Web Security Challenge Request Modification

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current computer systems face challenges in distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate traffic, particularly in defending against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, where botnets overwhelm servers with requests, causing financial losses and reputational damage due to the asymmetry in computational effort between client devices and web servers.

Innovation Solution

Implementing user-agent challenges, such as hashing challenges, that require client computing devices to solve a computational problem before submitting requests, thereby slowing down the rate of legitimate requests and allowing servers to discern between valid and illegitimate traffic, using a robust hashing algorithm like SHA-2 to prevent short-circuiting and ensure the solution's validity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If web servers process all incoming requests without differentiation, then all requests are handled, but computational resources are wasted on illegitimate requests and servers become vulnerable to DoS attacks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveserver securityVSAvoidcomputational resources

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements challenge-response mechanisms where clients must solve computational challenges (e.g., proving work, puzzles) before their requests are processed by the server. This preliminary action filters out illegitimate traffic before it consumes server resources, as botnets cannot efficiently solve these challenges at scale while legitimate users can complete them quickly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces intermediary components such as challenge validators and request filtering systems that sit between the client and web server. These intermediaries verify client credentials, validate challenge solutions, and selectively forward only legitimate requests to the server, preventing resource waste on malicious traffic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If computational challenges are imposed on all clients, then illegitimate traffic is reduced, but legitimate request processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveillegitimate traffic volumeVSAvoidrequest processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different challenge difficulty levels and types based on client characteristics, request patterns, and risk assessments. Legitimate users with good reputations or recognizable user agents may face simpler or no challenges, while suspicious traffic receives more rigorous verification. This localized approach minimizes time loss for legitimate users while maintaining strong protection against attacks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements selective challenge imposition where not all requests require full computational verification. Instead, challenges are applied partially based on risk thresholds, request types, and client history. Low-risk requests may bypass challenges entirely, while only suspicious or high-volume traffic undergoes full verification, reducing overall time loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If simple request filtering is used, then processing is fast, but distinction between legitimate and illegitimate traffic is inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverequest processing speedVSAvoidtraffic classification accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback loops where server responses and client behaviors are monitored and used to adjust challenge parameters and filtering rules dynamically. The system learns from successful legitimate requests and failed attack patterns, continuously improving classification accuracy while maintaining processing speed through adaptive threshold adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes multiple parameters simultaneously including challenge difficulty, validation strictness, request rate limits, and client reputation weights based on real-time conditions. This multi-parameter adjustment allows the system to optimize both processing speed and classification accuracy dynamically, speeding up processing for low-risk traffic while maintaining high accuracy for suspicious requests.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11258820B2Request modification for web security challenge

Publication Date: 2022.02.22 SHAPE SECURITY INC

AI summary

Techniques are provided for request modification for web security challenge. Data corresponding to a web page request by a client computing device for a web page is received. The web page comprises web code that allows a user to submit a request to initiate a web transaction with a web server system. Challenge code is generated that determines one or more values that are a valid solution to a challenge. The challenge code is provided for integrated code to be served in response to the web page request. The integrated code comprises the challenge code and modified web code that adds one or more parameters for the valid solution to the request. A particular request is received to initiate the web transaction. It is determined that the one or more parameter values are not a valid solution. In response, the web server system is prevented from processing the particular request.