Patents by Inventor Mark David Harris

Mark David Harris 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: 11843631
    Abstract: An endpoint in an enterprise network is monitored, and when a potential trigger for a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is followed by an increase in network traffic from the endpoint to a high reputation network address, the endpoint is treated as a DDoS service bot and isolated from the network until remediation can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Karl Ackerman, Mark David Harris, Simon Neil Reed, Andrew J. Thomas, Kenneth D. Ray
  • Patent number: 11727333
    Abstract: An endpoint coupled in a communicating relationship with an enterprise network may include a data recorder configured to store an event stream of data indicating events on the endpoint including types of changes to computing objects, a filter configured to locally process the event stream into a filtered event stream including a subset of types of changes to the computing objects, and a local security agent. The local security agent may be configured to transmit the filtered event stream to a threat management facility, respond to a filter adjustment from the threat management facility by adjusting the filter to modify the subset of types of changes included in the filtered event stream, and respond to a query from the threat management facility by retrieving data stored in the data recorder over a time window before the query and excluded from the filtered event stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith, Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Russell Humphries
  • Patent number: 11720844
    Abstract: In a threat management platform, a number of endpoints log events in an event data recorder. A local agent filters this data and feeds a filtered data stream to a central threat management facility. The central threat management facility can locally or globally tune filtering by local agents based on the current data stream, and can query local event data recorders for additional information where necessary or helpful in threat detection or forensic analysis. The central threat management facility also stores and deploys a number of security tools such as a web-based user interface supported by machine learning models to identify potential threats requiring human intervention and other models to provide human-readable context for evaluating potential threats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith, Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Russell Humphries
  • Publication number: 20230118204
    Abstract: A multi-endpoint event graph causally relates a sequence of events among a number of computing objects at a number of logical locations including multiple endpoints in an enterprise network. The multi-endpoint event graph is used to detect malware based on malicious software moving through the enterprise network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew J. Thomas, Andrew G. P. Smith, Russell Humphries
  • Patent number: 11550909
    Abstract: A multi-endpoint event graph is used to detect malware based on malicious software moving through a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew J. Thomas, Andrew G. P. Smith, Russell Humphries
  • Publication number: 20220217166
    Abstract: An endpoint coupled in a communicating relationship with an enterprise network may include a data recorder configured to store an event stream of data indicating events on the endpoint including types of changes to computing objects, a filter configured to locally process the event stream into a filtered event stream including a subset of types of changes to the computing objects, and a local security agent. The local security agent may be configured to transmit the filtered event stream to a threat management facility, respond to a filter adjustment from the threat management facility by adjusting the filter to modify the subset of types of changes included in the filtered event stream, and respond to a query from the threat management facility by retrieving data stored in the data recorder over a time window before the query and excluded from the filtered event stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith, Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Russell Humphries
  • Publication number: 20220198010
    Abstract: An event graph can be generated, and, upon malware detection, traversed backward to identify a root cause associated with the malware detection. Using this information, rules for earlier malware detection can be created by analyzing the event graph proximal to the root cause rather than proximal to the malware detection trigger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew J. Thomas, Andrew G. P. Smith, Russell Humphries
  • Publication number: 20220198009
    Abstract: An event graph associated with a root cause for a change in security state on an endpoint is used to facilitate malware detection on other endpoints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew J. Thomas, Andrew G. P. Smith, Russell Humphries
  • Patent number: 11297073
    Abstract: Activity on an endpoint is monitored in two stages with a local agent. In a first stage, particular computing objects on the endpoint are selected for tracking. In a second stage, particular types of changes to those objects are selected. By selecting objects and object changes in this manner, a compact data stream of information highly relevant to threat detection can be provided from an endpoint to a central threat management facility. At the same time, a local data recorder creates a local record of a wider range of objects and changes. The system may support forensic activity by facilitating queries to the local data recorder on the endpoint to retrieve more complete records of local activity when the compact data stream does not adequately characterize a particular context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith, Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Russell Humphries
  • Patent number: 11277416
    Abstract: An enterprise security system is improved by instrumenting endpoints to explicitly label network flows according to sources of network traffic. When a network message from an endpoint is received at a gateway, firewall, or other network device/service, the network message may be examined to determine the application on the endpoint that originated the request, and this source information may be used to control routing or other handling of the network message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Mark David Harris
  • Publication number: 20220070184
    Abstract: A data recorder stores endpoint activity on an ongoing basis as sequences of events that causally relate computer objects such as processes and files. When a security event is detected, an event graph may be generated based on these causal relationships among the computing objects. For a root cause analysis, the event graph may be traversed in a reverse order from the point of an identified security event (e.g., a malware detection event) to preceding computing objects, while applying one or more cause identification rules to identify a root cause of the security event. Once a root cause is identified, the event graph may be traversed forward from the root cause to identify other computing objects that are potentially compromised by the root cause.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew J. Thomas, Andrew G. P. Smith, Russell Humphries, Kenneth D. Ray
  • Patent number: 11182486
    Abstract: A security driver loads early in the boot process for a compute instance and detects processes that are subsequently launched. The detected processes can be recorded, and then scanned with any suitable malware scanning tool(s) once a user mode is available on the compute instance. After the operating system is installed and a user mode is available, other scanning tools may also be deployed (e.g., in the user mode) to augment security of the compute instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Richard Paul Cosgrove, Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith
  • Publication number: 20210344707
    Abstract: An endpoint in an enterprise network is monitored, and when a potential trigger for a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is followed by an increase in network traffic from the endpoint to a high reputation network address, the endpoint is treated as a DDoS service bot and isolated from the network until remediation can be performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Karl Ackerman, Mark David Harris, Simon Neil Reed, Andrew J. Thomas, Kenneth D. Ray
  • Patent number: 11165797
    Abstract: In the context of network activity by an endpoint in an enterprise network, malware detection is improved by using a combination of reputation information for a network address that is accessed by the endpoint with reputation information for an application on the endpoint that is accessing the network address. This information, when combined with a network usage history for the application, provides improved differentiation between malicious network activity and legitimate, user-initiated network activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Karl Ackerman, Mark David Harris, Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Daniel Stutz
  • Patent number: 11102238
    Abstract: An endpoint in an enterprise network is monitored, and when a potential trigger for a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is followed by an increase in network traffic from the endpoint to a high reputation network address, the endpoint is treated as a DDoS service bot and isolated from the network until remediation can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Karl Ackerman, Mark David Harris, Simon Neil Reed, Andrew J. Thomas, Kenneth D. Ray
  • Patent number: 11095669
    Abstract: A data recorder stores endpoint activity on an ongoing basis as sequences of events that causally relate computer objects such as processes and files. When a security event is detected, an event graph may be generated based on these causal relationships among the computing objects. For a root cause analysis, the event graph may be traversed in a reverse order from the point of an identified security event (e.g., a malware detection event) to preceding computing objects, while applying one or more cause identification rules to identify a root cause of the security event. Once a root cause is identified, the event graph may be traversed forward from the root cause to identify other computing objects that are potentially compromised by the root cause.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew J. Thomas, Andrew G. P. Smith, Russell Humphries, Kenneth D. Ray
  • Publication number: 20210250366
    Abstract: In a threat management platform, a number of endpoints log events in an event data recorder. A local agent filters this data and feeds a filtered data stream to a central threat management facility. The central threat management facility can locally or globally tune filtering by local agents based on the current data stream, and can query local event data recorders for additional information where necessary or helpful in threat detection or forensic analysis. The central threat management facility also stores and deploys a number of security tools such as a web-based user interface supported by machine learning models to identify potential threats requiring human intervention and other models to provide human-readable context for evaluating potential threats.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith, Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Russell Humphries
  • Patent number: 10972485
    Abstract: In a threat management platform, a number of endpoints log events in an event data recorder. A local agent filters this data and feeds a filtered data stream to a central threat management facility. The central threat management facility can locally or globally tune filtering by local agents based on the current data stream, and can query local event data recorders for additional information where necessary or helpful in threat detection or forensic analysis. The central threat management facility also stores and deploys a number of security tools such as a web-based user interface supported by machine learning models to identify potential threats requiring human intervention and other models to provide human-readable context for evaluating potential threats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Beata Ladnai, Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith, Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Russell Humphries
  • Patent number: 10963569
    Abstract: A security driver loads early in the boot process for a compute instance and detects processes that are subsequently launched and/or terminated. The detected processes can be recorded, and then scanned with any suitable malware scanning tool(s) once a user mode is available on the compute instance, including any processes that are terminated before such scanning tools are launched. After the operating system is installed and a user mode is available, other scanning tools may also be deployed (e.g., in the user mode) to augment security of the compute instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Mark David Harris, Andrew G. P. Smith, Richard Paul Cosgrove
  • Patent number: 10951642
    Abstract: A threat management facility that remotely stores global reputation information for network content can be used in combination with a recognition engine such as a machine learning classifier that is locally deployed on endpoints within an enterprise network. More specifically, the recognition engine can locally evaluate reputation for a network address being accessed by an endpoint, and this reputation information can be used to dynamically establish a timeout for a request from the endpoint to the threat management facility for corresponding global reputation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Neil Robert Tyndale Watkiss, Emile Marcus Kenning, Mark David Harris