Advanced
DDoS Mitigation
Implement AI-driven mitigation strategies that neutralize attacks while preserving access for legitimate users.
Mitigation Strategies
| Strategy | Attack Type | AI Role |
|---|---|---|
| Rate limiting | All types | Dynamic thresholds based on learned baselines |
| Traffic scrubbing | Volumetric | ML classifies and drops attack packets |
| Geo-blocking | Volumetric | AI identifies attack source countries dynamically |
| Challenge-response | Application L7 | Selective challenges for suspicious sessions |
| Blackholing/sinkholing | Extreme volumetric | Automated BGP announcements for last-resort defense |
Adaptive Rate Limiting
Static rate limits either block legitimate users during peaks or fail to stop attacks during quiet periods. AI-driven adaptive rate limiting adjusts in real time:
- Learn normal request rates per source, per endpoint, per time period
- Set dynamic limits at 2-3x normal baseline for each dimension
- Tighten limits automatically when attack is detected
- Relax limits when attack subsides to restore normal service
Collateral damage: The goal of mitigation is not just stopping the attack - it's stopping the attack while keeping the service available for legitimate users. AI enables surgical mitigation that targets attack traffic precisely.
Traffic Scrubbing
- Diversion: Route traffic through scrubbing center via BGP or DNS
- Analysis: ML models classify each packet/flow as legitimate or attack
- Filtering: Drop attack traffic, forward clean traffic to origin
- Monitoring: Continuously assess attack status and adjust filters
- Recovery: Revert routing when attack ends and traffic normalizes
Reinforcement Learning for Mitigation
RL agents learn optimal mitigation strategies through experience:
- State: Current traffic volume, classification scores, resource utilization
- Actions: Rate limit levels, blocking decisions, challenge types
- Reward: Maximize legitimate throughput while minimizing attack impact
- Learning: Improve response strategy with each attack experience
Defense in depth: Layer multiple mitigation strategies. Use rate limiting as the first defense, traffic scrubbing for volumetric attacks, challenge-response for application attacks, and cloud scrubbing as the last resort for attacks exceeding on-premises capacity.
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