Pending now: Kaspersky Lab’s recent patents for business security technologies

Kaspersky Lab recently released the list of its newly received patents on both sides of the Pacific. We take a look at a few of them.

Kaspersky Lab recently released the list of its newly received patents on both sides of the Pacific. Only a handful have been publicized, but Kaspersky Lab now has more than 300 patents along with roughly the same number of pending applications. Interestingly, the most notable patents obtained over the first quarter of 2015 pertain to business protection.

Encryption

The first of those are “System and method for robust full-drive encryption” and “System and method for controlling user access to encrypted data”.

The former describes the way to make Full Disk Encryption (FDE) service more resilient. Specifically, this patent describes a method to determine the optimum size of the data block and the mask of the encrypted area needed to maintain this resiliency.

The latter describes a technology that simplifies the administration of accounts and regulation of encryption policies. This development can automatically determine the list of active users of each computer and create preloading accounts that require authentication before loading the operating system when using full disk encryption. It also describes an automatic method to apply encryption policies for all active users of the computer.

The legit data encryption is a superb way to ensure extra protection of sensitive data – especially personally identifiable information such as names, bank account data, credit card numbers and CVV, etc.

Recently, the repeated “Sony megahacks” and the consequences of multiple POS terminals mass attacks have loomed menacingly. These are not experiences any company would want to have, and encryption is the best (possibly the only assuring) way to safeguard the most sensitive data.

Rules, policies, virtualization

Among the other business-related patents are “System and method for linking various protocols for controlling devices with their owners”, “System and method for automatically configuring application control rules”,  and “System and methods of distributing antivirus checking tasks among virtual machines in a virtual network”.

The first one describes the technology which enables multiple devices with software agents installed to be associated with a particular user. The system administrator then can apply policies and issue commands at a user level rather than a device level. In the BYOD age, when the employees’ mobility is increased, and the notion of “perimeter” becomes very vague (short of obsolete), this technology comes in handy for enterprise admins.

“System and method for automatically configuring application control rules”, in turn, is also a business-oriented feature, which helps to eradicate the errors that may occur when using several conflicting Application control rules. An automatic “mess cleaner”, or, rather, the “un-mess-er” of sorts.

The system can check any rule using the predetermined “network model”, which includes information on all executable files and their categories, on user accounts and their roles in the network, as well as on all existing Application control rules. The system makes it possible to adjust the rules if contradictions are detected.

Then there is a system to distribute checking tasks in the virtual environment.

This technology transfers the load on different virtual machines by dividing the protection system into two levels.

The first level of protection, implemented by the light agent working on a virtual machine, can meet challenges that require a quick response to possible actions, and contains such components as the Host-based Intrusion Prevention System.

The second level is implemented using a specialized machine, and solves more resource-intensive, less priority-oriented and more lasting tasks, such as antivirus scanning of files.

The technology, as one may guess, is used in Kaspersky Security for Virtualization, the product with a particular purpose to decrease workload and strain on the virtual environment. We had a post on this previously.

There are also a few other recently received patents for security technologies. Their short descriptions are available here.

Cryptowall 3.0: an evolution twist

Kaspersky Lab’s regular reports on threat dynamics and trends are called “IT Threat Evolution” not just for catchy word’s sake. IT threats are improving well in accordance with the laws of evolution – i.e. “natural selection”.

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