Method of detecting and blocking malicious activity

1. A method of detecting and blocking malicious activity of processes in computer memory during unpacking of a file after the code and data contained in the file are unpacked, including the steps of:

(a) inserting a hook function into a process running in the computer memory, the hook function placing a hook on a system call carried out by the process;

(b) receiving a first inter-process communication (IPC) constructed by the hook function, the first IPC comprising a process ID, the process ID identifying the process and the system call carried out by the process, wherein the hook function is configured to suspend the system call carried out by the process upon constructing the first IPC;

(c) using the process ID to query a cache of scanned processes to determine whether the process has been scanned within a predetermined time period;

(d) upon determining the process has not been scanned within the predetermined time period, initializing a scan of the process that carried out the system calls to determine the likelihood of the process being malicious;

(e) upon determining the process has been scanned within the predetermined time period, sending a second IPC to the hook function, the second IPC comprising an instruction to the hook function to allow the system call carried out by the process to resume.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system call is a user level API.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the user level API is anyone of CreateMutex( ), RegOpenKey( ), RegOpenKeyEx( ), WSAStartup( ), CreateService( ), FindResource( ), CreateEvent( ), GetDriveType( ), AddAtom( ), CopyFile( ), CreatePipe( ), WinExec( ).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system call is a kernel-mode system service.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at step (f) the attributes of the process are compared with a database containing attributes associated with known malicious processes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at step (f) the attributes are code and data signatures.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein if at step (g) the process is determined likely to be malicious, the method further includes the step of blocking one or more malicious processes.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein blocking includes suspending the one or more malicious processes.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein blocking includes terminating the one or more malicious processes.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein blocking includes suspending one or more threads associated with the one or more malicious processes.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein blocking includes suspending one or more threads associated with one or more processes determined unlikely to be malicious.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein blocking includes deleting a file associated with the one or more malicious processes.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein if at step (g) the un-assessed process is determined likely to be malicious, the method further includes the step of notifying a user.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein at step (b) the system call carried out by the process is suspended for a pre-determined time period, after which, the system call is resumed.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein at step (a) the hook function is inserted upon creation of a new process.

16. A computing device configured to detect and block malicious activity of processes in memory of the computing device during unpacking of a file after the code and data contained in the file are unpacked, the computing device comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor;

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to:

insert a hook function into a process running in the memory of the computing device, the hook function placing a hook on a system calls carried out by the process;

receive a first inter-process communication (IPC) constructed by the hook function, the first IPC comprising a process ID, the process ID identifying the process and the system calls carried out by the process, wherein the hook function is configured to suspend the system call carried out by the process upon constructing the first IPC;

use the process ID to query a cache of scanned processes to determine whether the process has been scanned within a predetermined time period;

upon determining the process has not been scanned within the predetermined time period, initialize a scan of the process that carried out the system calls to determine the likelihood of the process being malicious;

upon determining the process has been scanned within the predetermined time period, send a second IPC to the hook function, the second IPC comprising an instruction to the hook function to allow the system call carried out by the process to resume.

17. A computer-program product for detecting and blocking malicious activity of processes in memory of the computing device during unpacking of a file after the code and data contained in the file are unpacked, the computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions thereon, the instructions comprising:

code programmed to insert a hook function into a process running the memory of the computing device, the hook function placing a hook on a system call carried out by the process;

code programmed to receive a first inter-process communication (IPC) constructed by the hook function, the first IPC comprising a process ID, the process ID identifying the process and the system call carried out by the process, wherein the hook function is configured to suspend the system call carried out by the process upon constructing the first IPC;

code programmed to use the process ID to query a cache of scanned processes to determine whether the process has been scanned within a predetermined time period;

upon determining the process has not been scanned within the predetermined time period, code programmed to initialize a scan of the process that carried out the system calls to determine the likelihood of the process being malicious;

upon determining the process has been scanned within the predetermined time period, send a second IPC to the hook function, the second IPC comprising an instruction to the hook function to allow the system call carried out by the process to resume.