@inproceedings{52933f9f46514f349a3564fdc60b333c,
title = "Modelling metamorphism by abstract interpretation",
abstract = "Metamorphic malware apply semantics-preserving transformations to their own code in order to foil detection systems based on signature matching. In this paper we consider the problem of automatically extract metamorphic signatures from these malware. We introduce a semantics for self-modifying code, later called phase semantics, and prove its correctness by showing that it is an abstract interpretation of the standard trace semantics. Phase semantics precisely models the metamorphic code behavior by providing a set of traces of programs which correspond to the possible evolutions of the metamorphic code during execution. We show that metamorphic signatures can be automatically extracted by abstract interpretation of the phase semantics, and that regular metamorphism can be modelled as finite state automata abstraction of the phase semantics.",
keywords = "Abstract interpretation, malware detection, metamorphic code, program transformation, security, semantics, static analysis",
author = "{Dalla Preda}, Mila and Roberto Giacobazzi and Saumya Debray and Kevin Coogan and Townsend, {Gregg M.}",
year = "2010",
doi = "10.1007/978-3-642-15769-1_14",
language = "English (US)",
isbn = "3642157688",
series = "Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)",
pages = "218--235",
booktitle = "Static Analysis - 17th International Symposium, SAS 2010, Proceedings",
note = "17th International Static Analysis Symposium, SAS 2010 ; Conference date: 14-09-2010 Through 16-09-2010",
}