CLOUD-DELIVERED HOOKS AND HOOKING POLICIES

Cloud-delivered hooks are injected as binary instrumentation into a software application. The cloud-delivered hooks are specified by a cloud computing environment. The cloud-delivered hooks may be set up, and torn down, by software updates from the cloud computing environment. The cloud-delivered hooks monitor and intercept functions, APIs, and system calls in both user space and kernel space. Moreover, the cloud-delivered hooks may utilize a polymorphic universal hooking mechanism that eliminates strict signature requirements between target functions and detour functions. Because the cloud-delivered hooks are commanded by, and received from, the cloud computing environment, the cloud-delivered hooks may be easily and nearly instantaneously distributed to clients in the field for near real time software instrumentation and reporting. The cloud-delivered hooks can thus greatly simplify and quicken software development, software debugging, malware detection, and software monitoring .