Title :
Obfuscation: The Hidden Malware
Author :
O´Kane, P. ; Sezer, Sakir ; McLaughlin, Keiran
Author_Institution :
Centre for Secure Inf. Technol., Queen´s Univ. Belfast, Belfast, UK
Abstract :
A cyberwar exists between malware writers and antimalware researchers. At this war´s heart rages a weapons race that originated in the 80s with the first computer virus. Obfuscation is one of the latest strategies to camouflage the telltale signs of malware, undermine antimalware software, and thwart malware analysis. Malware writers use packers, polymorphic techniques, and metamorphic techniques to evade intrusion detection systems. The need exists for new antimalware approaches that focus on what malware is doing rather than how it´s doing it.
Keywords :
computer viruses; Cyberwar; Obfuscation malware; antimalware software; computer virus; intrusion detection system; malware writer; metamorphic technique; polymorphic technique; thwart malware analysis; Computer security; Databases; Handwriting recognition; Malware; System-on-a-chip; computer security; malware; metamorphism; obfuscation; packer; polymorphism;
Journal_Title :
Security & Privacy, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/MSP.2011.98