Heuristic detection and termination of fast spreading network worm attacks
View Patent ↗Methods, apparati, and computer program products for detecting and responding to fast-spreading network worm attacks include a network monitoring module ( 110 ), which observes ( 205 ) failed network connection attempts from multiple sources. A logging module ( 120 ) logs ( 220 ) the failed connection attempts. An analysis module ( 150 ) uses the logged data on the failed connection attempts to determine ( 225 ) whether a sources is infected with a worm using a set of threshold criteria. The threshold criteria indicate whether a source's failed connection attempts are non-normal. In one embodiment, a response module ( 160 ) responds ( 240 ) to the computer worm by, e.g., alerting a user or system administrator, terminating an infected process ( 20 ), or terminating the infected source's network access.
1. A computer-implemented method for detecting a worm infection on a set of sources coupled to a network, the method comprising the steps of:
observing a plurality of failed network connection attempts, each failed network connection attempt originating from one of the sources and directed to a destination network address; and
responsive to a source's failed network connection attempts during a period of time meeting at least one of a set of threshold criteria, declaring a presence of a worm, wherein the threshold criteria comprise a correlation with a prior DNS lookup having not been performed before an associated failed network connection attempt.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one source is a process running on a network device.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, terminating the process associated with the declared worm.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one source is a network device coupled to a network.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, terminating network access of the network device associated with the declared worm.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, alerting a user.
7. The method of claim 1 , farther comprising the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, alerting a system administrator.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold criteria further comprise:
a number of failed network connection attempts; and
a diversity of destination network addresses associated with the failed network connection attempts.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold criteria further comprise a weighting associated with at least one of the failed network connection attempts according to an attribute thereof.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a threshold criterion applied to a source depends on the source, and different threshold criteria are used for different sources.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of declaring a worm comprises excluding a source from the threshold criteria, whereby the source's failed network connection attempts do not cause a presence of a worm to be declared.
12. A computer-implemented method for detecting a worm on a network device, the method comprising the steps of:
monitoring attempts to connect to a destination network address by any of a set of processes running on the network device;
logging the process and the destination network address associated with a set of failed connection attempts; and
responsive to the failed connection attempts associated with a process being determined non-normal, declaring a presence of a worm, wherein the determination of non-normalcy is based at least in part on a correlation with a prior DNS lookup having not been performed before an associated failed network connection attempt.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, terminating the process associated with the non-normal failed connection attempts.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, terminating network access of the network device.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the determination of non-normalcy is based at least in part on:
a number of failed network connection attempts; and
a diversity of destination network addresses associated with the failed network connection attempts.
16. A computer-implemented method for detecting a worm on a network, the method comprising the steps of:
monitoring attempts to connect to a destination network address by any of a set of network devices coupled to the network;
logging the network device and the destination network address associated with a set of failed connection attempts; and
responsive to the failed connection attempts associated with a network device being determined non-normal, declaring a presence of a worm, wherein the determination of non-normalcy is based at least in part on a correlation with a prior DNS lookup having not been performed before an associated failed network connection attempt.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, terminating network access of the network device.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the determination of non-normalcy is based at least in part on:
a number of failed network connection attempts; and
a diversity of destination network addresses associated with the failed network connection attempts.
19. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code for detecting a worm infection on a set of sources coupled to a network, the computer program code comprising instructions for performing the steps of:
observing a plurality of failed network connection attempts, each failed network connection attempt originating from one of the sources and directed to a destination network address; and
responsive to a source's failed network connection attempts during a period of time meeting at least one of a set of threshold criteria, declaring a presence of a worm, wherein the threshold criteria comprise a correlation with a prior DNS lookup having not been performed before an associated failed network connection attempt.
20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein at least one source is a process running on a network device.
21. The computer program product of claim 20 , the instructions for further performing the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, terminating the process associated with the declared worm.
22. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein at least one source is a network device coupled to a network.
23. The computer program product of claim 22 , the instructions for further performing the step of:
responsive to a declaration of a worm, terminating network access of the network device associated with the declared worm.
24. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein the threshold criteria further comprise:
a number of failed network connection attempts; and
a diversity of destination network addresses associated with the failed network connection attempts.
25. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code for detecting a worm on a network device, the computer program code comprising instructions for performing the steps of:
monitoring attempts to connect to a destination network address by any of a set of processes running on the network device;
logging the process and the destination network address associated with a set of failed connection attempts; and
responsive to the failed connection attempts associated with a process being determined non-normal, declaring a presence of a worm, wherein the determination of non-normalcy is based at least in part on a correlation with a prior DNS lookup having not been performed before an associated failed network connection attempt.
26. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code for detecting a worm on a network, the computer program code comprising instructions for performing the steps of:
monitoring attempts to connect to a destination network address by any of a set of network devices coupled to the network;
logging the network device and the destination network address associated with a set of failed connection attempts; and
responsive to the failed connection attempts associated with a network device being determined non-normal, declaring a presence of a worm, wherein the determination of non-normalcy is based at least in part on a correlation with a prior DNS lookup having not been performed before an associated failed network connection attempt.
27. A system for detecting a worm, the system comprising:
a network monitoring module configured to observe a plurality of failed network connection attempts, each failed network connection attempt originating from any of a set of sources and directed to a destination network address;
a logging module coupled to the network monitoring module for logging the failed attempts; and
an analysis module coupled to the logging module for declaring a presence of a worm responsive to a source's failed network connection attempts during a period of time meeting at least one of a set of threshold criteria, wherein the threshold criteria comprise a correlation with a prior DNS lookup having not been performed before an associated failed network connection attempt.
28. The system of claim 27 , wherein the threshold criteria further comprise:
a number of failed network connection attempts; and
a diversity of destination network addresses associated with the failed network connection attempts.
29. The system of claim 27 , wherein the threshold criteria further comprise a weighting associated with at least one of the failed network connection attempts according to an attribute thereof.
30. The system of claim 27 , further comprising:
a response module coupled to the analysis module, the response module configured to respond to the worm upon a declaration thereof.
31. The system of claim 30 , wherein the response module is configured to alert a user of a declared worm.
32. The system of claim 27 , wherein at least one source is a process running on a network device, and the response module is configured to terminate the process associated with a declared worm.
33. The system of claim 27 , wherein at least one source is a network device coupled to a network, and the response module is configured to terminate network access of the network device associated with a declared worm.
34. The system of claim 27 , wherein the analysis module is configured to exclude a source from the threshold criteria, whereby the source's failed network connection attempts do not cause the analysis module to declare a worm.