A sense of self for Unix processes

A method for anomaly detection is introduced in which "normal" is defined by short-range correlations in a process' system calls. Initial experiments suggest that the definition is stable during normal behaviour for standard UNIX programs. Further; it is able to detect several common intrusions involving sendmail and 1pr. This work is part of a research program aimed at building computer security systems that incorporate the mechanisms and algorithms used by natural immune systems.

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• UO
  University of Pittsburgh
• CM
  Carnegie Mellon University
• SF
  Santa Fe Institute