IP Library Granted Patent US 12,130,916
Granted Patent B2
US 12,130,916 · App. 17/838,973 · Granted Oct 29, 2024

Apparatus and methods to classify malware with explainability with artificial intelligence models

Inventors: Sorcha Healy (Mahon, IE); Christiaan Beek (Schiphol-Rijk, NL)
Assignee: Musarubra US LLC
G06F21/56G06F21/53G06N3/045G06N3/08G06F2221/033G06F2221/034
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,130,916
App. No.
17/838,973
Filed
Jun 13, 2022
Granted
Oct 29, 2024
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2494
USPC
726/22
Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods to classify malware with explainability are disclosed. An example apparatus includes at least one memory; instructions in the apparatus; and processor circuitry. The example processor circuitry is to execute the instructions to: generate feature vectors from a first input; train a neural network model using a first portion of the feature vectors; add one or more fully connected layers to the trained neural network model to form a hybrid model; validate the hybrid model using a second portion of the feature vectors; and deploy the validated hybrid model as a malware classifier, the malware classifier to provide a malware classification with explainability in response to a second input.

Claims (41)

1. An apparatus to enable a malware classification with explainability, the apparatus comprising:

memory circuitry;

instructions; and

processor circuitry to execute the instructions to:

generate feature vectors from a first input;

train a neural network model using a first portion of the feature vectors;

add one or more fully connected layers to the trained neural network model to form a hybrid model;

validate the hybrid model using a second portion of the feature vectors; and

deploy the validated hybrid model as a malware classifier, the malware classifier to provide the malware classification with explainability in response to a second input.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to remove the one or more fully connected layers to expose new outputs.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fully connected layers form a multi-layer perceptron network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the neural network model includes a convolutional neural network model with max pooling.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the feature vectors include at least one of malware identification rules or threat techniques.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the feature vectors include static features extracted from a portable executable.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to update the hybrid model to deploy an updated malware classifier based on at least one of feedback and new input.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the malware classifier is to provide explainability by indicating a portion of the second input resulting in the malware classification.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second input includes a string feature of at least one of an executable or software code.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause at least one processor to at least:

generate feature vectors from a first input;

train a neural network model using a first portion of the feature vectors;

add one or more fully connected layers to the trained neural network model to form a hybrid model;

validate the hybrid model using a second portion of the feature vectors; and

deploy the validated hybrid model as a malware classifier, the malware classifier to provide a malware classification with explainability in response to a second input.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to remove the one or more fully connected layers after validating the hybrid model.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the first input includes a portable executable and wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to extract static features from the portable executable.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to update the hybrid model to deploy an updated malware classifier based on at least one of feedback and new input.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to provide explainability by indicating a portion of the second input resulting in the malware classification.

15. A method to enable malware classification with explainability, the method comprising:

generating, by executing an instruction with processor circuitry, feature vectors from a first input;

training, by executing an instruction with the processor circuitry, a neural network model using a first portion of the feature vectors;

adding, by executing an instruction with the processor circuitry, one or more fully connected layers to the trained neural network model to form a hybrid model;

validating, by executing an instruction with the processor circuitry, the hybrid model using a second portion of the feature vectors; and

deploying, by executing an instruction with the processor circuitry, the validated hybrid model as a malware classifier, the malware classifier to provide a malware classification with explainability in response to a second input.

16. The method of claim 15 , further including removing the one or more fully connected layers.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first input includes a portable executable and further including extracting static features from the portable executable.

18. The method of claim 15 , further including updating the hybrid model to deploy an updated malware classifier based on at least one of feedback and new input.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein explainability is provided by indicating a portion of the second input resulting in the malware classification.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating feature vectors from a first input;

means for training a neural network model using a first portion of the feature vectors, the means for training to add one or more fully connected layers to the trained neural network model to form a hybrid model and validate the hybrid model using a second portion of the feature vectors; and

means for deploying the validated hybrid model as a malware classifier, the malware classifier to provide a malware classification with explainability in response to a second input.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 16, 2024
From: STG PARTNERS, LLC
To: MUSARUBRA US LLC; SKYHIGH SECURITY LLC
Reel/Frame 068671/0435 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 15, 2024
From: MUSARUBRA US LLC
To: MAGENTA SECURITY INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 068656/0098 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 15, 2024
From: MAGENTA SECURITY INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC
To: MAGENTA SECURITY HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 068656/0920 →
FIRST LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 15, 2024
From: MAGENTA SECURITY HOLDINGS LLC; SKYHIGH SECURITY LLC
To: UBS AG, STAMFORD BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 068657/0666 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 15, 2024
From: MUSARUBRA US LLC
To: MAGENTA SECURITY INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 068657/0764 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 15, 2024
From: MAGENTA SECURITY INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC
To: MAGENTA SECURITY HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 068657/0843 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2024
From: MUSARUBRA US LLC; SKYHIGH SECURITY LLC
To: STG PARTNERS, LLC
Reel/Frame 068324/0731 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 13, 2022
From: HEALY, SORCHA; BEEK, CHRISTIAAN
To: MUSARUBRA US LLC
Reel/Frame 060185/0009 →