A method for central processing unit, CPU, protection in a multi-core network device, comprising: configuring a protection type for each network protocol, wherein the protection type comprises a normal protocol and a special protocol; and regularly calculating a global CPU resource utilization rate of a data core, and, when the global CPU resource utilization rate of the data core reaches a preset data core CPU protection execution threshold, detecting whether a global CPU resource utilization rate of the group of the normal protocols in the data core is greater than a preset minimum guarantee execution threshold of the group of the normal protocols; when the global CPU resource utilization rate of the group of the normal protocols in the data core is greater than the preset minimum guarantee execution threshold of the group of the normal protocols, employing a preset normal protocol protection policy to process at least one message of the group of the normal protocols; when the global CPU resource utilization rate of the group of the normal protocols in the data core is not greater than a preset minimum guarantee execution threshold of the group of the normal protocols, employing a preset special protocol protection policy to process at least one message of the group of the special protocols; wherein the normal protocol protection policy comprises: selecting M normal protocols from the group of the normal protocols and performing rate limit processing on the M normal protocols; and the special protocol protection policy comprises: selecting N special protocols from the group of the special protocols and transferring the N special protocols to a control core for processing, or, selecting N special protocols from the group of the special protocols and performing rate limit processing on the N special protocols, wherein M is less than or equal to the number of normal protocols in the group of the normal protocols, and N is less than or equal to the number of special protocols in the group of the special protocols. configuring a protection type for each network protocol, wherein the protection type comprises a normal protocol and a special protocol; and regularly calculating a global CPU resource utilization rate of a data core, and, when the global CPU resource utilization rate of the data core reaches a preset data core CPU protection execution threshold, detecting whether a global CPU resource utilization rate of the group of the normal protocols in the data core is greater than a preset minimum guarantee execution threshold of the group of the normal protocols; when the global CPU resource utilization rate of the group of the normal protocols in the data core is greater than the preset minimum guarantee execution threshold of the group of the normal protocols, employing a preset normal protocol protection policy to process at least one message of the group of the normal protocols; when the global CPU resource utilization rate of the group of the normal protocols in the data core is not greater than a preset minimum guarantee execution threshold of the group of the normal protocols, employing a preset special protocol protection policy to process at least one message of the group of the special protocols; wherein the normal protocol protection policy comprises: selecting M normal protocols from the group of the normal protocols and performing rate limit processing on the M normal protocols; and the special protocol protection policy comprises: selecting N special protocols from the group of the special protocols and transferring the N special protocols to a control core for processing, or, selecting N special protocols from the group of the special protocols and performing rate limit processing on the N special protocols, wherein M is less than or equal to the number of normal protocols in the group of the normal protocols, and N is less than or equal to the number of special protocols in the group of the special protocols.