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In this paper, we introduce a novel architecture for a hardware based network intrusion detection system (NIDS)

This paper demonstrates a keyword match processor capable of performing fast dictionary search with approximate match capability. Using a content addressable memory with processor element cells, the processor can process arbitrary sized keywords and match input text streams in a single clock cycle. The processor is capable of determining approximate match and providing distance information as well. A 64-word design has been developed using 19000 transistors and it could be expanded to larger sizes easily. Using a modest 0.5 micron process, we are achieving cycle times of 8 ns and the design will scale to smaller feature sizes.

In this paper, we introduce a novel architecture for a hardware based network intrusion detection system (NIDS