US Patent 8997227 Attack traffic signature generation using statistical pattern recognition

A pattern recognition security system (“PRSS”) generates a packet signature from network traffic, including attack packets. The PRSS can utilize a statistical pattern recognition based approach to generate attack traffic signatures, such as for DDoS or DoS attacks. In some embodiments, the PRSS dynamically creates training sets from actual captured data, allowing the PRSS to adapt to changes in network attacks. For example, more sophisticated DDoS attacks commonly rotate through different attacking computers to vary the packet attributes of attack packets sent to a target system. However, as the PRSS can determine packet signatures based on the actual captured data packets, the PRSS can adapt to the changes in the attack. In some embodiments, the PRSS may determine packet signatures in real-time or near real time during an attack, allowing the PRSS to quickly react to changes in attack traffic.