Machine Translation-based Cryptocurrency Mining Detection

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITYMachine Translation-based Cryptocurrency Mining DetectionUsing machine translation to verify a binary submitted for execution on a datacenter system.Opportunity:   Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize the cryptocurrency mining detection technology.  Overview:        Advanced cryptocurrency mining algorithms, including Monero and Lightning, that have been surreptitiously embedded into legitimate High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications present an increasing threat to research data centers and HPC systems throughout the world. There are presently over 2000 types of Cryptocurrencies and mining is an operation fundamental to maintaining the operation of these cryptocurrencies. Mining is expensive and requires substantial HPC hardware and datacenter facilities. This cost can be reduced by

using stolen HPC resources via cryptojacking. This technology details a highly accurate algorithm for detecting cryptocurrency mining malware that may be embedded in otherwise legitimate appearing HPC applications or otherwise obfuscated.Description:    This invention is a rapid test based on machine translation to verify a binary submitted for execution on a datacenter system is free of cryptocurrency mining malware. It uses the attention mechanism in deep learning to accurately and reliably detect cryptocurrency malware surreptitiously deployed on HPC systems. This approach is via machine translation rather than binary classification.Benefits:           Reduced costs associated with illicit electricity theftSecuring a shared and expensive resource which is increasingly targeted. Machine translation based as opposed to binary classification.Binary classification efforts are easily thwarted via simple obfuscationMachine translation gives a reverse engineered view of a binary, thereby enabling greater transparency to the datacenter manager.Applications:  DatacentersDevelopment Status:  TRL 3. This technology is in proof-of-concept stage. Further testing and development is needed.IP Status:INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available.Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.