Patents by Inventor Dhia Mahjoub

Dhia Mahjoub has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11595357
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a service computes a plurality of features of a subdomain for which a Domain Name System (DNS) query was issued. The service aggregates the plurality of computed features into a feature vector. The service uses the feature vector as input to a machine learning classifier, to determine whether the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name. The service provides an indication that the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name, when the machine learning classifier determines that the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: David Brandon Rodriguez, Thomas Manianghat Mathew, Gilad Rainer, Dhia Mahjoub, Jingchuan Chen, Christian Neufeld
  • Patent number: 11134073
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a device obtains certificate information for a plurality of network addresses. The device constructs, based on the certificate information, a bipartite graph that maps nodes representing common names from the certificate information to nodes representing autonomous systems. The device determines edge counts from the bipartite graph for the nodes representing the autonomous systems. The device identifies, based on the edge counts, a particular one of the common names as botnet-related by comparing edge counts for the autonomous systems associated with that particular common name to edge counts for the autonomous systems associated with one or more of the other common names.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Manianghat Mathew, Dhia Mahjoub
  • Publication number: 20210126901
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a service computes a plurality of features of a subdomain for which a Domain Name System (DNS) query was issued. The service aggregates the plurality of computed features into a feature vector. The service uses the feature vector as input to a machine learning classifier, to determine whether the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name. The service provides an indication that the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name, when the machine learning classifier determines that the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: David Brandon Rodriguez, Thomas Manianghat Mathew, Gilad Rainer, Dhia Mahjoub, Jingchuan Chen, Christian Neufeld
  • Patent number: 10740363
    Abstract: Techniques are provided herein for classifying domains based on DNS traffic so that domains that are malicious or associated with malicious activity can be identified. Traffic between one or more domain name system (DNS) resolvers and one or more authoritative name servers hosted on the Internet is analyzed analyzing at a server having network connectivity. A mismatch between a hostname and Internet Protocol (IP) information for the hostname is detected in the traffic and domains included in the traffic are classified based on the detecting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dhia Mahjoub, Thomas M. Mathew
  • Patent number: 10652260
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for detecting botnet domains is described. In one embodiment, the method includes monitoring network traffic associated with a plurality of clients in a network. Based on the monitoring, information related to a plurality of domains that are queried is stored. The method includes identifying one or more suspect clients in the network based on the stored information and determining a subset of suspect domains based on the stored information related to the domains queried by the suspect clients. The method can include determining client activity information and using the client activity information to determine a polytope region for a client. The method includes comparing each suspect domain to the polytope region and associating a domain with a group of blocked domains if the domain falls within the polytope region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: David Rodriguez, Andrea Michelle Scarfo, Dhia Mahjoub
  • Publication number: 20200036701
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a device obtains certificate information for a plurality of network addresses. The device constructs, based on the certificate information, a bipartite graph that maps nodes representing common names from the certificate information to nodes representing autonomous systems. The device determines edge counts from the bipartite graph for the nodes representing the autonomous systems. The device identifies, based on the edge counts, a particular one of the common names as botnet-related by comparing edge counts for the autonomous systems associated with that particular common name to edge counts for the autonomous systems associated with one or more of the other common names.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Thomas Manianghat Mathew, Dhia Mahjoub
  • Publication number: 20190095512
    Abstract: Techniques are provided herein for classifying domains based on DNS traffic so that domains that are malicious or associated with malicious activity can be identified. Traffic between one or more domain name system (DNS) resolvers and one or more authoritative name servers hosted on the Internet is analyzed analyzing at a server having network connectivity. A mismatch between a hostname and Internet Protocol (IP) information for the hostname is detected in the traffic and domains included in the traffic are classified based on the detecting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Dhia Mahjoub, Thomas M. Mathew
  • Patent number: 10185761
    Abstract: Techniques are provided herein for classifying domains based on DNS traffic so that domains that are malicious or associated with malicious activity can be identified. Traffic between one or more domain name system (DNS) resolvers and one or more authoritative name servers hosted on the Internet is analyzed analyzing at a server having network connectivity. A mismatch between a hostname and Internet Protocol (IP) information for the hostname is detected in the traffic and domains included in the traffic are classified based on the detecting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dhia Mahjoub, Thomas M. Mathew
  • Publication number: 20170041333
    Abstract: Techniques are provided herein for classifying domains based on DNS traffic so that domains that are malicious or associated with malicious activity can be identified. Traffic between one or more domain name system (DNS) resolvers and one or more authoritative name servers hosted on the Internet is analyzed analyzing at a server having network connectivity. A mismatch between a hostname and Internet Protocol (IP) information for the hostname is detected in the traffic and domains included in the traffic are classified based on the detecting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Dhia Mahjoub, Thomas M. Mathew
  • Publication number: 20170041332
    Abstract: Techniques are provided herein for classifying domains based on DNS traffic so that domains that are malicious or associated with malicious activity can be identified. Malicious domains are identified by analyzing, at a server having network connectivity, traffic between one or more clients and one or more Domain Name System (DNS) resolvers, detecting a spike in the traffic for a particular domain, and categorizing queries in the spike based on one or more query features. The particular domain is classified based on the categorizing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Dhia Mahjoub, Thomas M. Mathew