How to implement active attacks in OMNeT++
To implement the active attacks in OMNeT++ needs to encompass simulating situations where an attacker are not only monitors or intercepts interactions. But it enthusiastically manipulates, alters the flow of data or disrupts in a network. Range of malicious activates, like Denial of Service (DoS), spoofing, packet injection, man-in-the-middle attacks are involved by active attacks.
Given below is a step-by-step process to implement various types of active attacks in OMNeT++ using the INET framework.
Step-by-Step Implementations:
- Set up OMNeT++ and INET Framework
- Make sure that OMNeT++ and the INET framework are installed and correctly configured. The INET framework offers modules for simulating many network protocols, which we can extend to model various types of active attacks.
- Define the Network Topology
- Make a network topology in a .ned file that contains legitimate network nodes like clients, servers, routers and an attacker node that will execute the active attack.
Example:
network ActiveAttackNetwork
{
submodules:
client: StandardHost;
server: StandardHost;
router: Router;
attacker: StandardHost;
connections:
client.ethg++ <–> Eth10G <–> router.ethg++;
attacker.ethg++ <–> Eth10G <–> router.ethg++;
router.ethg++ <–> Eth10G <–> server.ethg++;
}
- The attacker node is associated to the network and will do malicious activities targeting the server or client.
- Implement Different Types of Active Attacks
- Denial of Service (DoS) Attack
- Objective: Overcome a server or network with a flood of requests, making it unobtainable to legitimate users.
- Implementation: Form the attacker node to send a huge number of requests to the server in a short period.
Example configuration:
*.attacker.numApps = 1
*.attacker.app[0].typename = “UdpBasicApp”
*.attacker.app[0].destAddr = “server”
*.attacker.app[0].localPort = 5000
*.attacker.app[0].messageLength = 1024B
*.attacker.app[0].sendInterval = 0.01s # High frequency to simulate a flood
- The attacker sends a flood of UDP packets to the server, mimicking a DoS attack.
- Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack
- Objective: Intercept and probably alter communication without their knowledge among two parties.
- Implementation: Set up an attacker node that intercepts packets possibly modifying or logging them between the client and server.
Example implementation:
class MitMAttack : public cSimpleModule
{
protected:
virtual void initialize() override;
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;
};
void MitMAttack::initialize()
{
// No initialization needed
}
void MitMAttack::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)
{
cPacket *pkt = check_and_cast<cPacket *>(msg);
EV << “Intercepted packet: ” << pkt->getFullName() << ” of size ” << pkt->getByteLength() << ” bytes.\n”;
// Optionally modify the packet
// send(pkt, “out”); // Forward the packet after logging or modification
}
Define_Module(MitMAttack);
- Before forwarding the MitMAttack module takes packets passing over the attacker and logs or modifies them.
- Packet Injection Attack
- Objective: Inject malicious or false packets into the network to disturb communication, exploit vulnerabilities or spread misinformation.
- Implementation: Configure the attacker node to make and send packets that arrive to be from a legitimate source.
Example implementation:
class PacketInjection : public cSimpleModule
{
protected:
virtual void initialize() override;
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;
void injectPacket();
};
void PacketInjection::initialize()
{
// Schedule the first packet injection event
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“startTime”), new cMessage(“inject”));
}
void PacketInjection::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)
{
if (msg->isSelfMessage()) {
injectPacket();
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“interval”), msg); // Re-schedule the next injection
} else {
delete msg;
}
}
void PacketInjection::injectPacket()
{
// Create and send a packet
auto packet = new cPacket(“InjectedPacket”);
packet->setByteLength(par(“packetSize”));
// Set packet destination, etc.
send(packet, “out”);
}
Define_Module(PacketInjection);
- Simulate the injection of malicious data to the PacketInjection module makes and sends packets into the network.
- Spoofing Attack
- Objective: Mimic other device by sending packets including a forged MAC address or IP address.
- Implementation: On the network to configure the attacker node to send packets with a MAC address that simulators a legitimate device.
Example configuration:
*.attacker.mac.address = “00:11:22:33:44:55” // Spoofed MAC address
*.attacker.app[0].typename = “UdpBasicApp”
*.attacker.app[0].destAddr = “client”
*.attacker.app[0].localPort = 5000
*.attacker.app[0].messageLength = 128B
*.attacker.app[0].sendInterval = exponential(1s)
- The attacker sends packets to the client whereas spoofing the MAC address of other legitimate device.
- Run the Simulation
- Compile and run the OMNeT++ simulation. The attacker node will implement the configured active attack on the network.
- Analyse the Results
- To monitor the impression of the active attack on the network by using OMNeT++’s built-in tools. Focus on metrics like server response times, packet loss, communication delays, network throughput, and the victory or disappointment of the attack.
- Note that how the attack affects the communication among the legitimate nodes and whether it leads to disruptions, data corruption, or other malicious outcomes.
- Enhancements and Variations
- Combination of Attacks: Simulate numerous types of active attacks concurrently to study their combined impact on the network.
- Defensive Mechanisms: Execute and test network defences like firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), encryption, or rate limiting, and note their effectiveness against the attacks.
- Simulation of Real-World Scenarios: Model specific real-world attack scenarios, like coordinated attack in a high-traffic event, to learn the network’s resilience.
Example Files
We can create the following files as part of the simulation:
- ActiveAttackNetwork.ned: Describes the network topology.
- omnetpp.ini: Encompasses configuration settings for the active attacks.
- PacketInjection.cc: If we choose to make one then custom C++ code for the packet injection attack module.
Overall, we had demonstrate that to implement different types of active attacks, improvements and variations and some examples in OMNeT++. We will provide in-depth informations about Active Attacks in other tools.
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