A Million Tokens

(Article review)

Photo by the author. Did you say murky and wet or malware?

Linked below is a new article introducing Google’s new large-scale language model (LLM) applied to malware analysis. The Gemini 1.5 Pro is notable for its ability to process up to 1 million tokens. The ability to handle large input contexts is especially important when analyzing binaries and executables for malware.

From Assistant to Analyst: The Power of Gemini 1.5 Pro for Malware Analysis

A spate of recent articles suggests that one of the major challenges for large language models (LLMs) is to create models that can effectively leverage large contexts while also developing inferencing/prompts and training techniques to fully harness them.

For the busy, from the busy, I asked Copilot to bulletize the key points from the article:

1. Challenges in Malware Analysis:

   • Traditional methods of automated malware analysis rely on static and dynamic techniques.

   • AI and machine learning (ML) have been used to classify and cluster malware based on behavioral patterns.

   • However, the increasing complexity and volume of malware pose significant challenges, especially against new threats.

2. Generative AI as an Assistant:

   • Google’s VirusTotal platform introduced a feature called “Code Insight” at the RSA Conference 2023.

   • Code Insight leverages generative AI (gen AI) to analyze code snippets and generate reports in natural language.

   • Initially supporting PowerShell scripts, it later expanded to other scripting languages and file formats.

   • By processing code and generating summary reports, Code Insight assists analysts in understanding code behavior and identifying attack techniques.

3. Gemini 1.5 Pro: Scalable Reverse Engineering:

   • Gemini 1.5 Pro is a breakthrough tool capable of processing up to 1 million tokens.

   • It brings the power of gen AI to the analysis of binaries and executables, which was previously challenging.

   • This scalability enables more effective reverse engineering in malware analysis.

4. Impact on Cybersecurity:

   • By automating parts of the malware analysis workflow, generative AI tools like Gemini 1.5 Pro empower analysts.

   • They help manage the asymmetric volume of threats more efficiently.

   • However, ML models still struggle with completely new threats, leaving room for advanced attacks to bypass defenses.