Method of throttling unwanted network traffic on a server

• US 8,656,025 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wood, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US13/540,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-229, 709204-207
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

The invention provides a method and device for limiting unwanted network traffic, including unwanted emails. The method proceeds by assigning at least one network address to a category of network addresses based on a level of trust of the network address. Connection resources are allocated to the category. When a connection is received from a network address to which the category has been assigned, a portion of the allocated resources in the category are provided to the network address.

Claims

1. A method of limiting unwanted network traffic comprising:

assigning each of a plurality of network addresses to one of a plurality of categories of network addresses based on a level of trust;

allocating connection resources to each of the plurality of categories;

receiving a request for a connection from a sender;

associating the request with a particular category of the plurality of categories based on a network address associated with the request; and

providing a portion of connection resources allocated to the particular category of the plurality of categories to the connection,

wherein connection resources allocated to a first category of the plurality of categories are insufficient to simultaneously support all connections from network addresses associated with the first category of the plurality of categories and causes an error message indicative of a temporary error to be sent to the sender in response to the request when insufficient connection resources are available to support the connection, connection resources allocated to a second category of the plurality of categories are sufficient to simultaneously support all connections from network addresses associated with the second category of the plurality of categories, connection resources allocated to a third category of the plurality of categories are sufficient to simultaneously support a predetermined number of connections from network addresses associated with the third category of the plurality of categories including an increase in a number of connections associated with the third category of the plurality of categories above a number of connections sufficient for the predetermined number of connections, and connection resources allocated to a fourth category of the plurality of categories are insufficient to support any connection associated with the fourth category of the plurality of categories.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the level of trust indicates an amount of data each of the plurality of network addresses assigned to one of the plurality of categories may transfer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the allocating connection resources to each of the plurality of categories is based on a number of network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories and a particular level of trust of network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the associating the request with the particular category of the plurality of categories is in response to the network address associated with the request being unknown.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the particular category is unknown to the sender.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a level of trust for each of the plurality of categories is based on historical data associated with respective network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the historical data pertains to an amount of unwanted data transmitted by the respective network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.

8. A computer readable storage device storing computer program instructions for limiting unwanted network traffic, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

assigning each of a plurality of network addresses to one of a plurality of categories of network addresses based on a level of trust;

allocating connection resources to each of the plurality of categories;

receiving a request for a connection from a sender;

associating the request with a particular category of the plurality of categories based on a network address associated with the request; and

providing a portion of connection resources allocated to the particular category of the plurality of categories to the connection,

wherein connection resources allocated to a first category of the plurality of categories are insufficient to simultaneously support all connections from network addresses associated with the first category of the plurality of categories and causes an error message indicative of a temporary error to be sent to the sender in response to the request when insufficient connection resources are available to support the connection, connection resources allocated to a second category of the plurality of categories are sufficient to simultaneously support all connections from network addresses associated with the second category of the plurality of categories, connection resources allocated to a third category of the plurality of categories are sufficient to simultaneously support a predetermined number of connections from network addresses associated with the third category of the plurality of categories including an increase in a number of connections associated with the third category of the plurality of categories above a number of connections sufficient for the predetermined number of connections, and connection resources allocated to a fourth category of the plurality of categories are insufficient to support any connection associated with the fourth category of the plurality of categories.

9. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 wherein the level of trust indicates an amount of data each of the plurality of network addresses assigned to one of the plurality of categories may transfer.

10. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 wherein the allocating connection resources to each of the plurality of categories is based on a number of network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories and a particular level of trust of network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.

11. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 wherein the associating the request with the particular category of the plurality of categories is in response to the network address associated with the request being unknown.

12. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 wherein the particular category is unknown to the sender.

13. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 wherein a level of trust for each of the plurality of categories is based on historical data associated with respective network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.

14. The computer readable storage device of claim 13 wherein the historical data pertains to an amount of unwanted data transmitted by the respective network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.

15. A server for limiting unwanted network traffic comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store computer program instructions the computer program instructions when executed on the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

assigning each of a plurality of network addresses to one of a plurality of categories of network addresses based on a level of trust;

allocating connection resources to each of the plurality of categories;

receiving a request for a connection from a sender;

associating the request with a particular category of the plurality of categories based on a network address associated with the request; and

providing a portion of connection resources allocated to the particular category of the plurality of categories to the connection,

wherein connection resources allocated to a first category of the plurality of categories are insufficient to simultaneously support all connections from network addresses associated with the category of the plurality of categories and causes an error message indicative of a temporary error to be sent to the sender in response to the request when insufficient connection resources are available to support the connection, connection resources allocated to a second category of the plurality of categories are sufficient to simultaneously support all connections from network addresses associated with the second category of the plurality of categories, connection resources allocated to a third category of the plurality of categories are sufficient to simultaneously support a predetermined number of connections from network addresses associated with the third category of the plurality of categories including an increase in a number of connections associated with the third category of the plurality of categories above a number of connections sufficient for the predetermined number of connections, and connection resources allocated to a fourth category of the plurality of categories are insufficient to support any connection associated with the fourth category of the plurality of categories.

16. The server of claim 15 wherein the level of trust indicates an amount of data each of the plurality of network addresses assigned to one of the plurality of categories may transfer.

17. The server of claim 15 wherein the allocating connection resources to each of the plurality of categories is based on a number of network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories and a particular level of trust of network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.

18. The server of claim 15 wherein the associating the request with the particular category of the plurality of categories is in response to the network address associated with the request being unknown.

19. The server of claim 15 wherein the particular category is unknown to the sender.

20. The server of claim 15 wherein a level of trust for each of the plurality of categories is based on historical data associated with respective network addresses assigned to each of the plurality of categories.