Abstract:
A processing device comprises a processor coupled to a memory and is configured to obtain data characterizing host devices of a computer network of an enterprise. The data is applied to a logistic regression model to generate malware infection risk scores for respective ones of the host devices. The malware infection risk scores indicate likelihoods that the respective host devices will become infected with malware. The logistic regression model incorporates features of the host devices including at least user demographic features, virtual private network (VPN) activity features and web activity features of the host devices, and the data characterizing the host devices comprises data for the incorporated features. Proactive measures are taken to prevent malware infection in a subset of the host devices based at least in part on the malware infection risk scores. The processing device may be implemented in the computer network or an associated network security system.
Abstract:
In one embodiment, a first message is obtained and encrypted to produce a ciphertext. The first message is encrypted such that decryption of the ciphertext utilizing a first key yields the first message, and decryption of the ciphertext utilizing a second key different than the first key yields a second message that is distinct from the first message but shares one or more designated characteristics with the first message. Encrypting the first message may more particularly comprise mapping the first key to a first seed, mapping the first message to a second seed, determining an offset between the first and second seeds, and generating the ciphertext based on the determined offset. Such an arrangement prevents an attacker from determining solely from the second message if decryption of the ciphertext has been successful or unsuccessful. Other embodiments include decryption methods, apparatus for encryption and decryption, and associated articles of manufacture.
Abstract:
Example embodiments of the present invention provide authenticated file system that provides integrity and freshness of both data and metadata more efficiently than existing systems. The architecture of example embodiments of the present invention is natural to cloud settings involving a cloud service provider and enterprise-class tenants, thereby addressing key practical considerations, including garbage collection, multiple storage tiers, multi-layer caching, and checkpointing. Example embodiments of the present invention support a combination of strong integrity protection and practicality for large (e.g., petabyte-scale), high-throughput file systems. Further, example embodiments of the present invention support proofs of retrievability (PoRs) that let the cloud prove to the tenant efficiently at any time and for arbitrary workloads that the full file system (i.e., every bit) is intact, leveraging integrity-checking capabilities to achieve a property that previous PoRs lack, specifically efficiency in dynamic settings (i.e., for frequently changing data objects).
Abstract:
A client device or other processing device comprises a file processing module, with the file processing module being operative to provide a file to a file system for encoding, to receive from the file system a proof of correct encoding of the file, and to verify the proof of correct encoding. The file system may comprise one or more servers associated with a cloud storage provider. Advantageously, one or more illustrative embodiments allow a client device to verify that its files are stored by a cloud storage provider in encrypted form or with other appropriate protections.
Abstract:
A password-hardening system comprises at least first and second servers. The first server is configured to store a plurality of sets of passwords for respective users with each such set comprising at least one valid password for the corresponding user and a plurality of chaff passwords for that user. The second server is configured to store at least a portion of valid password indication information indicating for each of the sets which of the passwords in that set is a valid password. The first and second servers are further configured to proactively update the sets of passwords and the valid password indication information in each of a plurality of epochs. The valid password indication information may comprise, for example, valid password index values for respective ones of the users, with the index values being stored as a shared secret across the first and second servers.
Abstract:
A Security Alerting System is provided with dynamic buffer size adaptation. An alert message from a Security Alerting System indicating a potential compromise of a protected resource is transmitted by obtaining the alert message from the Security Alerting System; authenticating the alert message using a secret key known by a server, wherein the secret key evolves in a forward-secure manner; storing the authenticated alert message in a buffer, wherein a size of the buffer is based on a connection history of the Security Alerting System; and transmitting the buffer to the server. The alert message can optionally be encrypted. The buffer can be increased in proportion to a duration of a disruption of a connection. The size of the buffer can be increased by adding buffer slots at a location of a current write pointer index. Techniques are also disclosed for detecting truncation attacks and alert message gaps. The alert messages can have a variable size by writing alert message into consecutive buffer slots.
Abstract:
Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for behavioral detection of suspicious host activities in an enterprise are provided herein. A method includes processing log data derived from one or more data sources associated with an enterprise network over a given period of time, wherein the enterprise network comprises multiple host devices; extracting one or more features from said log data on a per host device basis, wherein said extracting comprises: determining a pattern of behavior associated with the multiple host devices based on said processing; and identifying said features representative of host device behavior based on the determined pattern of behavior; clustering the multiple host devices into one or more groups based on said one or more features; and identifying a behavioral anomaly associated with one of the multiple host devices by comparing said host device to the one or more groups across the multiple host devices.
Abstract:
A method of determining whether a data object is stored on a storage device such as a disk includes a write operation that partitions the data object into sub-objects according to a random sequence of control bits, by (a) assigning a first block of the data object to an initially selected sub-object, and (b) assigning successive blocks to a currently selected sub-object or to a next selected sub-object based on the value of the corresponding control bit. The sub-objects are written to distinct physical regions of the storage device so that differential read latencies are experienced depending on the pattern of block access. An object read/verify operation includes reading the blocks of the data object sequentially, recording respective latencies, constructing a result word to record latency values, and calculating a difference between the control word and the result word.
Abstract:
A password hardening system is arranged between one or more clients and a domain controller or other authentication entity. The password hardening system comprises a plurality of servers configured to store in a distributed manner respective shares of at least one of a hardened surrogate password and a corresponding user password. The password hardening system is configured to intercept a first set of one or more communications based at least in part on the user password and directed to an authentication entity external to the password hardening system, and to provide to the authentication entity in place of at least a portion of the intercepted first set of one or more communications a second set of one or more communications based at least in part on the hardened surrogate password. The password hardening system may be configured to serve as a proxy between an authenticating client and the authentication entity.
Abstract:
A password-hardening system comprises at least first and second servers. The first server is configured to store a plurality of sets of passwords for respective users with each such set comprising at least one valid password for the corresponding user and a plurality of chaff passwords for that user. The second server is configured to generate valid password indication information indicating for each of the sets which of the passwords in that set is a valid password. The valid password indication information comprises index values computed for respective ones of the password sets by the second server to identify respective valid passwords in the respective password sets. The second server may be further configured to compute the index values utilizing a keyed pseudorandom function, and to send the index values to the first server in association with respective values of a user number counter maintained in the second server.