Click-to-Call Attack Prevention via Challenge-Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual PBX service providers face denial-of-service attacks and abusive use issues due to excessive or fraudulent click-to-call requests, which overwhelm servers and incur unnecessary costs for businesses.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to prevent such attacks by monitoring click-to-call request parameters, applying challenge-response verification, and enforcing account and system-level policies to deny requests exceeding predetermined thresholds, thereby protecting the virtual PBX infrastructure and reducing fraudulent callbacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If click-to-call requests are allowed without restriction, then service accessibility and customer convenience are improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks and abusive use
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by monitoring click-to-call request parameters and detecting patterns of excessive requests before they can cause a denial-of-service attack. Thresholds are pre-established for the number of requests from single sources, and the system proactively identifies and blocks abusive patterns before they overwhelm the system resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary monitoring layer that sits between the click-to-call service and the underlying system resources. This intermediary component analyzes request parameters, tracks request frequencies from different sources, and mediates by allowing legitimate requests while blocking suspicious ones, thus protecting the system without affecting normal service accessibility.
2Reliability
If monitoring and filtering of click-to-call requests is implemented, then protection against denial-of-service attacks is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is segmented into distinct functional components: parameter extraction modules that identify click-to-call request parameters, detection modules that monitor request frequencies, and decision modules that apply threshold-based filtering. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently without requiring the entire system to become overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter changes by establishing predetermined thresholds for request frequencies and monitoring actual request parameters against these thresholds. When parameters exceed the thresholds, the system automatically adjusts its behavior to block requests, providing a simple and efficient protection mechanism without complex algorithms.
3Reliability
If challenge-response verification is applied to all click-to-call requests, then security against fraudulent requests is improved, but service speed and user experience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies challenge-response verification selectively rather than universally. Challenge-response mechanisms are triggered only for requests that exceed predetermined thresholds or exhibit suspicious patterns, while normal requests within acceptable parameters are processed immediately without additional verification steps. This partial application maintains security for suspicious requests while preserving service speed for legitimate users.
Data Source
AI summary
System and methods for preventing abusive use of a click-to-call callback function of virtual PBX services are disclosed. In some implementations, a challenge-response procedure can be implemented, and a click-to-call request is allowed when a correct response is timely received. In some implementations, one or more system wide policies can be applied in determining whether a click-to-call request should be allowed or denied. A system policy for blocking and unblocking requests having a particular request parameter (e.g., source IP address) is disclosed. An account specific policy for setting the state of a particular account targeted by a click-to-call request as normal, warning, or blocked, based on the current status of the particular account is also disclosed.