Exploit attempts are identified and blocked before any damage is caused

Jun 18, 2013 10:56 GMT  ·  By

F-Secure has just rolled out the latest version of DeepGuard, the company’s behavior-based analysis technology that’s designed to block out new and emerging threats.

The security solutions provider says DeepGuard 5 is capable of detecting exploit attempts by monitoring the processes of applications that are usually exploited, such as Microsoft Office, Java, web browsers and plugins. Additionally, commonly exploited document types such as Microsoft Word and PDF files are also monitored.

When an exploit attempt is detected, DeepGuard steps in and blocks it.

“Malware can mutate in characteristics, but the constant is that it always does malicious things,” noted Timo Hirvonen, senior analyst at F-Secure.

“With exploits, their appearance can change and the vulnerability they use can change, but they always do what exploits do. Typical protection is related to the vulnerability being exploited, but we now detect exploits based on their behavior, offering better coverage because vulnerabilities aren’t always known.”

Unlike the traditional cyber defense systems, which are capable of identifying and blocking only previously known malware, DeepGuard makes sure F-Secure products are able to protect computers against any types of threats.

This is crucial considering that automated malware creation kits can help cybercriminals easily release thousands of new variants.

“Top-line antivirus technology stopped being about blocking bad guys on a wanted list years ago,” said Sean Sullivan, security advisor at F-Secure.

“Blocking malware requires understanding its behavior. That’s why we developed our first version of DeepGuard in 2006. And this newest version is our most powerful learner of bad behaviors yet.”

Many experts often argue that antivirus technologies are not very efficient when it comes to protecting computers against new threats. Traditional solutions might not be, but the more modern systems developed by IT security firms can certainly do a decent job.

If you want to learn more about F-Secure’s DeepGuard technology, check out the white paper released today by the company.