Patent ID: 7478429

Claim:
A system for detecting and mitigating an attempted overload condition targeting one or more of a plurality of networked computer systems, comprising: a network connection for receiving a volume of data, D in , over a time period, P in , from one or more first computers located on a network; one or more attack mitigation modules for detecting data, directed to one or more of a plurality of second computers located on the network, that bears one or more characteristics determined to be associated with attempted overload conditions, the attack mitigation modules producing a volume of clean data from which all of the data detected to be bearing one or more of the characteristics determined to be associated with attempted overload conditions has been removed, D out , over a time-period, P out , wherein the time period, P out , is equal to the time period, P out ; and a meter for detecting the presence of a mitigated overload condition attempt when D out divided by P out is substantially less than D in divided by P in ; wherein the one or more attack mitigation modules function to remove the data detected to be bearing the one or more of the characteristics determined to be associated with attempted overload conditions at least at a time before the meter has detected the presence of the mitigated overload condition attempt.