"Innovative Approach: Detecting Malware Through Hardware-integrated Protection"
Dr. Marcus Botacin, a visiting assistant professor in the computer science and engineering department at Texas A&M University, was recently awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for efforts aimed at moving malware detection from software to hardware, enhancing existing technology. According to Botacin, the concept of using hardware to detect malware faster has existed for around ten years, but his proposal would be the "first formal scientific treatment of the problem." The "Next Generation Antivirus" project will include establishing a framework for extending existing CPU hardware to integrate malware detection, as well as developing the metrics and formal materials required for methodological evaluation. A new technology for faster and more efficient detection needs evaluations to determine if the technique is practical enough without compromising other important operations. Botacin will use a hardware emulator, simulating hardware operations in a software application, to create the framework and uncover new ways CPUs can be designed and organized to include malware detection. This article continues to discuss the Next Generation Antivirus project.