Patent ID: 7900255

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving a plurality of components of data; comparing each component of the data against a plurality of patterns, utilizing a micro-processor, wherein the patterns are representative of intrusion attacks; establishing a first list including patterns that are potentially matched against the components of the data, wherein the patterns are determined to be potentially matched upon a first identification of a match between a portion of the plurality of components of the data and a portion of a plurality of portions of the patterns; and identifying more than one complete match between the components of the data and each of the plurality of portions of the patterns in the first list; wherein in response to the identification of a complete match between the plurality of components of the data and one or more of the patterns in the first list, each pattern on the first list for which a complete match is identified is moved from the first list to a second list; wherein each component of the data is compared against each pattern of the plurality of patterns only once; wherein one or more of the patterns are determined to be completely matched to the plurality of components of data upon a match between all of the plurality of components of the data and each of the plurality of portions of the pattern.