IP Library Granted Patent US 11,822,656
Granted Patent B2
US 11,822,656 · App. 17/083,428 · Granted Nov 21, 2023

Detection of unauthorized encryption using deduplication efficiency metric

Inventors: Yevgeni Gehtman (Modi'ln, IL); Maxim Balin (Gan Yavne, IL); Tomer Shachar (Omer, IL)
Assignee: EMC IP Holding Company LLC
G06F21/565G06F3/062G06F3/067G06F3/0641G06F3/0653G06F3/0659G06F21/568G06F21/602G06F21/78
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,822,656
App. No.
17/083,428
Granted
Nov 21, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques are provided for detection of unauthorized encryption using one or more deduplication efficiency metrics. One method comprises obtaining a deduplication efficiency value for a deduplication operation in a storage system; evaluating the deduplication efficiency value for the deduplication operation relative to an expected deduplication efficiency value; and performing one or more automated remedial actions, such as generating an alert notification, in response to the evaluating satisfying one or more deduplication criteria. A count of a number of concurrent users may be compared to an expected number of concurrent users, and/or (ii) a count of a number of concurrent sessions for a given user may be compared to an expected number of concurrent sessions for the given user. A ransomware alert or an unauthorized encryption alert may be generated when the evaluating and/or the comparison satisfy predefined attack criteria.

Claims (32)

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining a deduplication efficiency value for one or more deduplication operations in at least a portion of a storage system;

evaluating, by at least one processing device of the storage system, the deduplication efficiency value for the one or more deduplication operations relative to an expected deduplication efficiency value, wherein the expected deduplication efficiency value comprises one or more of: (i) a deduplication efficiency threshold value indicative of an unauthorized encryption, and (ii) an anomalous deduplication efficiency value associated with an unauthorized encryption; and

performing one or more automated remedial actions in response to the evaluating satisfying one or more deduplication criteria;

wherein the method is performed by the at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deduplication efficiency value for the one or more deduplication operations is provided by a deduplication module of the storage system that performed the one or more deduplication operations.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more automated remedial actions comprise generating an unauthorized encryption alert notification in response to the evaluating satisfying the one or more deduplication criteria.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing one or more of: (i) a count of a number of concurrent users to an expected number of concurrent users, and (ii) a count of a number of concurrent sessions for a given user to an expected number of concurrent sessions for the given user.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the comparison is performed in response to the evaluating satisfying the one or more deduplication criteria.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein a ransomware alert is generated when the evaluating and the comparison satisfy one or more ransomware criteria.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising generating an unauthorized encryption alert notification in response to the comparison satisfying one or more concurrency criteria.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expected deduplication efficiency value further comprises a historical deduplication efficiency value for one or more prior deduplication operations.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory;

the at least one processing device being configured to implement the following steps:

obtaining a deduplication efficiency value for one or more deduplication operations in at least a portion of a storage system;

evaluating, by the at least one processing device of the storage system, the deduplication efficiency value for the one or more deduplication operations relative to an expected deduplication efficiency value, wherein the expected deduplication efficiency value comprises one or more of: (i) a deduplication efficiency threshold value indicative of an unauthorized encryption, and (ii) an anomalous deduplication efficiency value associated with an unauthorized encryption; and

performing one or more automated remedial actions in response to the evaluating satisfying one or more deduplication criteria.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the deduplication efficiency value for the one or more deduplication operations is provided by a deduplication module of the storage system that performed the one or more deduplication operations.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the one or more automated remedial actions comprise generating an alert notification in response to the evaluating satisfying the one or more deduplication criteria.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising comparing one or more of: (i) a count of a number of concurrent users to an expected number of concurrent users, and (ii) a count of a number of concurrent sessions for a given user to an expected number of concurrent sessions for the given user.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the comparison is performed in response to the evaluating satisfying the one or more deduplication criteria and wherein a ransomware alert is generated when the evaluating and the comparison satisfy one or more ransomware criteria.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising generating an unauthorized encryption alert notification in response to the comparison satisfying one or more concurrency criteria.

15. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device causes the at least one processing device to perform the following steps:

obtaining a deduplication efficiency value for one or more deduplication operations in at least a portion of a storage system;

evaluating, by the at least one processing device of the storage system, the deduplication efficiency value for the one or more deduplication operations relative to an expected deduplication efficiency value, wherein the expected deduplication efficiency value comprises one or more of: (i) a deduplication efficiency threshold value indicative of an unauthorized encryption, and (ii) an anomalous deduplication efficiency value associated with an unauthorized encryption; and

performing one or more automated remedial actions in response to the evaluating satisfying one or more deduplication criteria.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the deduplication efficiency value for the one or more deduplication operations is provided by a deduplication module of the storage system that performed the one or more deduplication operations.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more automated remedial actions comprise generating an alert notification in response to the evaluating satisfying the one or more deduplication criteria.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising comparing one or more of: (i) a count of a number of concurrent users to an expected number of concurrent users, and (ii) a count of a number of concurrent sessions for a given user to an expected number of concurrent sessions for the given user.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein a ransomware alert is generated when the evaluating and the comparison satisfy one or more ransomware criteria.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 18 , further comprising generating an unauthorized encryption alert notification in response to the comparison satisfying one or more concurrency criteria.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0523) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 060332/0664 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0434) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 060332/0740 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0609) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 062021/0570 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 054591 FRAME 0471 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058001/0463 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0609 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0434 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0523 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 13, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 054591/0471 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2020
From: GEHTMAN, YEVGENI; BALIN, MAXIM; SHACHAR, TOMER
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 054207/0159 →