Content Delivery Node Rate Limiting for Attack Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content delivery systems face overloading and crashes due to frequent and malicious content requests from end user devices, which can escalate attacks across multiple content delivery nodes, leading to slowdowns and failures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where content delivery nodes monitor and establish rate limits on suspicious requests, alerting other nodes to apply similar rate limiting measures, thereby distributing the defense across the network to prevent overload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If content delivery nodes individually handle content requests without coordination, then each node can respond quickly to local requests, but the system becomes vulnerable to distributed attacks where malicious requests escalate across multiple nodes causing overload and crashes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the defense capabilities of multiple content delivery nodes by implementing a centralized rate limit policy distribution mechanism. When one node detects an attack pattern, it establishes a rate limit policy that is then distributed to other nodes via a data structure (such as a distributed cache or configuration service). This combining of defensive actions across nodes prevents distributed attacks from escalating, while each node maintains its fast local response capability for legitimate requests.
2Reliability
If rate limiting is applied at a single content delivery node, then that node can protect itself from attacks, but other nodes in the network remain vulnerable and can be overloaded by the same malicious requests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism for rate limit policy distribution. When a content delivery node detects an attack and establishes a rate limit policy, this policy is communicated to other nodes through an intermediary data structure (such as a distributed cache, configuration service, or message queue). This intermediary approach simplifies the coordination complexity by providing a standardized interface for policy propagation, while ensuring comprehensive network-wide protection against attacks.
3Quantity of substance
If content delivery nodes cache only recently accessed and popular content, then storage space is optimized, but during attacks the nodes must still process and validate requests for uncached content from origin servers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing rate limit policies before attacks can overwhelm the system. When attack patterns are detected (even at early stages), rate limit policies are proactively created and distributed to all content delivery nodes. This preliminary defensive measure ensures that when attacks escalate, the rate limiting is already in place to prevent overload, regardless of whether the requested content is cached or needs to be fetched from origin servers.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and software for operating one or more content delivery nodes (CDN), which cache content for delivery to end users, are provided herein. In one example, content requests received from at least a first end user for the content at a first CDN are monitored to determine when the content requests comprise an attack on the first CDN. Responsive to the attack on the first CDN, a rate limit is established in the first CDN on at least the content requests received by the first CDN and an indication of the attack is transferred for delivery to at least a second CDN. Responsive to the indication of the attack, the rate limit is applied for further content requests received for the content at the second CDN.