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Abstract

A virus detection system (VDS) (400) operates under the control of P-code to detect the presence of a virus in a file (100) having multiple entry points. P-code is an intermediate instruction format that uses primitives to perform certain functions related to the file (100). The VDS (400) executes the P-code, which provides Turing-equivalent capability to the VDS. The VDS (400) has a P-code data file (410) for holding the P-code, a virus definition file (VDF) (412) for holding signatures of known viruses, and an engine (414) for controlling the VDS. The engine (414) contains a P-code interpreter (418) for interpreting the P-code, a scanning module (424) for scanning regions of the file (100) for the virus signatures in the VDF (412), and an emulating module (426) for emulating entry points of the file. When executed, the P-code examines the file (100), posts (514) regions that may be infected by a virus for scanning, and posts (518) entry points that may be infected by a virus for emulating. The P-code can also detect (520) certain viruses algorithmically. Then, the posted regions and entry points of the file (100) are scanned (526) and emulated (534) to determine if the file is infected with a virus. This technique allows the VDS (400) to perform sophisticated analysis of files having multiple entry points in a relatively brief amount of time. In addition, the functionality of the VDS (400) can be changed by changing the P-code, reducing the need for burdensome engine updates.

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