Patents by Inventor Thomas H. Probert
Thomas H. Probert 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).
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Patent number: 9892661Abstract: A method for digital immunity includes identifying a call graph of an executable entity, and mapping nodes of the call graph to a cipher table of obscured information, such that each node based on invariants in the executable entity. A cipher table maintains associations between the invariants and the obscured information. Construction of an obscured information item, such as a executable set of instructions or a program, involves extracting, from the cipher table, ordered portions of the obscured information, in which the ordered portions have a sequence based on the ordering of the invariants, and ensuring that the obscured information matches a predetermined ordering corresponding to acceptable operation, such as by execution of the instructions represented by the obscured information, or steganographic target program (to distinguish from the executable entity being evaluated). The unmodified nature of the executable entity is assured by successful execution of the steganographic target program.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2017Date of Patent: February 13, 2018Assignee: DIGITAL IMMUNITY LLCInventors: Thomas H. Probert, Henry R. Tumblin
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Publication number: 20170169737Abstract: A method for digital immunity includes identifying a call graph of an executable entity, and mapping nodes of the call graph to a cipher table of obscured information, such that each node based on invariants in the executable entity. A cipher table maintains associations between the invariants and the obscured information. Construction of an obscured information item, such as a executable set of instructions or a program, involves extracting, from the cipher table, ordered portions of the obscured information, in which the ordered portions have a sequence based on the ordering of the invariants, and ensuring that the obscured information matches a predetermined ordering corresponding to acceptable operation, such as by execution of the instructions represented by the obscured information, or steganographic target program (to distinguish from the executable entity being evaluated). The unmodified nature of the executable entity is assured by successful execution of the steganographic target program.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2017Publication date: June 15, 2017Inventor: Thomas H. Probert
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Patent number: 9602289Abstract: A method for digital immunity includes identifying a call graph of an executable entity, and mapping nodes of the call graph to a cipher table of obscured information, such that each node based on invariants in the executable entity. A cipher table maintains associations between the invariants and the obscured information. Construction of an obscured information item, such as a executable set of instructions or a program, involves extracting, from the cipher table, ordered portions of the obscured information, in which the ordered portions have a sequence based on the ordering of the invariants, and ensuring that the obscured information matches a predetermined ordering corresponding to acceptable operation, such as by execution of the instructions represented by the obscured information, or steganographic target program (to distinguish from the executable entity being evaluated). The unmodified nature of the executable entity is assured by successful execution of the steganographic target program.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2015Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: DIGITAL IMMUNITY LLCInventor: Thomas H Probert
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Publication number: 20160094349Abstract: A method for digital immunity includes identifying a call graph of an executable entity, and mapping nodes of the call graph to a cipher table of obscured information, such that each node based on invariants in the executable entity. A cipher table maintains associations between the invariants and the obscured information. Construction of an obscured information item, such as a executable set of instructions or a program, involves extracting, from the cipher table, ordered portions of the obscured information, in which the ordered portions have a sequence based on the ordering of the invariants, and ensuring that the obscured information matches a predetermined ordering corresponding to acceptable operation, such as by execution of the instructions represented by the obscured information, or steganographic target program (to distinguish from the executable entity being evaluated). The unmodified nature of the executable entity is assured by successful execution of the steganographic target program.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 25, 2015Publication date: March 31, 2016Inventor: Thomas H. Probert
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Patent number: 9230455Abstract: A method for digital immunity includes identifying a call graph of an executable entity, and mapping nodes of the call graph to a cipher table of obscured information, such that each node based on invariants in the executable entity. A cipher table maintains associations between the invariants and the obscured information. Construction of an obscured information item, such as a executable set of instructions or a program, involves extracting, from the cipher table, ordered portions of the obscured information, in which the ordered portions have a sequence based on the ordering of the invariants, and ensuring that the obscured information matches a predetermined ordering corresponding to acceptable operation, such as by execution of the instructions represented by the obscured information, or steganographic target program (to distinguish from the executable entity being evaluated). The unmodified nature of the executable entity is assured by successful execution of the steganographic target program.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2014Date of Patent: January 5, 2016Assignee: DIGITAL IMMUNITY LLCInventor: Thomas H Probert
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Patent number: 8958546Abstract: A steganographic method to prevent the execution of malicious code and mitigate software piracy. The method uses invariant portions of machine instructions to create an executable watermark within unmodified code. This watermark can be verified at any stage of the software lifecycle, including dynamically and continuously during execution, to detect foreign code by verifying the integrity of the watermark prior to execution. In addition, the watermark may serve as a steganographic covert channel concealing additional information. Code invariants are not altered by binding operations such as loading and linking on different machines, and thus may be employed to consistently and repeatedly identify an unmodified instantiation of a particular program. The use of opcodes and register references as invariants avoids trivial register substitution as a means of program differentiation that eludes detection.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2010Date of Patent: February 17, 2015Assignee: Stegosytems, Inc.Inventor: Thomas H. Probert
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Publication number: 20140337639Abstract: A method for digital immunity includes identifying a call graph of an executable entity, and mapping nodes of the call graph to a cipher table of obscured information, such that each node based on invariants in the executable entity. A cipher table maintains associations between the invariants and the obscured information. Construction of an obscured information item, such as a executable set of instructions or a program, involves extracting, from the cipher table, ordered portions of the obscured information, in which the ordered portions have a sequence based on the ordering of the invariants, and ensuring that the obscured information matches a predetermined ordering corresponding to acceptable operation, such as by execution of the instructions represented by the obscured information, or steganographic target program (to distinguish from the executable entity being evaluated). The unmodified nature of the executable entity is assured by successful execution of the steganographic target program.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2014Publication date: November 13, 2014Inventor: Thomas H. Probert
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Publication number: 20140108803Abstract: A steganographic method to prevent the execution of malicious code and mitigate software piracy. The method uses invariant portions of machine instructions to create an executable watermark within unmodified code. This watermark can be verified at any stage of the software lifecycle, including dynamically and continuously during execution, to detect foreign code by verifying the integrity of the watermark prior to execution. In addition, the watermark may serve as a steganographic covert channel concealing additional information. Code invariants are not altered by binding operations such as loading and linking on different machines, and thus may be employed to consistently and repeatedly identify an unmodified instantiation of a particular program. The use of opcodes and register references as invariants avoids trivial register substitution as a means of program differentiation that eludes detection.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2010Publication date: April 17, 2014Inventor: Thomas H. Probert