Several of the technologies that received their patents at the end of 2014 
have, in fact, long been a successful part of Kaspersky Lab’s products.For example, the technology developed to combat blockers,which is described in the new patent System and method for detecting malware that interferes with the user interface,has already been used in our security solutions for home users – Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Kaspersky Internet Security and Kaspersky Total Security. This technologymakes it possible to automatically detectsituations in which malicious software is stopping users from correctly interacting with the OS interface.That gives the security product a chance to halt the ransomwareand remediate the problem. A patent for this technology was obtained almost simultaneously in Russia and the US.
Kaspersky Lab also received the following patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):
• Portablesecuritydeviceandmethodsfordetectionandtreatmentofmalware.The patent describesa method of detecting malicious programs by connecting a portable security device to a PC to simulate an external drive or another computer. Violations of the integrity of the data stored on the device can indicate the presence of unknown malware on the PC.
• Systemandmethodforprocessingupdatestoinstalledsoftwareonacomputersystem.The patent describesthe technology that makes it possible, on the basis of many factors, to evaluate the expediency of installing each update in order to avoid compatibility conflictsbetween programs or drivers from different developers when installing updates.
• Systemandmethodformodifyingasoftwaredistributionpackage.The patent describes the method of changing asoftware distributive (specifically, the APK installation package used in the Android-based systems) to meet the requirements of a specific client/user without violating the integrity of the digital signature of the package.
• Systemandmethodsforprotectingdatafrominputdevices.Thistechnologyis developedtopreventtheftofthedatatransmittedtoapplicationsfrominputdevices.It allowsimplementingtools that work with the Text Services Framework (TSF) software interface and providing adata exchange between the input device, the anti-virus products, the TSF tool and the means of displaying the user interface of the applications. As a result, it is able to preventthe interception of data, for example, entered from the keyboard.
Several inventions designed by Kaspersky Lab experts were registered in the European Patent Organization (EPO):
• Systemandmethodsforautomaticdesignationofencryptionpoliciesforuserdevices.Theinventionisdesignedtoautomaticallyselectencryptionpoliciesondifferentdevices. It allows the formulation of the most effective data protection policy,choosing an encryption methodon the basis of various characteristics (such as the users of the device, thesoftware installed on it, its location).
• Systemandmethodofautomatinginstallationofapplications.Thistechnology wasdeveloped to optimize the software installationprocess by automatically activating the controls in the windows of the installation interface. In other words, it is an “autopilot” that allows administrators to save time when updating and installing software.
• Systemandmethodforselectingasynchronousorasynchronousinterprocesscommunicationmechanism. The patent describes an OS component acting as an intermediary in communication between applications and resources. It is capable of evaluating requests for security policyviolations andanalyzingwhether the use of the resource leads to incorrect data being issued to other applications or the resource metadata is altered.
• Systemandmethodofisolationofresourcesusingresourcemanager.The patent describes a method forformulatingthe parameters that uniquely characterize a particular system resource and makes it possible to work with them via special resource managers. Like the above patent, this technology is used to ensure the safety of the OS resources and applications.
• Systemandmethodsforensuringconfidentialityofinformationusedduringauthenticationandauthorizationoperations.The invention describes a method of ensuringthe confidentiality ofauthentication information with the help of a trusted device. The basic idea is to separate devices: one device is utilized by the user to make operations and the otheris used to enter confidential information and confirm the operation.
Several patents have been granted by Rospatent, Russia’s patent agency. Among them are:
• System and method to evaluate the maliciousnature of any code being executed in the addressing space of the trusted process.The patent describes technology that allows thedetection of unreliable processes among those running on the operating system and checks unreliable ones only when a critical function is called. This technology makes it possible to deal with exploits, i.e. malicious programs that use vulnerabilities in common applications and operating systems.
• System and method for detecting malicious software by creating an isolated environment.The patent describes a system capable of modifying applications that work with sensitive data to create isolated environments. This allows applications to interact with network resources, storages and various devices in accordance with established security policies. This technology is used to protect an organization’s data from unauthorized access.
Kaspersky Lab is constantly developing and patentingnew technologies to protect information. By the end of February 2015, Kaspersky Labhad 274 patents in Russia, the US, China and Europe, and has a further 304 patent applications pending in several countries.
