Intrustion protection system utilizing layers and triggers
The inventions relate generally to protection of computing systems by isolating intrusive attacks into layers, those layers containing at least file objects and being accessible to applications, those layers further maintaining potentially intrusive file objects separately from regular file system objects such that the regular objects are protected and undisturbed. Also disclosed herein are computing systems which use layers and/or isolation layers, and various systems and methods for using those systems. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.
1. An Intrusion Protected Layered System for isolating intrusive attacks on a computing system in isolation layers, those attacks including modifications to at least files on the computing system, comprising:
a computing system, said computing system capable of executing processes;
at least one storage device;
at least one file system located to said storage devices; and
computer executable instructions stored to said storage devices, said instructions executable by said computing system to perform the functions of:
(i) identifying running processes, said identifying optionally occurring as the processes are initiated,
(ii) assigning processes categorizations of trust, the categorizations of trust providing at least one “suspicious” categorization for processes at a level of suspicion sufficient to isolate write requests and at least one other categorization for other processes permitted to write to a file system or other storage container,
(iii) receiving trigger events related to running processes,
(iv) on receipt of trigger events, recategorizing processes,
(v) operating at least one isolation layer capable of containing file objects,
(vi) assigning an isolation layer to each process categorized under a “suspicious” categorization,
(vii) for processes categorized under a “suspicious” categorization, directing write requests into the isolation layer assigned for those processes,
(viii) for processes not categorized under a “suspicious” categorization, permitting write requests to be written to a file system or other storage container rather than an isolation layer, and
(ix) providing access to file objects located in isolation layers, the access being provided to at least the processes assigned to each corresponding isolation layer.
2. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , further comprising a database containing process identity information and trust level information, and further whereby for processes identified from said database those processes are assigned trust categorizations from said database.
3. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 2 , further comprising network resources, and whereby said instructions are further executable by said computing system to perform the functions of:
(x) accessing, by way of said network resources, an external database of process identity information.
4. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 3 , whereby if the access of an external database fails, a user query is produced requesting instructions as to the assignment of a categorization of trust.
5. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 3 , whereby if the access of an external database fails, a default assignment of trust categorization is made.
6. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 2 , wherein said database indicates at least one process identity is to be assigned a non-suspicious category of trust.
7. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 2 , wherein said database indicates at least one process identity is to be assigned a suspicious category of trust.
8. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 2 , wherein said database contains process fingerprints, and whereby said system utilizes a fingerprint algorithm to identify processes.
9. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein said system requires an authentication step before a non-suspicious characterization of a process.
10. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein spawned processes are assigned a trust characterization of processes from which they were spawned.
11. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein characterizations of trust are assigned by application type.
12. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein said system is integrated with a system management tool.
13. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein said system triggers on write requests to protected areas of file systems.
14. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein said system triggers on excessive network activity from a process.
15. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein said system triggers on user processes executing at abnormal times.
16. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 1 , wherein said instructions are further executable to merge file objects contained in isolation layers to a file system.
17. The Intrusion Protected Layered System according to claim 16 , wherein a merge operation protected with an authentication method.
18. An Intrusion Protected Layered System for isolating intrusive attacks on a computing system in isolation layers, those attacks including modifications to at least files on the computing system, comprising:
a computing system, said computing system capable of executing processes;
at least one storage device;
at least one file system located to said storage devices;
configuration defining at least one protected area of said file systems; and
computer executable instructions stored to said storage devices, said instructions executable by said computing system to perform the functions of:
(i) identifying running processes, said identifying optionally occurring as the processes are initiated,
(ii) assigning processes categorizations of trust, the categorizations of trust providing at least one “suspicious” categorization for processes at a level of suspicion sufficient to isolate write requests and at least one other categorization for other processes permitted to write to a file system or other storage container,
(iii) detecting write requests to a file system,
(iv) for a process producing a write request to a defined protected area of a file system, recategorizing that process as suspicious,
(v) operating at least one isolation layer capable of containing file objects,
(vi) assigning an isolation layer to each process categorized under a “suspicious” categorization,
(vii) for processes categorized under a “suspicious” categorization, directing write requests into the isolation layer assigned for those processes,
(viii) for processes not categorized under a “suspicious” categorization, permitting write requests to be written to a file system or other storage container rather than an isolation layer, and
(ix) providing access to file objects located in isolation layers, the access being provided to at least the processes assigned to each corresponding isolation layer.
19. An Intrusion Protected Layered System for isolating intrusive attacks on a computing system in isolation layers, those attacks including modifications to at least files on the computing system, comprising:
a computing system, said computing system capable of executing processes;
at least one storage device;
at least one file system located to said storage devices;
configuration defining at least one protected area of said file systems; and
computer executable instructions stored to said storage devices, said instructions executable by said computing system to perform the functions of:
(i) identifying running processes, said identifying optionally occurring as the processes are initiated,
(ii) assigning processes categorizations of trust, the categorizations of trust providing at least one “suspicious” categorization for processes at a level of suspicion sufficient to isolate write requests and at least one other categorization for other processes permitted to write to a file system or other storage container,
(iii) detecting write requests to a file system,
(iv) for a process producing a write request to a defined protected area of a file system, recategorizing that process as suspicious,
(v) operating at least one isolation layer capable of containing file objects,
(vi) assigning an isolation layer to each process categorized under a “suspicious” categorization,
(vii) for processes categorized under a “suspicious” categorization, directing write requests into the isolation layer assigned for those processes,
(viii) for processes not categorized under a “suspicious” categorization, permitting write requests to be written to a file system or other storage container rather than an isolation layer,
(ix) providing access to file objects located in isolation layers, the access being provided to at least the processes assigned to each corresponding isolation layer, and
(x) merge file objects contained in isolation layers to a file system.