Abstract: A security management system can log, investigate, respond, and track computer security incidents that can occur in a networked computer system. In other words, the security management system can produce a security record of information related to the tracking of suspicious computer activity or actual computer security threats, such as denial of service attacks or other similar compromises to computers or computer networks. The security record can include, but is not limited to, date and times of computer security incidents, a name for a particular security incident, a security management system user, and a potential source of the computer security incident. The security record can be designed as a running log that saves or records all activity of a computer incident source as well as the activity of the security team responding to the computer incident source.

Abstract: Managing and controlling the execution of software programs with a computing device to protect the computing device from malicious activities. A protector system implements a two-step process to ensure that software programs do not perform malicious activities which may damage the computing device or other computing resources to which the device is coupled. In the first phase, the protector system determines whether a software program has been previously approved and validates that the software program has not been altered. If the software program is validated during the first phase, this will minimize or eliminate security monitoring operations while the software program is executing during the second phase. If the software program cannot be validated, the protector system enters the second phase and detects and observes executing activities at the kernel level of the operating system so that suspicious actions can be anticipated and addressed before they are able to do harm to the computing device.

Abstract: A system and method for preventing misuse conditions on a data network are described. Embodiments of the system and method evaluate potential network misuse signatures by analyzing variables such as the state of the network and/or target, the context in which the potential misuse signatures are detected, the response/reaction of the target and/or the fingerprint of the target. These and other variables may be factored in to the misuse determination, either alone, or in combination.

Abstract: A system and method for preventing misuse conditions on a data network are described. Embodiments of the system and method evaluate potential network misuse signatures by analyzing variables such as the state of the network and/or target, the context in which the potential misuse signatures are detected, the response/reaction of the target and/or the fingerprint of the target. These and other variables may be factored in to the misuse determination, either alone, or in combination.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for remote installation of network drivers and software. The present invention provides for the remote installation of a rerouting driver into the network driver interface in the path between one or more media access control units and one or more protocol drivers in a computer system. Code in the network driver interface is disabled, patched to insert the rerouting driver, and then re-enabled. The disabling and re-enabling of the code is performed such that the computer system does not have to be restarted following installation of the patch.

Abstract: Network traffic is monitored to detect attempted inter-network communications, including attempts by devices internal to the network to communicate with resources external to the network and attempts by devices external to the network to establish VPN sessions with resources internal to the network. Upon detecting an attempted inter-network communication, the device responsible for initiating such communication is identified. Then, it is determined whether the identified device is running a valid protection agent. If so, the attempted inter-network communication is permitted. If not, the attempted inter-network communication is blocked in compliance with a network security policy and the identified device is prompted to download and install a protection agent from a designated storage location, or to activate a previously installed protection device. The prompt may include a hyperlink for initiating download of the protection agent.

Abstract: Providing a user with assurance that a computer is secure based on a vulnerability assessment completed by a browser-compatible scanner operating on the computer. If the scanner finds a vulnerability, the scanner can inform the user that the machine is or may be compromised, or repair the vulnerability. For example, the scanner may be able to repair the vulnerability of the workstation. In the alternative, the scanner can provide the scan results to a network server. If the vulnerability assessment shows that the workstation is compromised, or if the possibility of remote compromise is high, the network server can decline to provide network services to the workstation.

Abstract: Providing a user with assurance that a networked computer is secure, typically before completion of the log-in operation. This can be accomplished by extending the local log-in process to perform a host assessment of the workstation prior to requesting the user's credentials. If the assessment finds a vulnerability, the log-in process can inform the user that the machine is or may be compromised, or repair the vulnerability, prior to completion of the log-in operation. By performing vulnerability assessment at the level of the workstation, a network server is able to determine whether the workstation is a “trusted” platform from which to accept authentication requests. If the vulnerability assessment shows that the workstation is compromised, or if the possibility of remote compromise is high, the network server can elect to fail the authentication on the grounds that the workstation cannot be trusted.

Abstract: Providing a user with assurance that a networked computer is secure, typically before completion of the log-in operation. This can be accomplished by extending the local log-in process to perform a host assessment of the workstation prior to requesting the user's credentials. If the assessment finds a vulnerability, the log-in process can inform the user that the machine is or may be compromised, or repair the vulnerability, prior to completion of the log-in operation. By performing vulnerability assessment at the level of the workstation, a network server is able to determine whether the workstation is a “trusted” platform from which to accept authentication requests. If the vulnerability assessment shows that the workstation is compromised, or if the possibility of remote compromise is high, the network server can elect to fail the authentication on the grounds that the workstation cannot be trusted.

Abstract: A security management system includes a fusion engine which “fuses” or assembles information from multiple data sources and analyzes this information in order to detect relationships between raw events that may indicate malicious behavior and to provide an organized presentation of information to consoles without slowing down the processing performed by the data sources. The multiple data sources can comprise sensors or detectors that monitor network traffic or individual computers or both. The sensors can comprise devices that may be used in intrusion detection systems (IDS). The data sources can also comprise firewalls, audit systems, and other like security or IDS devices that monitor data traffic in real-time. The present invention can identify relationships between one or more real-time, raw computer events as they are received in real- time. The fusion engine can also assess and rank the risk of real-time raw events as well as mature correlation events.

Abstract: When conducting anti-virus, anti-spam, or other content filtering on a gateway device, data traffic is run through a proxy that completes a “fetch-scan-forward” operation of the data traffic exchanged between a server and a client. During the transmission of data from the server to the proxy and while the gateway is scanning the data, the client is idle and in danger of timing-out and aborting the data request to be received from the proxy. To prevent this, the proxy sends an intervention message, typically in the form of an extension header file, continuation response, and/or innocuous command, in advance of the client-side time-out. Alternatively, during the transmission of data from the client to the proxy and while the gateway is scanning the data, the server is idle and in danger of timing-out. A proxy sends an intervention message, in the form of an innocuous command, in advance of the server-side time-out.

Abstract: An automated analysis system detects malicious code within a computer system by generating and subsequently analyzing a behavior pattern for each computer program introduced to the computer system. Generation of the behavior pattern is accomplished by a virtual machine invoked within the computer system. An initial analysis may be performed on the behavior pattern to identify infected programs on initial presentation of the program to the computer system. The analysis system also stores behavior patterns and sequences with their corresponding analysis results in a database. Newly infected programs can be detected by analyzing a newly generated behavior pattern for the program with reference to a stored behavior pattern to identify presence of an infection or payload pattern.

Abstract: A security management system includes a fusion engine which “fuses” or assembles information from multiple data sources and analyzes this information in order to detect relationships between raw events that may indicate malicious behavior and to provide an organized presentation of information to consoles without slowing down the processing performed by the data sources. The multiple data sources can comprise sensors or detectors that monitor network traffic or individual computers or both. The sensors can comprise devices that may be used in intrusion detection systems (IDS). The data sources can also comprise firewalls, audit systems, and other like security or IDS devices that monitor data traffic in real-time. The present invention can identify relationships between one or more real-time, raw computer events as they are received in real-time. The fusion engine can also assess and rank the risk of real-time raw events as well as mature correlation events.

Abstract: A spam detection system can monitor incoming and outgoing email messages and prevent email messages from being delivered. This spam detection system incorporates a sender ranking system that maintains prior sender's email addresses and an associated reliability value in a database. If an email message is categorized as spam, the system searches to see if the sender is located in the database. If the sender is located in the database and their reliability value is above a certain threshold, the sender's reliability value is decreased and the email message is treated as not spam. If the sender is not located in the database, the email message is discarded as spam. If an email message is not categorized as spam, prior users located in the database will have their reliability values increased, while new users will be entered into the database at a default level.

Abstract: An automated analysis system detects malicious code within a computer system by generating and subsequently analyzing a behavior pattern for each computer program introduced to the computer system. Generation of the behavior pattern is accomplished by a virtual machine invoked within the computer system. An initial analysis may be performed on the behavior pattern to identify infected programs on initial presentation of the program to the computer system. The analysis system also stores behavior patterns and sequences with their corresponding analysis results in a database. Newly infected programs can be detected by analyzing a newly generated behavior pattern for the program with reference to a stored behavior pattern to identify presence of an infection or payload pattern.

Abstract: A method and system identifies, fixes, and updates security vulnerabilities in a host computer or host computers. The present invention can communicate between a scanner with plug-in capability, an operating system, and an express update package. The architectural set-up can allow exploits within the scanner and exploits in the express update package to function with no knowledge of each other. The user also needs no knowledge of whether the exploits are within the scanner or the express update package. Mutual authentication procedures can enable the scanner to load only legitimate express update packages, and can provide that express update packages can only be loaded into legitimate scanners.

Abstract: Protecting computer networks by altering unwanted network data traffic. An Intrusion Protection System (IPS) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can monitor network data traffic comprising byte information. This network security device analyzes network data traffic at the byte level to determine whether an intrusion event is present in the network data traffic. If an intrusion event is detected, the network security device alters at least a portion of the relevant byte information to prevent the occurrence of a successful intrusion event at the intended destination. This altered byte information is then passed to the destination by the network security device. If an intrusion event is not present, the network security device passes the byte information without alteration to the destination.

Abstract: Managing the selection and scheduling of security audits run on a computing network. The computer network is surveyed by a security audit system to determine the function and relative importance of the elements in the network. Based on function and priority, a more thorough type of security audit is selected to run against each of the network elements by the security audit system. The security audit can also be automatically scheduled based on the information gathered from the survey. Once the system runs the security audit, a vulnerability assessment can be calculated for each element in the network. The vulnerability assessment can be presented in a format that facilitates interpretation and response by someone operating the system. The vulnerability assessment can also be used to configure and schedule future security audits.

Abstract: A security management system includes a fusion engine which "fuses" or assembles information from multiple data sources and analyzes this information in order to detect relationships between raw events that may indicate malicious behavior and to provide an organized presentation of information to consoles without slowing down the processing performed by the data sources. The multiple data sources can comprise sensors or detectors that monitor network traffic or individual computers or both. The sensors can comprise devices that may be used in intrusion detection systems (IDS). The data sources can also comprise firewalls, audit systems, and other like security or IDS devices that monitor data traffic in real-time. The present invention can identify relationships between one or more real-time, raw computer events as they are received in real-time. The fusion engine can also assess and rank the risk of real-time raw events as well as mature correlation events.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system for managing security event data collected from a computing network. The system employs an event managing software module that can reside on a computing network that is being monitored with security devices. The event managing software collects security event data from security devices located in the monitored computing network and can process the security event data. In processing the security event data, the event manager module can format the data and create manageable summaries of the data. The event manager also supports storage of the security event data and the results of any processing performed on the data. Security event data can be identified by the event manager for use in responding to a security event.