Automated response using system-call delays

Abstract

Automated intrusion response is an important unsolved problem in computer security. A system called pH (for process homeostasis) is described which can successfully detect and stop intrusions before the target system is compromised. In its current form, pH monitors every executing process on a computer at the system-call level, and responds to anomalies by either delaying or aborting system calls. The paper presents the rationale for pH, its design and implementation, and a set of initial experimental results. 1 Introduction This paper addresses a largely ignored aspect of computer security---the automated response problem. Previously, computer security research has focused almost entirely on prevention (e.g., cryptography, firewalls and protocol design) and detection (e.g., virus and intrusion detection). Response has been an afterthought, generally restricted to increased logging and administrator email. Commercial intrusion detection systems (IDSs) are capable of terminating conne...