Offloading processing of writes to determine malicious data from a first storage system to a second storage system

A system comprising a first storage system in communication with a second storage system having a second cache and a second storage, comprising:

• a processor;
• a first cache;
• a first storage;
• and
• a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein that when executed by the processor performs operations, the operations comprising:
• caching write data for the first storage in the first cache in the first storage system;
• copying a copy of the write data in the first cache to the second cache in the second storage system;
• receiving, from the second storage system, a message indicating that the write data in the first cache comprises malicious data in response to the second storage system determining the copy of the write data comprises random data or does not comprise malicious data in response to determining the copy of the write data does not comprise random data;
• destaging the write data in the first cache to the first storage in response to the message indicating that the write data does not comprise malicious data;
• and
• processing the write data in the first cache as malicious data after determining from the message that the write data comprises malicious data.

A system comprising a second storage system in communication with a first storage system having a first cache and a first storage, comprising:,

• a processor;
• a second cache;
• a second storage;
• and
• a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein that when executed by the processor performs operations, the operations comprising:
• receiving from the first storage system a copy of write data in the first cache;
• caching the copy of the write data in the second cache;
• determining whether the copy of the write data in the second cache comprises random data according to a randomness criteria;
• and
• returning a message to the first storage system indicating that the write data in the first cache comprises malicious data in response to determining the copy of the write data comprises random data or does not comprise malicious data in response to determining the copy of the write data does not comprise random data, wherein the message causes the first storage system to destage the write data in the first cache to the first storage in response to the message indicating that the write data does not comprise malicious data and process the write data in the first cache as malicious data in response to the message indicating that the write data comprises malicious data.

A method for processing write data received at a first storage system and mirrored to a second storage system, comprising:

• caching write data for a first storage in a first cache in the first storage system;
• copying a copy of the write data in the first cache to a second cache in the second storage system;
• determining at the second storage system whether the copy of the write data in the second cache comprises random data according to a randomness criteria;
• returning, by the second storage system, a message to the first storage system indicating that the write data in the first cache comprises malicious data in response to determining the write data comprises random data or does not comprise malicious data in response to determining the write data does not comprise random data;
• destaging, by the first storage system, the write data in the first cache to the first storage in response to the message indicating that the write data does not comprise malicious data;
• and
• processing, by the first storage system, the write data in the first cache as malicious data after determining from the message that the write data comprises malicious data.