DDoS Deterrence via Outbound Packet Rewriting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems rely on human operators to respond to distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, which are inefficient as they require manual detection and intervention, lacking automated deterrence mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an intrusion detection system (IDS) with a rewriting component that intercepts and modifies server responses destined for malicious clients, altering or truncating them to deter the attack without revealing the actual server status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If human operators manually detect and respond to DDOS attacks, then the system can identify and respond to attacks, but the response efficiency is low and operational burden is high
Solution Approach 1:
The intrusion detection system automatically detects malicious clients and rewrites server responses without human intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously identifying attacks and implementing countermeasures through automated response rewriting, eliminating the need for manual operator intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The response rewriting component acts as an intermediary between the server and malicious clients. It intercepts server responses and modifies them before delivery to attackers, serving as a mediator that protects the server without requiring direct human action while maintaining the attack-deterrence function.
2Reliability
If the system reveals the actual server status to malicious clients, then clients receive accurate information, but the attack can continue unabated
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts potentially harmful information that could aid attackers into beneficial deterrent responses. By rewriting server responses to mislead malicious clients about actual server status, the system transforms what would be useful attack intelligence into counter-attack information that reduces attack effectiveness while maintaining protocol compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing accurate server status information to clients as traditionally done, the system inverts the approach by providing misleading information to malicious clients. This inversion protects the server by making attackers believe their attacks are more effective than they actually are, thereby reducing overall attack impact.
3Reliability
If the system implements automated response rewriting, then attack deterrence is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The response rewriting component serves as a dedicated intermediary layer that handles the complexity of attack detection and response rewriting. This mediator architecture isolates the complex automated deterrence logic from both the server and clients, enhancing attack deterrence while managing system complexity through clear separation of concerns.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for denial of service attack deterrence involves receiving requests from clients, where the requests include a server protocol component, designating a client as a malicious client based on the requests, intercepting and inspecting, prior to the clients receiving a response, the server protocol component of each response to the clients, and rewriting at least a portion of the server protocol component of each response destined for the malicious client.