An algebraic approach to IP traceback

We present a new solution to the problem of determining the path a packet traversed over the Internet (called the traceback problem) during a denial of service attack. Previous solutions to this problem have suffered from combinatorial explosion, and are unable to scale to realistically sized networks. This paper reframes the traceback problem as a polynomial reconstruction problem and uses techniques from algebraic coding theory to provide robust methods of transmission and reconstruction. We also present an implementation of one promising parameterization that is efficient, backwards compatible, and incrementally deployable.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2002
• Where: TISSEC
• Authors: Drew Dean, Matthew K. Franklin, Adam Stubblefield
• Keywords: Algebraic Coding Theory, Polynomial Reconstruction Problem, TISSEC 2002, Traceback Problem