interface representing the asset.
Optionally the method further comprises collecting potential bot
data. Optionally, collecting potential bot data comprises: exposing
at least one honeypot asset having at least one honeypot address to
a the traffic; monitoring honeypot-traffic, the honeypot-traffic
traveling between the at least one honeypot address and the at
least one bot address; and identifying bot-traffic patterns from
the honeypot-traffic, the bot-traffic patterns indicative of at
least one bot-infected asset.
Where appropriate, processing traffic sent to and from the at least
one asset address and the at least one bot address may comprise:
classifying the traffic into classified-traffic, the classifying
performed according to the at least one IP range representing the
at least one asset and according to the bot-traffic patterns.
In some embodiments, identifying the at least one bot attack
pertaining to the asset comprises filtering the classified-traffic
according to the at least one asset address.
Optionally, the method may further comprise displaying the at least
one bot attack pertaining to the at least one asset. Furthermore,
the method may further comprise mitigating the at least one bot
attack.
Still another aspect of the disclosure is to teach a method for
protecting at least one client network from security threats. The
method may comprise connecting to a remote intelligence gathering
system, the system comprising at least one database and at least
one virtual machine connected to a computer network, the virtual
machine operable to communicate with at least one criminal server,
to download at least one malicious software program, to analyse the
malicious software, to store data pertaining to the malicious
software, and to index the data in the database; sending a query to
the intelligence gathering system, the query relating to
characteristics of the client network; and receiving intelligence
from the intelligence gathering system pertaining to the
characteristics of the client network.
Optionally, the virtual machine is operable to join at least one
botnet. As required, the virtual machine may be operable to record
communication between the at least one botnet and the at least one
criminal server.
Such an intelligence gathering system may be operable to identify
at least one future domain name used by the criminal server,
register the domain name, record data sent to the domain name from
other members of the botnet. Optionally, the virtual machine is
further operable to identify other members of the botnet
Variously, collected intelligence may comprise at least one item
selected from: at least one current IP address of the criminal
server, at least one future IP address of the criminal server, at
least one current URL of the criminal server, at least one future
URL of the criminal server, at least one current domain name of the
criminal server, at least one future domain name of the criminal
server, at least one geographical location of the security threat;
at least one vulnerability exploited by the malicious software,
time stamps and combinations thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used
herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although
methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described
herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present
invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. In
case of conflict, the patent specification, including definitions,
will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are
illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may
be carried into effect, reference will now be made, purely by way
of example, to the accompanying drawings.
With specific reference now to the drawing in detail, it is
stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for
purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of
the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of
providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily
understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of
the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show
structural details of the invention in more detail than is
necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention; the
description taken with the drawing making apparent to those skilled
in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied
in practice. In discussion of the various figures described herein
below, like numbers refer to like parts. The drawings are generally
not to scale.
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 represents an example of a prior art network topology;
FIG. 2 represents a block diagram representing a typical botnet as
known in the art;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are block diagrams representing selected components
of a bot protection system;
FIG. 4 represents the components of distributed file
environment;
FIG. 5 represents the steps in a bot protection method;
FIGS. 6A-F represent presentation options as screenshots in
accordance with embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 is a table representing examples of web interface settings
which can be entered by a supervisor;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart representing the main processes in a method
for protecting assets from becoming part of a botnet; and
FIG. 9 is a flowchart representing the main processes in a method
for protecting at least one client network from security
threats.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SELECTED EMBODIMENTS
Various embodiments of a bot protection system and method are
disclosed hereinbelow. The system includes cyber threat management
services which are capable for minimizing business risks by
providing real time detection of cybercrime events. The system is
configured to gather and analyze intelligence from multiple
sources, identify malicious content, hostile servers and botnets.
The system is further capable of pin-pointing corporate specific
attacks, alerting a user to specific personal or organizational
assets that may be compromised, and potentially removing malicious
content from infected assets. Using the system, users, such as
network administrators and the like, may be capable of protecting
or sealing a domain against cyber penetration and leakage.
Furthermore users may be able to identify cyber adversaries in real
time and gain accurate visibility to compromised assets.
In contradistinction to other malware protection systems known in
the art, no software or hardware installations or network
configuration changes are required upon any computers or other
devices within the protected organization.
The system may be capable of providing extensive coverage of many
malware family types, regardless of their characteristics and
methods of infection.
Assets may be referred to herein as `clients` and are typically
defined by at least one `client address`. Criminal servers are also
typically defined by at least one `bot address`. In preferred
embodiments, a `client address` or a `bot address` is an IP address
(such as IPv4 or IPv6). MAC addresses, Virtual IP addresses
representing elements such as load balanced clusters, domain name
mappings or the like may also be used as client addresses or bot
addresses.
It will be demonstrated hereinbelow, that `client addresses` are
typically defined by a supervisor or an administrator of an asset
or a group of assets, for example a domain administrator. `bot
addresses` are addresses pertaining to at least one criminal server
located in a networks such as public or private networks, the bot
addresses accessible directly or indirectly by clients and assets
in the same network or in other networks.
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 showing a typical network topology
as known in the art. A private network 10 comprises a plurality of
client computers 12A-E having a common gateway 20 to a public
network 30 such as but not limited to the internet. It is noted
that where required the gateway 20 may which may also serve as a
firewall. The public network 30 comprises a plurality of servers,
for example web servers 32A and 32B and bot servers 34A and
34B.
The public network, such as the internet or `the Web`, may be
accessed by many different clients. The public network may contain
servers such as innocent content servers and malicious bot servers.
Content servers such as but not limited to commonly used domains
CBS.com and USAToday.com, may provide content accessible by other
computers connected to the public network either directly or
through a network gateway. Criminal servers, such as bot servers,
may exploit the public network to gain access to client computers
optionally residing in public, private and protected networks.
The firewall 20 may be used to protect the private network 10 from
attack. It is noted however that known firewall applications
typically require on-site installation of hardware and/or software
within the private network or on the network edge. Furthermore, the
client computers of the private network may be portable computers
or the like which may be used in multiple environments including
environments unprotected by firewalls and the like.
Reference is made to the block diagram of FIG. 2 representing a
typical botnet 50 as known in the art. In this embodiment, botnet
50 comprises a plurality of infected computers 52A, 52B and 52C in
communication with a bot server 60 comprising a command and control
component 62, a bot update component 64 and a drop zone 66.
Reference is made to FIG. 3A illustrating a basic embodiment 100 of
the bot protection system and method.
A user, such as a network manager may communicate with a remote
intelligence gathering system 100. The user may send queries
relating to various characteristics of the client network 10 to the
network manager and receive therefrom information relating to
possible threats to the security of computers in a client network
10.
In this embodiment, client network 10 is shown having one hybrid
asset 104, internal assets 106A and 106B, and external assets 108A
and 108B. Assets may vary in number and type, and include
combinations and sub-combinations of devices such as PCs, laptops,
PDAs or the like.
The remote intelligence gathering system 100 may include a
processing unit 120, a database 130 and at least one virtual
machine 110. Alternatively, non-virtual machines may be used,
independently or in combination with virtual machines. The machines
are operable to join at least one botnet, and to communicate with
at least one criminal server. Preferably, machines are operable to
download malicious content from at least one criminal server, and
optionally install the malicious content, manually or
automatically.
In this embodiment, virtual machines 110A and 110B are each
infected with at least one bot and are in communication with
criminal bot servers 60A, 60B. It is noted that according to
various embodiments, multiple virtual machines may be provided and
operable to join many botnets. Where appropriate individual virtual
machines may become members of a plurality of botnets and thereby
gather data from more than one criminal server.
The virtual machines 110A and 110B may be operable to communicate
with sources of malicious software and deliberately download
malware and other types of malicious content, thereby serving as
honeypots and potentially joining at least one botnet. The machines
are further capable of communicating directly or indirectly with a
processing unit 120. Processing unit 120 may be configured and
operable to analyze malware. and to report communications between
the command and control component of a criminal server 60A, 60B and
the members of the botnet, members such as infected virtual
machines 110A and 110B.
A storage unit in the form of database 130 is provided to store the
information gathered by the virtual machines 110A, 110B. The
storage unit may be used to store data in various forms, filtered
or unfiltered. Data forms may be records of raw traffic,
bot-traffic patterns indicative of bot-infected assets, classified
traffic, filtered traffic or the like. For example, traffic may be
classified in accordance with `client addresses` representing
corporate assets to be protected, `bot addresses` representing
criminal servers, known bots, traffic dates, or any other
classification scheme optionally defined by a user.
Reference is made to the schematic diagram of FIG. 3B, illustrating
various components of a remote intelligence gathering system 100
and the mode of operation between them.
A general system includes a data collection system 150 capable of
collecting data from a plurality of sources 148A-F. Data collection
may make use of accessible elements such as publically available
files located on criminal servers, open access logs on servers,
sinkholes and the like. In preferred embodiments, data collected is
analyzed and synthesized to produce bot addresses pertaining to
criminal servers controlling botnets. A single criminal server may
control a plurality of botnets, a collection of servers may control
a single botnet, or a combination of servers can control a number
of botnets according to various botnet topologies known in the
art.
Virtual machines 110 are then infected with malware according to
the data collected by data collection system 150. A classification
sub-component 122 of processing unit 120 may be used to classify
bots, and the classified bot info may be stored in bot database
130.
Various techniques may be used such as described below.
Research
Researching public domain knowledge may comprise research samples
from malware gathered in public web sites and databases.
Searching may be performed for information to be correlated to
organizational assets which are backdoors of the organization, for
example using domain name and IP range belonging to the
organization.
Referring back to FIG. 3A, organizational assets may be classified
into internal assets 106, external assets 108 and hybrid assets
104. Internal assets include clients within the internal network.
External assets include customers/partners of the organization, for
example customers of a bank, or the like. Hybrid assets include
enterprise employees working from a remote location. Hybrid assets
may be identified using heuristics, for example and without
limitation according to access type (https communication into the
organization
Malware Sensors
Malware sensing may be performed by virtual machines or computers
infected with the malware. Infection can be performed manually or
automatically as required.
Tracking systems may be installed, possibly in the criminal server,
which are capable of following the communication generated from the
malware.
Data Storage
Data may be accessed, possibly using distributed file system tools,
such as Apache's Hadoop software framework or the like, as
illustrated in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, distributed file
environment 200 is capable of addressing data collected from
sources and techniques, such as but not limited to botnet
harvesting 202, honeypots 204 and malware data 202. The distributed
file environment 200 typically supports data-intensive distributed
applications and enables applications to work with thousands of
nodes and to manage large amounts of data. A cluster, for example,
comprising a master and a plurality of worker nodes may be created
for receiving raw data.
A `Research Lab` may be used to collect data. Data collection may
include the collecting of computer IPs associated with terminals
which communicated with a bot server. In some cases it is possible
to retrieve other attributes such as the MAC address of infected
computers, if the bot server collects this data.
Indexing
The output generated by the malware may be classified, indexed or
otherwise organized. Classification may be performed for malware
that communicates with a bot management server.
Lists may be produced of bot management servers with which the
malware communicates. The list may include the, URLs, domain names
or Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of bot management servers, but
other attributes such as the threat types being used by the server
may also be collected.
Data Analysis
Data collected in the Research lab may be analyzed. Such analysis
may result in identification of bot servers (IPs/URLs) and
identification of infected clients communicating with the bot
servers. Furthermore, the security risk presented by various
threats may also be graded.
Client Mapping
Data may be mapped according to queries provided by a customer
regarding specific computers in the organization which may be bot
targets. Data queries may include an information set about the
computers. The information may include the IP address of the bot
target computer, a timestamp of communication with malware server,
a Bot server IP address or the like.
Alternatively, the information set may include a unique identifier
of the bot target computer (for example and without limitation a
GUID of the machine which includes name of machine), or any other
information set components which are capable of providing
sufficient criteria for mapping the data collected.
It is noted that using the data collected, the identity of the
infected computers may be determined.
Another data collection technique involves a method of automating
sinkhole data collection for example by redirecting of traffic
intended for a bot server to a system database. The automated
sinkhole data collection typically uses a load balanced cluster
with high availability.
The Malware may be used to generate a dynamic or static list of
domains. Generation may be performed either with an algorithm or
via a configuration file. The system automatically identifies the
domains, registers them and points them to a Sinkhole server for
the data collection.
Reference is now made to FIG. 5 illustrating a bot protection
method 300. The method comprises malware coverage 310 as
illustrated above, bot servers detection 320, mitigation 330 and
presentation 340.
A detection component enables detection 320 of various malware
family types, executable files and exploit kits or the like. In
some cases, a generic detection API may be provided to
organizations. Amongst others, the detection component may be
configured to perform various functions including but not limited
to the following examples.
Data gathering may be performed using web sensors crawling over the
internet. Web sensors may inspect malware samples. For example, web
sensors crawling over the internet may review the pages a user is
looking at to detect problematic web pages, for example pages which
exploit a weakness or download a file to the user's computer.
Alternatively or additionally, community based forums may be
accessed, such as malwaredomainlist.com or the like. Data may also
be gathered by collecting malware from partners and other
customers
Multiple virtual environments may be created to be deliberately
infected by the malware
Malware network communication with external servers may be recorded
and automatically analyzed.
Malware may be reverse engineered for special capabilities such as
communication encryption keys.
Malware activity may be imitated using external servers in order to
get updates or to send false data.
The probability may be determined that a machine is part of a
network's assets or contains employee identities. Probability may
be determined, for example, by setting a comparative scoring
system. Each score represents the probability of leaked traffic
being part of the network's assets or identity.
In some embodiments, scoring may be set between 1-10, wherein 1
stands for the lowest probability and 10 stands for the highest
probability. The score may be determined by metadata such as:
Visited host (per domain type): External, Internal Domain
Controller Name Posted Data Such as Email address Protected Storage
such as Cookies within Corporate IP address
Future malicious domains may be predicted before they are
registered for cyber criminal activity. For example, malware may
incorporate or access a list of domains, IP addressses or the like,
which may be registered at some point in the future. The detection
component 320 may be operable to inspect such lists and alert a
user to the future threat imposed by such targets. It will be
appreciated that this prediction feature may be used as a superior
alternative to zero-day protection.
The system may further include a Mitigation component 330, which
enables information distribution to the user. The mitigation
component may be operable to imitate malware activity, scan for
suspicious network activity and, alert the user of potentially
infected machines, and perform actions such as but not limited to
uninstalling malware from infected machines. Mitigation may be
automatic or manual, according to settings defined by the
organization's administrator and/or the administrator of the
infected machine.
It is noted that malware activity may be imitated allowing unique
access to data on drop-zone servers, Command & Control servers,
servers hosting exploit kits or the like.
Furthermore, scanning may be caried out for network activity
originating from infected machines within corporate networks and
targeting external bot servers. In preferred embodiments, the scan
is automated.
The system may further include a presentation component 340, which
enables information to be presented to the user.
Various presentation options are shown in the screenshots of FIGS.
6A-6F.
Referring particularly to the screenshot of FIG. 6F, dashboard
presentation of global and corporate specific information, may
include elements such as but not limited to a map of malware
external servers 602, lists of top rated threats 610, and visual
representations of online threat statistics, possibly in the form
of a pie chart 604 or threat level gauge 606, threat level graph
608.
It is particularly noted that the statistics may be presented
relating to global threats and/or corporate specific threats.
Threats may be presented related to corporate specific compromised
machines as well as statistics of corporate data
The lists of top rated threats 610, for example may present the
highest ranked vulnerabilities exploited by cyber criminals,
possibly based on exploit kits analysis found on external
servers.
As noted, global and corporate threat metrics according to the
current and over time threat level may be presented visually in a
number of ways as will occur to those skilled in the art including,
inter alia, charts, bar charts, histograms, tables, pie charts,
gauges, graphs and the like.
The bot protection system and method may further include a
configuration component. In some embodiments, the configuration
component allows for effective, quick and substantially simple
setup of the system within enterprises. Usability of the
configuration and setup components may enable enterprises to
benefit from the system within a matter of minutes.
Basic configuration requires that a supervisor or an administrator
provides initial data to the bot protection system. In some
embodiments for organizations such as but not limited to medium and
large corporates, the supervisor is defined in the user accounts of
the organization.
Initial data provided to the system typically includes parameters
such as but not limited to External IP ranges and Network
Interfaces (otherwise known as Web Interfaces). With regard to
external IP ranges--the supervisor may indicate a plurality of IP
ranges which he considers to be part of his organization whether
internally or part of a perimeter network such as a demilitarized
zone (DMZ). The IP ranges may be indicated in the form of IPv4
addresses, IPv6 addresses, or any other form as suit requirements.
The IPs can be inserted in different formats such as CIDR, IP
Ranges, Net Masks or the like. External IP ranges may be deducted
automatically from the Internal/DMZ IP ranges that the
administrator indicated, or alternatively specified explicitly by
the supervisor. The supervisor may also indicate IP ranges which
are not to be examined by the bot protection system, or IP ranges
to be examined with different security levels by the bot protection
system.
With regard to network interfaces, the supervisor preferably enters
at least one internal and at least one external website name, or
other resources that the organization's
customers/partners/employees or other relevant parties may browse.
In order to access corporate resources over a public network, for
example and without limitation, by means of VPN, the supervisor
preferably indicates the type of network access, for example and
without limitation, internal access, external access, for employee
only access, partner only access or the like. Interface names may
be resolved by a plurality of methods, such as but not limited to
domain name server (DNS) lookup.
Some web access examples are demonstrated in the table of FIG. 7.
The examples listed in the table refer to terminology known in the
art. It should be noted, however, that the options presented in the
table are for demonstration only, and should not be regarded as
limiting.
Entering data may be performed using standard user interface
controls such as text boxes, list boxes, combo-boxes, or any other
data insertion method which suits requirements according to the
display media used for communicating with the user (for example
standard screens, touch or multi-touch screens, appliance keypads,
pointing devices, voice activated interfaces or the like). The
display media may be presented on a local or a remote display unit,
such as but not limited to various types of screens such as cathode
ray tubes, liquid crystal displays (LCD) displays, light emitting
diode (LED) displays, touch screens, plasma displays or the like
integrated with remote terminal units, computers, laptops, PDAs,
cellular phones or the like.
Displaying data to a user administrator may be used by a display
unit integrated with a user's personal device. A network
administrator may use a central display unit to view and control
bot information relevant to a plurality of member assets in the
network.
Referring now to the flowchart of FIG. 8, a bot protecting method
800 for protecting assets from becoming part of a botnet may
require that a user or an administrator defines at least one asset
which requires botnet protection 810, processing traffic sent to
and from that asset and at least one bot-address pertaining to a
criminal server 820, and identifying at least one bot attack
pertaining to the asset 840. Defining the asset may involve
defining at least one IP range 812 and/or defining a network
interface representing the asset 814.
The method may further involve collecting potential bot data 830.
Collecting bot data may comprise exposing at least one honeypot
asset having at least one honeypot address to botnet traffic 832.
The honeypot asset may be a virtual machine. Traffic from the
honeypot asset to the criminal server will be referred to herein as
honeypot traffic.
The honeypot traffic may be monitored 834. Patterns may be
synthesized and identified from the honeypot traffic, the patterns
typically indicative of bot-infected assets 836. The traffic can
later be classified 842 into classified-traffic, optionally
according to asset addresses, traffic dates, known patterns or any
other classification scheme or combination of classification
schemes which suits requirements.
The classified data may then be used to identify bot attacks
pertaining to compromised assets selected from the assets defined
by a user or an administrator as assets requiring botnet
protection. Optionally, bot attacks are displayed to the user 850.
The attacks are optionally classified in the display according to
specific assets or asset groups. Bot attacks may be mitigated 860
automatically or manually, preferably according to administrators'
preferences. Mitigation may comprise deleting malware from
bot-infected assets by un-installing programs, deleting files and
registry keys, or any other mitigation action.
The method as defined herein may be used as a futuristic detection
and protection method superior even to zero-day attacks
recognition. The analysis performed on the traffic may be used to
identify potential attacks yet to be executed by criminal servers.
The criminal servers may be in a latent state, but the analysis of
traffic may identify them before they launch their attacks.
Reference is now made to the flowchart of FIG. 9 representing the
main methods of a method for protecting at least one client network
from security threats 900. The method includes connecting to a
remote intelligence gathering system 910, sending a query to the
intelligence gathering system 920, the query relating to
characteristics of the client network, receiving intelligence from
the intelligence gathering system pertaining to the characteristics
of the client network 930, and optionally acting on the received
intelligence 940.
Such the intelligence gathered and presented by the system may
include a variety of data relating to threats and vulnerabilities
such as current and future IP addresses of the criminal server,
current and future URLs of the criminal server, current and future
domain names used by the criminal server, geographical locations of
the security threat; frequencies and identities of vulnerabilities
exploited by the malicious software, time stamps and such like.
Thus the disclosure hereinabove presents various methods and
systems which may be used to protect networks against cyber
threats, particularly from criminal servers, botnets and the like.
The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended
claims and includes both combinations and sub combinations of the
various features described hereinabove as well as variations and
modifications thereof, which would occur to persons skilled in the
art upon reading the foregoing description.
In the claims, the word "comprise", and variations thereof such as
"comprises", "comprising" and the like indicate that the components
listed are included, but not generally to the exclusion of other
components.
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