Behavior Manager

The Behavior Manager handles behavioral analysis and monitoring for FlaskAPI Guard, providing advanced detection capabilities for suspicious usage patterns and automated response actions.

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Overview

The Behavior Manager system consists of:

• BehaviorTracker: Main tracking and analysis engine
• BehaviorRule: Rule definition for behavioral analysis
• Integration: Seamless integration with decorators and extension

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BehaviorTracker

flaskapi_guard.handlers.behavior_handler.BehaviorTracker(config)

Advanced behavioral analysis tracker for detecting suspicious patterns.

This class can track: - Per-endpoint usage patterns - Return value frequency analysis - Time-based behavioral anomalies

Source code in flaskapi_guard/handlers/behavior_handler.py

def __init__(self, config: SecurityConfig):
    self.config = config
    self.logger = logging.getLogger("flaskapi_guard.handlers.behavior")
    self.usage_counts: dict[str, dict[str, list[float]]] = defaultdict(
        lambda: defaultdict(list)
    )
    self.return_patterns: dict[str, dict[str, list[float]]] = defaultdict(
        lambda: defaultdict(list)
    )
    self.redis_handler: Any | None = None
    self.agent_handler: Any | None = None

agent_handler = None instance-attribute

config = config instance-attribute

logger = logging.getLogger('flaskapi_guard.handlers.behavior') instance-attribute

redis_handler = None instance-attribute

return_patterns = defaultdict(lambda: defaultdict(list)) instance-attribute

usage_counts = defaultdict(lambda: defaultdict(list)) instance-attribute

apply_action(rule, client_ip, endpoint_id, details)

Apply the configured action when a rule is violated.

Source code in flaskapi_guard/handlers/behavior_handler.py

def apply_action(
    self, rule: BehaviorRule, client_ip: str, endpoint_id: str, details: str
) -> None:
    """Apply the configured action when a rule is violated."""
    if self.agent_handler:
        self._send_behavior_event(
            event_type="behavioral_violation",
            ip_address=client_ip,
            action_taken=rule.action
            if not self.config.passive_mode
            else "logged_only",
            reason=f"Behavioral rule violated: {details}",
            endpoint=endpoint_id,
            rule_type=rule.rule_type,
            threshold=rule.threshold,
            window=rule.window,
        )

    if self.config.passive_mode:
        self._log_passive_mode_action(rule, client_ip, details)
    else:
        self._execute_active_mode_action(rule, client_ip, endpoint_id, details)

initialize_agent(agent_handler)

Initialize agent integration.

Source code in flaskapi_guard/handlers/behavior_handler.py

def initialize_agent(self, agent_handler: Any) -> None:
    """Initialize agent integration."""
    self.agent_handler = agent_handler

initialize_redis(redis_handler)

Initialize Redis connection for distributed tracking.

Source code in flaskapi_guard/handlers/behavior_handler.py

def initialize_redis(self, redis_handler: Any) -> None:
    """Initialize Redis connection for distributed tracking."""
    self.redis_handler = redis_handler

track_endpoint_usage(endpoint_id, client_ip, rule)

Track endpoint usage and return True if threshold exceeded.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
endpoint_id	str	Unique identifier for the endpoint	required
client_ip	str	Client IP address	required
rule	BehaviorRule	Behavior rule to apply	required

Returns:

Name	Type	Description
bool	bool	True if threshold exceeded, False otherwise

Source code in flaskapi_guard/handlers/behavior_handler.py

def track_endpoint_usage(
    self, endpoint_id: str, client_ip: str, rule: BehaviorRule
) -> bool:
    """
    Track endpoint usage and return True if threshold exceeded.

    Args:
        endpoint_id: Unique identifier for the endpoint
        client_ip: Client IP address
        rule: Behavior rule to apply

    Returns:
        bool: True if threshold exceeded, False otherwise
    """
    current_time = time.time()
    window_start = current_time - rule.window

    if self.redis_handler:
        key = f"behavior:usage:{endpoint_id}:{client_ip}"

        self.redis_handler.set_key(
            "behavior_usage", f"{key}:{current_time}", "1", ttl=rule.window
        )

        pattern = f"behavior_usage:{key}:*"
        keys = self.redis_handler.keys(pattern)

        valid_count = 0
        for key_name in keys:
            try:
                timestamp = float(key_name.split(":")[-1])
                if timestamp >= window_start:
                    valid_count += 1
            except (ValueError, IndexError):
                continue

        return valid_count > rule.threshold

    timestamps = self.usage_counts[endpoint_id][client_ip]

    timestamps[:] = [ts for ts in timestamps if ts >= window_start]

    timestamps.append(current_time)

    return len(timestamps) > rule.threshold

track_return_pattern(endpoint_id, client_ip, response, rule)

Track return value patterns and detect anomalies.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
endpoint_id	str	Unique identifier for the endpoint	required
client_ip	str	Client IP address	required
response	Response	Flask Response object	required
rule	BehaviorRule	Behavior rule with pattern to match	required

Returns:

Name	Type	Description
bool	bool	True if suspicious pattern detected, False otherwise

Source code in flaskapi_guard/handlers/behavior_handler.py

def track_return_pattern(
    self, endpoint_id: str, client_ip: str, response: Response, rule: BehaviorRule
) -> bool:
    """
    Track return value patterns and detect anomalies.

    Args:
        endpoint_id: Unique identifier for the endpoint
        client_ip: Client IP address
        response: Flask Response object
        rule: Behavior rule with pattern to match

    Returns:
        bool: True if suspicious pattern detected, False otherwise
    """
    if not rule.pattern:
        return False

    current_time = time.time()
    window_start = current_time - rule.window

    pattern_matched = self._check_response_pattern(response, rule.pattern)

    if not pattern_matched:
        return False

    if self.redis_handler:
        key = f"behavior:return:{endpoint_id}:{client_ip}:{rule.pattern}"

        self.redis_handler.set_key(
            "behavior_returns", f"{key}:{current_time}", "1", ttl=rule.window
        )

        pattern_key = f"behavior_returns:{key}:*"
        keys = self.redis_handler.keys(pattern_key)

        valid_count = 0
        for key_name in keys:
            try:
                timestamp = float(key_name.split(":")[-1])
                if timestamp >= window_start:
                    valid_count += 1
            except (ValueError, IndexError):
                continue

        return valid_count > rule.threshold

    pattern_key = f"{endpoint_id}:{rule.pattern}"
    timestamps = self.return_patterns[pattern_key][client_ip]

    timestamps[:] = [ts for ts in timestamps if ts >= window_start]

    timestamps.append(current_time)

    return len(timestamps) > rule.threshold

The main class responsible for tracking and analyzing user behavior patterns.

. Key Features

• Endpoint Usage Tracking: Monitor how frequently IPs access specific endpoints
• Return Pattern Analysis: Detect when IPs receive specific response patterns too often
• Frequency Detection: Identify suspiciously high request frequencies
• Automated Actions: Apply bans, logs, alerts, or throttling based on rules

. Example Usage

from flaskapi_guard.handlers.behavior_handler import BehaviorTracker, BehaviorRule

# Create tracker
tracker = BehaviorTracker(config)

# Define rules
usage_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="usage",
    threshold=10,
    window=3600,
    action="ban"
)

return_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="return_pattern",
    threshold=3,
    pattern="win",
    window=86400,
    action="alert"
)

# Track usage
tracker.track_endpoint_usage(endpoint_id, client_ip, usage_rule)

# Track return patterns
tracker.track_return_pattern(endpoint_id, client_ip, response, return_rule)

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BehaviorRule

flaskapi_guard.handlers.behavior_handler.BehaviorRule(rule_type, threshold, window=3600, pattern=None, action='log', custom_action=None)

Defines a behavioral analysis rule.

Source code in flaskapi_guard/handlers/behavior_handler.py

def __init__(
    self,
    rule_type: Literal["usage", "return_pattern", "frequency"],
    threshold: int,
    window: int = 3600,
    pattern: str | None = None,
    action: Literal["ban", "log", "throttle", "alert"] = "log",
    custom_action: Callable | None = None,
):
    self.rule_type = rule_type
    self.threshold = threshold
    self.window = window
    self.pattern = pattern
    self.action = action
    self.custom_action = custom_action

action = action instance-attribute

custom_action = custom_action instance-attribute

pattern = pattern instance-attribute

rule_type = rule_type instance-attribute

threshold = threshold instance-attribute

window = window instance-attribute

Configuration class that defines behavioral analysis rules.

. Rule Types

• usage: Monitor endpoint usage frequency
• return_pattern: Analyze response patterns
• frequency: Detect suspicious request frequencies

. Pattern Formats

For return_pattern rules, the following pattern formats are supported:

• Simple string: "win", "success", "rare_item"
• JSON path: "json:result.status==win"
• Regex: "regex:win|victory|success"
• Status code: "status:200"

. Actions

• ban: Ban the IP address
• log: Log the incident
• alert: Send an alert notification
• throttle: Apply rate limiting

. Example Rules

# Usage monitoring
usage_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="usage",
    threshold=50,
    window=3600,
    action="ban"
)

# Return pattern monitoring
win_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="return_pattern",
    threshold=3,
    pattern="win",
    window=86400,
    action="ban"
)

# Frequency detection
freq_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="frequency",
    threshold=30,  # 30 requests
    window=300,    # in 5 minutes
    action="alert"
)

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Integration with Decorators

The Behavior Manager integrates seamlessly with the decorator system:

from flaskapi_guard.decorators import SecurityDecorator

guard_deco = SecurityDecorator(config)

@app.route("/api/rewards")
@guard_deco.usage_monitor(max_calls=10, window=3600, action="ban")
@guard_deco.return_monitor("rare_item", max_occurrences=3, window=86400, action="alert")
def rewards_endpoint():
    return {"reward": "rare_item", "value": 1000}

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Redis Integration

The Behavior Manager supports Redis for distributed tracking:

# Initialize with Redis
tracker.initialize_redis(redis_handler)

# All tracking operations will use Redis for storage
# This enables behavior tracking across multiple instances

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Advanced Usage

. Custom Pattern Matching

# JSON path pattern
json_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="return_pattern",
    threshold=5,
    pattern="json:result.reward.rarity==legendary",
    window=86400,
    action="ban"
)

# Regex pattern
regex_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="return_pattern",
    threshold=10,
    pattern="regex:(win|victory|success)",
    window=3600,
    action="alert"
)

# Status code pattern
status_rule = BehaviorRule(
    rule_type="return_pattern",
    threshold=100,
    pattern="status:200",
    window=3600,
    action="log"
)

. Multiple Rule Analysis

# Apply multiple rules to an endpoint
rules = [
    BehaviorRule("usage", threshold=20, window=3600, action="ban"),
    BehaviorRule("return_pattern", threshold=5, pattern="win", window=86400, action="alert"),
    BehaviorRule("frequency", threshold=60, window=300, action="throttle")
]

@guard_deco.behavior_analysis(rules)
def complex_endpoint():
    return {"data": "complex"}

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Best Practices

. Set Appropriate Thresholds

Match thresholds to expected legitimate usage:

# High-value endpoint - strict limits
@guard_deco.usage_monitor(max_calls=5, window=3600, action="ban")

# Regular endpoint - moderate limits
@guard_deco.usage_monitor(max_calls=50, window=3600, action="alert")

. Use Graduated Responses

Start with logging, then alerts, then bans:

# First violation - log
BehaviorRule("usage", threshold=10, window=3600, action="log")

# Second violation - alert
BehaviorRule("usage", threshold=20, window=3600, action="alert")

# Third violation - ban
BehaviorRule("usage", threshold=30, window=3600, action="ban")

. Monitor Return Patterns Carefully

Focus on patterns that indicate abuse:

# Gaming/gambling endpoints
@guard_deco.return_monitor("jackpot", max_occurrences=2, window=86400, action="ban")

# Reward systems
@guard_deco.return_monitor("rare_item", max_occurrences=3, window=86400, action="alert")

# Success patterns
@guard_deco.return_monitor("regex:success|win|victory", max_occurrences=10, window=3600, action="log")

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Error Handling

The Behavior Manager handles errors gracefully:

• Redis Connection Issues: Falls back to in-memory tracking
• Pattern Matching Errors: Logs errors and continues processing
• Action Failures: Logs failures but doesn't interrupt request flow

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Monitoring and Debugging

Enable detailed logging for behavioral analysis:

config = SecurityConfig(
    log_suspicious_level="DEBUG",
    log_request_level="INFO"
)

# Logs will include:
# - Behavioral rule violations
# - Pattern matching results
# - Action execution results

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Performance Considerations

• Redis Usage: Reduces memory usage and enables distributed tracking
• Pattern Complexity: Simple string patterns are fastest, regex patterns are slowest
• Rule Count: More rules per endpoint increase processing time
• Window Sizes: Larger windows require more memory for tracking

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See Also

• Behavioral Decorators Tutorial - Learn how to use behavioral decorators
• Security Decorators Overview - Complete decorator system overview
• Redis Integration - Redis setup and configuration