Art of Computer Virus Research and Defense, The

Chapter 11. Antivirus Defense Techniques

“ But who is to guard the guards themselves?”

—Juvenal

This chapter is a collection of techniques that were deployed in antivirus software to protect against computer viruses. In particular, antivirus scanner techniques will be discussed, which have evolved with computer virus attacks during the last 15 years. During the long evolution of antivirus software, these common techniques became fine-tuned and widely used. Although other methods will likely emerge, those collected in this chapter have been in use long enough to remain the core of antivirus software for the foreseeable future.

I will provide examples of computer virus detection in order of increasing complexity:

• Simple pattern-based virus ...