Abstract: In one embodiment, a security device in a computer network determines a plurality of values for a plurality of features from samples of known malware, and computes one or more significant values out of the plurality of values, where each of the one or more significant values occurs across greater than a significance threshold of the samples. The security device may then determine feature values for samples of unlabeled traffic, and declares one or more particular samples of unlabeled traffic as synthetic malicious flow samples in response to all feature values for each synthetic malicious flow sample matching a respective one of the significant values for each corresponding respective feature. The security device may then use the samples of known malware and the synthetic malicious flow samples for model-based malware detection.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a learning machine device initializes thresholds of a data representation of one or more data features, the thresholds specifying a first number of pre-defined bins (e.g., uniform and equidistant bins). Next, adjacent bins of the pre-defined bins having substantially similar weights may be reciprocally merged, the merging resulting in a second number of refined bins that is less than the first number. Notably, while merging, the device also learns weights of a linear decision rule associated with the one or more data features. Accordingly, a data-driven representation for a data-driven classifier may be established based on the refined bins and learned weights.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a security device in a computer network determines a plurality of values for a plurality of features from samples of known malware, and computes one or more significant values out of the plurality of values, where each of the one or more significant values occurs across greater than a significance threshold of the samples. The security device may then determine feature values for samples of unlabeled traffic, and declares one or more particular samples of unlabeled traffic as synthetic malicious flow samples in response to all feature values for each synthetic malicious flow sample matching a respective one of the significant values for each corresponding respective feature. The security device may then use the samples of known malware and the synthetic malicious flow samples for model-based malware detection.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a security analysis device a plurality of indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with an entity, sorting at the security analysis device, the IOCs based on a time of occurrence of each of the IOCs, creating a representation of transitions between the IOCs at the security analysis device, and generating at the security analysis device, a feature vector based on the representation of transitions. The feature vector is configured for use by a classifier in identifying malicious entities. An apparatus and logic are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: Techniques are presented that identify malware network communications between a computing device and a server utilizing a detector process. Network traffic records are classified as either malware or legitimate network traffic records and divided into groups of classified network traffic records associated with network communications between the computing device and the server for a predetermined period of time. A group of classified network traffic records is labeled as malicious when at least one of the classified network traffic records in the group is malicious and as legitimate when none of the classified network traffic records in the group is malicious to obtain a labeled group of classified network traffic records. A detector process is trained on individual classified network traffic records in the labeled group of classified network traffic records and network communication between the computing device and the server is identified as malware network communication utilizing the detector process.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a learning machine device initializes thresholds of a data representation of one or more data features, the thresholds specifying a first number of pre-defined bins (e.g., uniform and equidistant bins). Next, adjacent bins of the pre-defined bins having substantially similar weights may be reciprocally merged, the merging resulting in a second number of refined bins that is less than the first number. Notably, while merging, the device also learns weights of a linear decision rule associated with the one or more data features. Accordingly, a data-driven representation for a data-driven classifier may be established based on the refined bins and learned weights.

Abstract: Techniques are presented that identify malware network communications between a computing device and a server utilizing a detector process. Network traffic records are classified as either malware or legitimate network traffic records and divided into groups of classified network traffic records associated with network communications between the computing device and the server for a predetermined period of time. A group of classified network traffic records is labeled as malicious when at least one of the classified network traffic records in the group is malicious and as legitimate when none of the classified network traffic records in the group is malicious to obtain a labeled group of classified network traffic records. A detector process is trained on individual classified network traffic records in the labeled group of classified network traffic records and network communication between the computing device and the server is identified as malware network communication utilizing the detector process.