Principle and method of deception systems synthesizing for malware and computer attacks detection
Authors: Kashtalian Antonina , Lysenko Sergii , Savenko Bohdan , Sochor Tomáš , Kysil Tetiana 
Published: January 2024

The number of different types and the actual number of malware and computer attacks is constantly increasing. Therefore, detecting and counteracting malware and computer attacks remains a pressing issue. Users of corporate networks suffer the greatest damage. Many effective tools of various kinds have been developed to detect and counteract these effects. However, the dynamism in the development of new malware and the diversity of computer attacks encourage detection and countermeasure developers to constantly improve their tools and create new ones. The object of research in this paper is deception systems. The task of this study is to develop the elements of the theory and practice of creating such systems. Deception systems occupy a special place among the means of detecting and counteracting malware and computer attacks. These systems confuse attackers, but they also require constant changes and updates, as the peculiarities of their functioning become known over time. Therefore, the problem of creating deception systems whose functioning would remain incomprehensible to attackers is relevant. To solve this problem, we propose a new principle for the synthesis of such systems. Because the formation of such systems will be based on computer stations of a corporate network, the system is positioned as a multi-computer system. The system proposes the use of combined baits and traps to create false attack targets. All components of such a system form a shadow computer network. This study develops a principle for synthesizing multi-computer systems with combined baits and traps and a decision-making controller for detecting and countering IEDs and spacecraft. The principle is based on the presence of a controller for decisions made in the system and the use of specialized functionality for detection and counteraction. According to the developed principle of synthesizing such systems, this paper identifies a subset of systems with deception technologies that must have a controller and specialized functionality. The decision-making controller in the system is separate from the decision-making center. Its task is to choose the options for the next steps of the system, which are formed in the center of the system, depending on the recurrence of events. Moreover, prolonged recurrence of external events requires the system center to form a sequence of next steps. If they are repeated, the attacker has the opportunity to study the functioning of the system. The controller in the system chooses different answers from different possible answers for the same repeated suspicious events. Thus, an attacker, when investigating a corporate network, receives different answers to the same queries. Specialized functionality, in accordance with the principle of synthesis of such systems, is implemented in the system architecture. It affects the change of system architecture in the process of its functioning as a result of internal and external influences. This paper also considers a possible variant of the architecture of such deception systems, in particular, the architecture of a system with partial centralization. To synthesize such systems, a new method for synthesizing partially centralized systems for detecting malware in computer environments has been developed based on analytical expressions that determine the security state of such systems and their components. In addition, the experiments showed that the loss of 10-20% of the components does not affect the performance of the task. The results of the experiments were processed using ROC analysis and the algorithm for constructing the ROC curve. The results of the experiments made it possible to determine the degree of degradation of the systems constructed in this manner. Conclusions. This paper presents a new principle for the synthesis of multi-computer systems with combined decoys and traps and a decision-making controller for detecting and counteracting IEDs and spacecraft, as well as methods for synthesizing partially centralized systems for detecting malware in computer networks.