Predicting Vulnerability to Malware Using Machine Learning Models: A Study on Microsoft Windows Machines

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Esnaashari, Marzieh, Moradi, Nima
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866910800957931520
author Esnaashari, Marzieh
Moradi, Nima
author_facet Esnaashari, Marzieh
Moradi, Nima
contents In an era of escalating cyber threats, malware poses significant risks to individuals and organizations, potentially leading to data breaches, system failures, and substantial financial losses. This study addresses the urgent need for effective malware detection strategies by leveraging Machine Learning (ML) techniques on extensive datasets collected from Microsoft Windows Defender. Our research aims to develop an advanced ML model that accurately predicts malware vulnerabilities based on the specific conditions of individual machines. Moving beyond traditional signature-based detection methods, we incorporate historical data and innovative feature engineering to enhance detection capabilities. This study makes several contributions: first, it advances existing malware detection techniques by employing sophisticated ML algorithms; second, it utilizes a large-scale, real-world dataset to ensure the applicability of findings; third, it highlights the importance of feature analysis in identifying key indicators of malware infections; and fourth, it proposes models that can be adapted for enterprise environments, offering a proactive approach to safeguarding extensive networks against emerging threats. We aim to improve cybersecurity resilience, providing critical insights for practitioners in the field and addressing the evolving challenges posed by malware in a digital landscape. Finally, discussions on results, insights, and conclusions are presented.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_02493
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Predicting Vulnerability to Malware Using Machine Learning Models: A Study on Microsoft Windows Machines
Esnaashari, Marzieh
Moradi, Nima
Cryptography and Security
Machine Learning
In an era of escalating cyber threats, malware poses significant risks to individuals and organizations, potentially leading to data breaches, system failures, and substantial financial losses. This study addresses the urgent need for effective malware detection strategies by leveraging Machine Learning (ML) techniques on extensive datasets collected from Microsoft Windows Defender. Our research aims to develop an advanced ML model that accurately predicts malware vulnerabilities based on the specific conditions of individual machines. Moving beyond traditional signature-based detection methods, we incorporate historical data and innovative feature engineering to enhance detection capabilities. This study makes several contributions: first, it advances existing malware detection techniques by employing sophisticated ML algorithms; second, it utilizes a large-scale, real-world dataset to ensure the applicability of findings; third, it highlights the importance of feature analysis in identifying key indicators of malware infections; and fourth, it proposes models that can be adapted for enterprise environments, offering a proactive approach to safeguarding extensive networks against emerging threats. We aim to improve cybersecurity resilience, providing critical insights for practitioners in the field and addressing the evolving challenges posed by malware in a digital landscape. Finally, discussions on results, insights, and conclusions are presented.
title Predicting Vulnerability to Malware Using Machine Learning Models: A Study on Microsoft Windows Machines
topic Cryptography and Security
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.02493