Kaspersky Lab Granted US Patent for Resource Optimization Technology

Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions, announces that it has obtained a new patent in the USA. Patent № 7,962,959 discloses technology that optimizes computer resources during antivirus scanning thanks to the use of cache data. The technology, developed by Kaspersky Lab employee Vyacheslav Batenin, reduces the system load during the launch of antivirus software and makes more effective use of computer resources when scanning files for malicious code.

Modern antivirus databases contain lots of information: malware signatures, the executable code of unpacking and heuristic data analysis algorithms, as well as the information needed to remove detected malware, etc. As a result, antivirus databases are usually quite large and updating them in full on a regular basis is impractical. To minimize the size of updates a difference-based updating method is employed, whereby only updated information is downloaded for merging with the existing contents of the antivirus database. Every time the antivirus software is launched, data stored in the antivirus databases are converted to a format that is used during execution of the antivirus application. Not only does this procedure consume system resources, but when several scanning processes are operating simultaneously, a separate copy of the database files is loaded to the operating memory for each of them, which also affects performance.

The new technology patented by Kaspersky Lab in the USA and Russia offers a more effective method of using the antivirus database with the help of cache data. The cache data is prepared in advance using antivirus databases in a form that is convenient for the antivirus system to work with. One or more code sections of the antivirus cache may be written to memory-mapped files or converted into dynamic link libraries. Such data representation enables data to be accessed by several scanning processes simultaneously without being loaded separately for each process. The cache is stored on the hard drive, which means it is not necessary to constantly convert antivirus databases into cache data. As a result, the technology reduces consumption of computer resources by the antivirus software.

This latest patent brings the number of technologies patented by Kaspersky Lab in the USA to 30. A further 45 patent applications filed by Kaspersky Lab are currently being processed by the relevant authorities in the USA. These pending patents all cover innovative new IT security technologies.