Server-Side Detection of Malware Infection

The paper reviews the intertwined problems of malware and online fraud, and argues that the fact that service providers often are financially responsible for fraud causes a relative lack of incentives for clients to manage their own security well. This suggests the need for a server-side tool to determine the security posture of clients before letting them transact. This paper introduces an exceedingly lightweight audit mechanism to address this need { permitting for post-mortem infection analysis { and prove its security properties based on standard cryptographic hardness assumptions. The paper describes a deployment architecture that aligns the incentives of participants in order to facilitate quick adoption and widespread use of the technology.