How to Calculate Network Firewalls in omnet++
To calculate and assess the effectiveness of network firewalls in OMNeT++ has includes mimicking the firewall’s ability to filter and control traffic among various parts of a network. A firewall is usually inspects incoming and outgoing packets and selects whether to permit or block them based on predefined security rules.
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Step-by-Step Implementations:
- Understand the Role of a Firewall
A network firewall:
- Filters Traffic: Based on rules, a firewall permits or blocks packets.
- Monitors Traffic: Tracks the volume and kind of traffic passing over the firewall.
- Enforces Security Policies: Make sure that only legitimate traffic is permitted among network segments.
- Set up a Network with a Firewall
In OMNeT++, we can mimic a network where a firewall sits among various subnets or network segments. The firewall will review packets and enforce security rules.
Example: Define a Network with a Firewall in NED
network FirewallNetwork {
submodules:
subnet1: Subnet;
subnet2: Subnet;
firewall: Firewall; // Define the firewall node
connections:
subnet1.out++ –> firewall.in++;
firewall.out++ –> subnet2.in++;
}
- Implement the Firewall Logic
In the OMNeT++ module denoting the firewall, execute the logic to inspect packets and apply filtering rules.
Example: Implementing a Simple Firewall
#include <omnetpp.h>
using namespace omnetpp;
class Firewall : public cSimpleModule {
private:
int packetsAllowed = 0;
int packetsBlocked = 0;
protected:
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
// Example: Apply a simple filtering rule
if (isAllowed(msg)) {
packetsAllowed++;
send(msg, “out”);
} else {
packetsBlocked++;
EV << “Packet blocked by firewall.” << endl;
delete msg; // Block the packet
}
}
bool isAllowed(cMessage *msg) {
// Implement your filtering rules here
// Example: Block packets based on a condition (e.g., source address, port)
return true; // Allow all traffic for this example
}
virtual void finish() override {
// Record firewall performance metrics
recordScalar(“Packets Allowed”, packetsAllowed);
recordScalar(“Packets Blocked”, packetsBlocked);
}
};
Define_Module(Firewall);
- Simulate Traffic and Firewall Behaviour
Create traffic among the subnets, and allow the firewall inspect and filter the packets based on the rules we have executed.
Example: Traffic Generation in Subnets
class Node : public cSimpleModule {
protected:
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
int dest = intuniform(0, gateSize(“out”) – 1);
send(msg, “out”, dest);
}
virtual void initialize() override {
if (getIndex() == 0) { // Only node 0 generates traffic
cMessage *msg = new cMessage(“traffic”);
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“sendInterval”).doubleValue(), msg);
}
}
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
if (msg->isSelfMessage()) {
// Generate and send a new message
cMessage *newMsg = new cMessage(“traffic”);
send(newMsg, “out”, intuniform(0, gateSize(“out”) – 1));
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“sendInterval”).doubleValue(), msg);
} else {
send(msg, “out”, intuniform(0, gateSize(“out”) – 1));
}
}
};
- Monitor Firewall Performance
Observe several aspects of the firewall’s performance, containing:
- Packets Allowed: The number of packets that effectively pass through the firewall.
- Packets Blocked: The number of packets that are blocked by the firewall.
- Processing Delay: The time taken by the firewall to check and create a decision on each packet.
- Traffic Volume: The amount of traffic managed by the firewall.
Example: Tracking Processing Delay
class Firewall : public cSimpleModule {
private:
int packetsAllowed = 0;
int packetsBlocked = 0;
simsignal_t processingDelaySignal;
protected:
virtual void initialize() override {
processingDelaySignal = registerSignal(“processingDelay”);
}
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
simtime_t startProcessing = simTime();
if (isAllowed(msg)) {
packetsAllowed++;
send(msg, “out”);
} else {
packetsBlocked++;
delete msg; // Block the packet
}
simtime_t endProcessing = simTime();
emit(processingDelaySignal, endProcessing – startProcessing);
}
bool isAllowed(cMessage *msg) {
return true; // Allow all traffic for this example
}
virtual void finish() override {
recordScalar(“Packets Allowed”, packetsAllowed);
recordScalar(“Packets Blocked”, packetsBlocked);
}
};
- Analyse Firewall Effectiveness
Examine the firewall’s effectiveness based on the metrics we have recorded after running the simulation. Key questions to consider:
- Effectiveness: How many unwanted packets were effectively blocked?
- Efficiency: How much delay did the firewall present to the traffic flow?
- Throughput: How many packets per second did the firewall process?
- Advanced Firewall Features
For more difficult simulations, we might need to:
- Implement Stateful Inspection: Track ongoing connections and put on rules based on connection state.
- Simulate Intrusion Detection: Insert logic to detect and respond to apprehensive patterns in traffic.
- Implement Dynamic Rules: Permit the firewall to adapt its rules based on traffic analysis.
- Example Scenario
In the below example, the Firewall module sits among two subnets and filters traffic based on predefined rules. By observing the number of packets allowed and blocked, according to processing delay, we can calculate the firewall’s performance.
network FirewallExample {
submodules:
subnet1: Subnet;
subnet2: Subnet;
firewall: Firewall;
connections:
subnet1.out++ –> firewall.in++;
firewall.out++ –> subnet2.in++;
}
- Post-Simulation Analysis
To examine the recorded metrics, like packets allowed, packets blocked, and processing delay after running the simulation. This analysis will support to know the firewall’s impact on network performance and security.
In this paper, we had presented more details is helps to calculate and analysis Network Firewalls by using the tool OMNeT++. Additional informations will be offered as per your needs.