Patent ID: 8539576

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a first blacklist containing a first plurality of internet protocol addresses associated with unwanted internet traffic; determining that a number of the first plurality of internet protocol addresses in the first blacklist exceeds a threshold number of internet protocol addresses to be blocked; selecting a second plurality of internet protocol addresses out of the first internet protocol addresses from which to block the unwanted internet traffic, each of the second internet protocol addresses having a highest amount of unwanted internet traffic in the first internet protocol addresses; operating a first plurality of access control lists to block the unwanted internet traffic from one of the second internet protocol addresses in the first blacklist; combining a first pair of access control lists into a first combined access control list based on a first smallest number of desirable internet protocol addresses blocked by the first combined access control list, wherein the first combined access control list blocks the unwanted traffic addressed to a first destination internet protocol address and allows the unwanted internet traffic addressed to a second destination internet protocol address; receiving a new internet protocol address associated with unwanted internet traffic; assigning a new access control list to the new internet protocol address; assigning a weight to the new access control list, wherein the weight of the new access control list is based in part on a sum of weights of internet protocol addresses associated with the new access control list; and combining the new access control list with the first combined access control list to create a new combined access control list when an optimal trade off is created between a number of desirable internet protocol addresses blocked and a number of bad internet protocol addresses blocked, wherein the new access control list is combined with the first combined access control list based on the weight assigned to the new access control list.