Abstract: A technique includes the determination of a set of arguments for an outsourced computation and preparing a group of disguised arguments corresponding to the set of arguments with a first computer. The first computer outputs the disguised arguments to a second computer. The second computer performs the outsourced computation with the disguised arguments to determine a corresponding disguised result. The second computer returns the disguised result to the first computer. The first computer recovers an actual answer from the disguised result. Before outsourcing, the first computer can classify the outsourced computation into one of a number of computation types and select one or more of a number of disguising operations based this classification.

Abstract: An active monitor detects and classifies messages transmitted on a network. In one form, the monitor includes a routine for classifying TCP packet source addresses as being of an acceptable, unacceptable, or suspect type. Suspect source addresses may be further processed in accordance with a state machine having a number of conditionally linked states including a good address state, a new address state, and a bad address state.