Patent ID: 8443449

Claim:
A method of generating a pattern file, said method comprising: receiving a response at one of a plurality of client machines from a user, said response indicating that a feedback option has been selected; detecting a suspicious process at said one of said client machines; sending client feedback data from said one of said client machines to an anti-malware service to help determine whether said suspicious process is a malicious process without informing said user that said suspicious process has been detected; receiving feedback data from said plurality of client machines at said anti-malware service over an Internet connection, said feedback data including said client feedback data, each set of feedback data from one of said client machines providing characteristics of said suspicious process, said suspicious process not being identified as malware; correlating said feedback data from at least two sets of said feedback data; determining that said correlated feedback data indicates that said suspicious process is a malicious process; calculating a virus signature of a computer file associated with said malicious process; producing a virus pattern file that includes said calculated virus signature; and sending said virus pattern file over the Internet from said anti-malware service to said one of said client machines.