API Request Throttling via Error Counter Delay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for protecting against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks through API request throttling are inadequate, as they often block legitimate sources that accidentally retransmit API requests due to errors, leading to service overload and disruption.
Innovation Solution
A request throttling system that monitors incoming API requests, applies delays to repeated requests based on a counter value indicating previous errors, and adjusts delay lengths based on threshold values to prevent overload while allowing legitimate requests to be processed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If incoming API requests are blocked to protect against DoS attacks, then system security is improved, but legitimate requests from sources that accidentally retransmit due to errors are also blocked causing service disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different treatment to requests from the same source based on their characteristics. Instead of uniformly blocking all requests from a source, the system identifies and blocks only those requests that match the error pattern (same endpoint, same method, same error code), while allowing legitimate variations to pass through. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by protecting against malicious patterns without affecting legitimate traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking mechanism is dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors request patterns, adapts to new error types, and adjusts blocking rules in real-time. When a new error pattern is detected, the system automatically creates a blocking rule; when patterns change or stop occurring, rules are updated or removed. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain security while avoiding false positives against legitimate traffic.
2Stability of the object's composition
If all API requests from a source are blocked to prevent overload, then system stability is improved, but the ability to process legitimate requests is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the request stream from a single source into different categories based on their error patterns. Instead of treating all requests uniformly, the system divides them into malicious patterns (to be blocked) and legitimate patterns (to be processed). This segmentation allows the system to maintain stability by blocking only the harmful segment while preserving the functional segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The error pattern analysis mechanism acts as an intermediary between the blocking mechanism and the request processing system. It analyzes incoming requests, identifies malicious patterns, and selectively blocks only those requests that match known error patterns. This intermediary layer protects system stability while allowing legitimate requests to pass through to the processing system.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If blocking rules are applied to prevent DoS attacks, then protection against malicious activity is improved, but false blocking of legitimate activity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from error responses to dynamically create and update blocking rules. When an error occurs, the system analyzes the error pattern and feeds this information back into the blocking mechanism. This feedback loop allows the system to learn from actual error patterns and adjust blocking rules accordingly, reducing false positives while maintaining protection against malicious activity. The feedback mechanism ensures that blocking rules are based on actual observed behavior rather than static assumptions.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for application programming interface (API) request throttling. A method includes receiving a current API request having originated from an Internet Protocol (IP) address, determining a counter value of previous API requests that originated from the IP address and resulted in error, determining, based on the counter value of the previous API requests that originated from the IP address and resulted in error, to apply a delay to a processing of the current API request, and a length of the delay to apply to the processing of the current API request, causing the delay to be applied to the processing of the current API request using the determined length, and in response to determining that the delay has completed, causing the processing of the current API request to resume.