Active Defense System Disrupting Attacker Operations
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for protecting computer systems from malicious attacks are primarily passive, failing to disrupt attackers and prevent them from targeting other vulnerable machines on a network.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an active defense system that configures a computer to receive malicious communications and respond with disruptive communications, including malformed data elements, to interfere with the attacker's operation pattern, potentially causing system crashes or delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If passive defense methods (anti-virus scanners) are used to detect and block attacks, then system security is improved, but the attacker's operation is not interfered with and they can continue targeting other machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts harmful malicious communications into beneficial defensive actions by analyzing attack patterns and generating disruptive communications that interfere with attacker operations. The harmful traffic from attackers is transformed into intelligence that enables the system to create counter-communications that disrupt bot-net command and control operations, turning the attacker's own communications against them
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of attack patterns and operation modes before the attacker can complete their full attack cycle. By detecting and analyzing malicious communication patterns in advance, the system prepares disruptive communications that preemptively interfere with the attacker's ability to target additional vulnerable machines
2Productivity
If active defense with disruptive communications is implemented, then attacker operation is interfered with, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The defense system performs self-service by automatically analyzing attack patterns, determining operation modes, and generating appropriate disruptive communications without requiring extensive manual configuration or intervention. The system serves itself by using the incoming malicious traffic as both the input for analysis and the basis for generating counter-measures
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring attacker responses to disruptive communications and adjusting its strategy accordingly. By analyzing whether the attacker's operation pattern is successfully disrupted, the system learns and adapts its communication patterns to improve effectiveness over time
Data Source
AI summary
Active computer system defense techniques can include sending disruptive communications to attackers, where the disruptive communications include random data elements which could potentially interfere with the operation of an attacking system. Such computer system defense techniques can also be augmented to automatically optimize the disruptive communications sent to the attackers.