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Research on IoT Anti-malware Technology beyond CPU Architectures

Research Project

Project/Area Number 22K12038
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 60070:Information security-related
Research InstitutionNational Institute of Information and Communications Technology

Principal Investigator

班 涛  国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, サイバーセキュリティ研究所, 主任研究員 (80462878)

Project Period (FY) 2022-04-01 – 2025-03-31
Project Status Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
KeywordsIoT malware analysis / IoT security / static analysis / packer / explainable AI / machine learning / graph embedding / Explainable AI / function call graph / Malware anlaysis / IoT malware / CPU architecture / Static analysis
Outline of Research at the Start

CPU architecture diversity and resource constraints on IoT devices render conventional protection schemes impractical, hindering malware precautions and countermeasures. In this proposal, we propose integrating advanced machine learning methods with security domain knowledge to implement a practical IoT malware detection and prevention scheme that meets the eligibility requirements on accuracy, computational and resource-efficiency, adaptivity to various application scenarios, and robustness against new attacks.

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

In FY 2023, we advanced research on compatible malware protection across CPU architectures and resilience against cyberattacks. Here are the expanded details:
(1) Our research on employing explainable AI to identify unique characteristics in malware families was successfully concluded. We proposed the Color-coded Attribute Graph for intuitive and accurate malware analysis, which garnered significant attention in the cybersecurity community.
(2) Our exploration into detecting IoT malware in packed samples has provided valuable insights. Through an analysis of trends in packed malware on VirusTotal and overcoming challenges with reverse engineering tools, we have developed a robust solution. This solution involves feature selection and automated malware classification, shedding light on accurately and efficiently detecting packed IoT malware. It is poised to significantly enhance the overall security of IoT devices.
(3) With a keen focus on efficiency in resource-constrained devices and cross-platform compatibility, we delved deeper into methods for analyzing IoT malware using printable strings extracted from binary files. Our extensive validation process confirmed the effectiveness of these methods, paving the way for more robust malware detection techniques in the future.

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

In this FY, our primary objective of analyzing IoT malware across CPU architectures has yielded expected results: 1 conference paper accepted, 2 in preparation. Side research on packed malware faced slight delays; 1 paper withdrawn due to data insufficiency, prompting further investigation.
(1) Research on XAI for IoT malware analysis is successfully concluded, resulting in 1 international conference paper.
(2) Work on printable string-based malware detection is ongoing, utilizing effective suffix tree-based string processing methods, with 2 papers be in preparation.
(3) New research started on reinterpreting opcodes as system calls for malware samples without symbolic tables, aiming for compatible CPU architecture analysis through a transition from opcode to system call-level analysis.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

In the concluding year of this research project, our goal is to craft a pragmatic and precise malware detection system tailored for widespread IoT devices by integrating accumulated findings. Specifically, we aim to:
(1) Enhance malware detection through printable strings, refining classification accuracy and lessening reliance on system resources.
(2) Conclude our investigation into text processing methods grounded in suffix trees, fine-tuning parameters for effective analysis of IoT-related malware.
(3) Finalize our exploration of reinterpreting opcodes as system calls, enhancing malware analysis and ensuring compatibility across platforms.
(4) Persist in monitoring the evolving trends of packed programs within IoT malware, ensuring proactive measures against forthcoming threats.

Report

(2 results)
  • 2023 Research-status Report
  • 2022 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (5 results)

All 2023 2022 Other

All Int'l Joint Research (2 results) Journal Article (1 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results,  Peer Reviewed: 1 results) Presentation (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results)

  • [Int'l Joint Research] Taiwan Information Security Center/National Taiwan Uni. of Sci. and Tech.(その他の国・地域)

    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Taiwan Information Security Center/National Taiwan Uni. of Sci. and Tech.(中国)

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] IoT malware classification based on reinterpreted function-call graphs2023

    • Author(s)
      Wu Chia-Yi、Ban Tao、Cheng Shin-Ming、Takahashi Takeshi、Inoue Daisuke
    • Journal Title

      Computers & Security

      Volume: 125 Pages: 103060-103060

    • DOI

      10.1016/j.cose.2022.103060

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Color-coded Attribute Graph: Visual Exploration of Distinctive Traits of IoT-Malware Families2023

    • Author(s)
      Jiaxing Zhou, Tao Ban, Tomohiro Morikawa, Takeshi Takahashi, Daisuke Inoue
    • Organizer
      2023 IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC)
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Research on IoT Anti-malware Technology beyond CPU Architectures2022

    • Author(s)
      Tao Ban
    • Organizer
      Malware & Reverse Engineering Conference 2023
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research

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Published: 2022-04-19   Modified: 2024-12-25  

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