Methods / L4 / CHAOS
L4 · NetworkLayer 4RandomizedEvasiveMixed Protocol
CHAOS stress test
Floods the target with heavily randomized, unpredictable packets to confuse generic mitigation systems that lean on fixed signatures.
How it works
CHAOS generates traffic where headers, sizes, and protocol mix are constantly randomized, so there is no stable pattern for a static filter to lock onto. Defenses tuned to one recognizable flood shape struggle here because every packet looks slightly different from the last. It stress-tests whether your mitigation can act on behavior and volume rather than signatures alone, which is the gap randomized attacks are built to find.
Parameters
pps600k ppsAggregate packet rate while attributes are randomized.
entropylow-highHow aggressively headers, sizes, and protocols vary per packet.
duration30-300 sRun length to confirm filters hold under sustained randomness.
sources1-manyNumber of source addresses adding to the noise spread.
Run it from the CLI
retro-cli
$ retro run chaos --target 203.0.113.45 --port 443 --duration 120
CHAOS FAQ
Is CHAOS testing legal?+
Only against infrastructure you own or are authorized to test. RETRO//STRESS requires authorized targets.
What does CHAOS stress?+
Floods the target with heavily randomized, unpredictable packets to confuse generic mitigation systems that lean on fixed signatures.
Can I combine it with other methods?+
Yes, add it as a step in a packet chain to sequence it with other protocols.