How to Implement Fog Computing Security in OMNeT++

To implement the Fog Computing security in OMNeT++ includes mimicking a distributed computing architecture where computations, storage, data and applications are placed somewhere among the cloud and the data source like IoT devices. It presents unique security challenges, like intrusion detection, secure communication, and data protection in a decentralized environment.

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Given below is a step-by-step approaches to implement Fog Computing security in OMNeT++.

Step-by-Step Implementations:

Understand the Components

Before implementation, it’s vital to know the key components included in Fog Computing security:

Fog Nodes: In-between devices that execute communication tasks, storage, and data processing closer to the edge devices and users. These nodes are difficult points for security as they frequently manage sensitive data.
Edge Devices: Devices that make data and relate directly with users or sensors. They depend on Fog Nodes for processing and storage.
Cloud Servers: Centralized servers that offer extra processing power and storage for data that wants to be offloaded from Fog Nodes.
Security Mechanisms: Contain access control, authentication, secure communication protocols and, intrusion detection systems (IDS).
Threat Actors: Mimic potential threats such as attackers attempting data breaches, DDoS attacks, or injecting malicious data into the fog network.

Define the Fog Computing Network Topology

Initially we define a network topology in OMNeT++ that contains edge devices, fog nodes, and cloud servers. Contain security components like secure communication channels, IDS, and firewalls.

network FogComputingNetwork

{

submodules:

edgeDevice1: EdgeDevice {

@display(“p=100,150”);

}

edgeDevice2: EdgeDevice {

@display(“p=100,250”);

}

fogNode1: FogNode {

@display(“p=300,150”);

}

fogNode2: FogNode {

@display(“p=300,250”);

}

cloudServer: CloudServer {

@display(“p=500,200”);

}

firewall: FirewallModule {

@display(“p=200,100”);

}

ids: IDSModule {

@display(“p=400,100”);

}

attacker: AttackerNode {

@display(“p=600,250”);

}

connections:

edgeDevice1.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> fogNode1.ethg++;

edgeDevice2.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> fogNode2.ethg++;

fogNode1.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> firewall.ethg++;

fogNode2.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> firewall.ethg++;

firewall.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> ids.ethg++;

ids.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> cloudServer.ethg++;

attacker.wlan++ <–> Adhoc80211Nic <–> fogNode1.wlan++;

}

Implement the Edge Device

The Edge Device is responsible for creating data and communicating with fog nodes for processing and storage. It wants to make certain that data is protectively transmitted to fog nodes.

Edge Device Implementation

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/common/INETDefs.h”

#include “inet/applications/udpapp/UDPBasicApp.h”

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class EdgeDevice : public cSimpleModule

{

protected:

virtual void initialize(int stage) override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

void generateData();

};

Define_Module(EdgeDevice);

void EdgeDevice::initialize(int stage)

{

cSimpleModule::initialize(stage);

if (stage == inet::INITSTAGE_APPLICATION_LAYER) {

EV << “Edge Device Initialized” << endl;

scheduleAt(simTime() + uniform(1, 3), new cMessage(“generateData”));

}

void EdgeDevice::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)

{

if (strcmp(msg->getName(), “generateData”) == 0) {

generateData();

}

delete msg;

}

void EdgeDevice::generateData()

{

// Simulate generating and sending data to the fog node

Packet *packet = new Packet(“EdgeDataPacket”);

packet->insertAtBack(makeShared<Chunk>(std::vector<int>{10, 20, 30})); // Example data

send(packet, “ethgOut”);

// Schedule next data generation

scheduleAt(simTime() + uniform(1, 3), new cMessage(“generateData”));

}

Implement the Fog Node

Security calculates must make certain that data is processed securely and only by official entities. The fog node processes data from dge devices and provides storage, computation, and communication services.

Fog Node Implementation

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/common/INETDefs.h”

#include “inet/common/packet/Packet.h”

#include <openssl/evp.h>

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class FogNode : public cSimpleModule

{

protected:

virtual void initialize() override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

void processData(Packet *packet);

std::string encryptData(const std::string &data);

};

Define_Module(FogNode);

void FogNode::initialize()

{

EV << “Fog Node Initialized” << endl;

}

void FogNode::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)

{

if (Packet *packet = dynamic_cast<Packet *>(msg)) {

processData(packet);

}

delete msg;

}

void FogNode::processData(Packet *packet)

{

const auto &payload = packet->peekData();

std::string data = payload->str();

// Encrypt the data before further processing

std::string encryptedData = encryptData(data);

EV << “Processing and encrypting data from edge device: ” << encryptedData << endl;

// Forward processed data to the cloud server

Packet *processedPacket = new Packet(“ProcessedDataPacket”);

processedPacket->insertAtBack(makeShared<Chunk>(encryptedData));

send(processedPacket, “ethgOut”);

}

std::string FogNode::encryptData(const std::string &data)

{

// Simplified encryption using OpenSSL

unsigned char key[16] = “fogkey12345678”;

unsigned char iv[16] = “initialvector12”;

EVP_CIPHER_CTX *ctx = EVP_CIPHER_CTX_new();

EVP_EncryptInit_ex(ctx, EVP_aes_128_cbc(), NULL, key, iv);

unsigned char encrypted[1024];

int len;

EVP_EncryptUpdate(ctx, encrypted, &len, (unsigned char*)data.c_str(), data.length());

int ciphertext_len = len;

EVP_EncryptFinal_ex(ctx, encrypted + len, &len);

ciphertext_len += len;

EVP_CIPHER_CTX_free(ctx);

return std::string((char*)encrypted, ciphertext_len);

}

Implement the Cloud Server

The Cloud Server acts as a centralized server that manages offloaded data and executes heavy processing tasks. It wants to make sure that data received from fog nodes is protectively stored and processed.

Cloud Server Implementation

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/common/INETDefs.h”

#include “inet/common/packet/Packet.h”

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class CloudServer : public cSimpleModule

{

protected:

virtual void initialize() override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

void storeData(Packet *packet);

void processReceivedData(const std::string &data);

};

Define_Module(CloudServer);

void CloudServer::initialize()

{

EV << “Cloud Server Initialized” << endl;

}

void CloudServer::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)

{

if (Packet *packet = dynamic_cast<Packet *>(msg)) {

storeData(packet);

}

delete msg;

}

void CloudServer::storeData(Packet *packet)

{

const auto &payload = packet->peekData();

std::string encryptedData = payload->str();

// Decrypt and process the data

processReceivedData(encryptedData);

EV << “Storing and processing data in the cloud: ” << encryptedData << endl;

// Simulate data storage (e.g., write to cloud storage, database, etc.)

}

void CloudServer::processReceivedData(const std::string &data)

{

// Simulate data processing in the cloud

EV << “Processing data received from fog node: ” << data << endl;

// Implement further processing or analysis

}

Implement the Firewall Module

The Firewall Module filters traffic to and from the fog nodes and cloud servers, make sure only legitimate traffic passes over and blocking any suspicious activity.

Firewall Module Implementation

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/common/INETDefs.h”

#include “inet/common/packet/Packet.h”

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class FirewallModule : public cSimpleModule

{

protected:

virtual void initialize() override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

bool isAllowed(Packet *packet);

};

Define_Module(FirewallModule);

void FirewallModule::initialize()

{

EV << “Firewall Module Initialized” << endl;

}

void FirewallModule::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)

{

if (Packet *packet = dynamic_cast<Packet *>(msg)) {

if (isAllowed(packet)) {

send(packet, “ethgOut”);

} else {

EV << “Packet dropped by firewall.” << endl;

delete packet;

}

bool FirewallModule::isAllowed(Packet *packet)

{

// Implement filtering logic (e.g., block specific IPs or patterns)

const auto &payload = packet->peekData();

std::string data = payload->str();

return data.find(“malicious”) == std::string::npos; // Example rule

}

Implement the IDS Module

The IDS Module displays network traffic to discover any potential intrusions or attacks, like data breaches or DDoS attempts.

IDS Module Implementation

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/common/INETDefs.h”

#include “inet/common/packet/Packet.h”

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class IDSModule : public cSimpleModule

{

protected:

virtual void initialize() override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

void detectIntrusion(Packet *packet);

};

Define_Module(IDSModule);

void IDSModule::initialize()

{

EV << “IDS Module Initialized” << endl;

}

void IDSModule::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)

{

if (Packet *packet = dynamic_cast<Packet *>(msg)) {

detectIntrusion(packet);

send(packet, “ethgOut”);

}

delete msg;

}

void IDSModule::detectIntrusion(Packet *packet)

{

const auto &payload = packet->peekData();

std::string data = payload->str();

// Implement simple intrusion detection logic

if (data.find(“attack”) != std::string::npos) {

EV << “Intrusion detected! Taking action…” << endl;

// Implement any action needed (e.g., alerting, blocking)

}

Implement the Attacker Node

The Attacker Node mimics adversarial behaviour, like trying to breach fog node security, launch a DDoS attack, or inject malicious data.

Attacker Node Implementation

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/applications/tcpapp/TcpAppBase.h”

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class AttackerNode : public TcpAppBase

{

protected:

virtual void initialize(int stage) override;

virtual void handleMessageWhenUp(cMessage *msg) override;

void launchDataBreach();

void launchDDoSAttack();

};

Define_Module(AttackerNode);

void AttackerNode::initialize(int stage)

{

TcpAppBase::initialize(stage);

if (stage == inet::INITSTAGE_APPLICATION_LAYER) {

scheduleAt(simTime() + 2, new cMessage(“launchDataBreach”));

scheduleAt(simTime() + 5, new cMessage(“launchDDoSAttack”));

}

void AttackerNode::handleMessageWhenUp(cMessage *msg)

{

if (strcmp(msg->getName(), “launchDataBreach”) == 0) {

launchDataBreach();

delete msg;

} else if (strcmp(msg->getName(), “launchDDoSAttack”) == 0) {

launchDDoSAttack();

delete msg;

} else {

TcpAppBase::handleMessageWhenUp(msg);

}

void AttackerNode::launchDataBreach()

{

EV << “Launching data breach attempt…” << endl;

// Send a malicious packet to the fog node or cloud server

Packet *packet = new Packet(“DataBreachAttempt”);

packet->insertAtBack(makeShared<Chunk>(std::vector<int>{999, 999, 999})); // Example malicious data

sendToUDP(packet, localPort, Ipv4AddressResolver().resolve(“fogNode1”), 5000);

}

void AttackerNode::launchDDoSAttack()

{

EV << “Launching DDoS attack on fog node…” << endl;

for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {

Packet *packet = new Packet(“DDoSPacket”);

sendToUDP(packet, localPort, Ipv4AddressResolver().resolve(“fogNode1”), 5000);

}

Integrate All Components into the Fog Computing Security Network

Add the fog nodes, cloud servers, firewall, IDS, edge devices, and attacker node into the network to build a complete Fog Computing security simulation.

network FogComputingNetwork

{

submodules:

edgeDevice1: EdgeDevice {

@display(“p=100,150”);

}

edgeDevice2: EdgeDevice {

@display(“p=100,250”);

}

fogNode1: FogNode {

@display(“p=300,150”);

}

fogNode2: FogNode {

@display(“p=300,250”);

}

cloudServer: CloudServer {

@display(“p=500,200”);

}

firewall: FirewallModule {

@display(“p=200,100”);

}

ids: IDSModule {

@display(“p=400,100”);

}

attacker: AttackerNode {

@display(“p=600,250”);

}

connections:

edgeDevice1.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> fogNode1.ethg++;

edgeDevice2.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> fogNode2.ethg++;

fogNode1.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> firewall.ethg++;

fogNode2.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> firewall.ethg++;

firewall.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> ids.ethg++;

ids.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> cloudServer.ethg++;

attacker.wlan++ <–> Adhoc80211Nic <–> fogNode1.wlan++;

}

Run the Simulation

Compile and run the simulation in OMNeT++. In the fog environment, network would securely manage data processing and storage, during detecting and mitigating any adversarial activities according to the implemented functionality.

Analyse the Results

Verify the OMNeT++ simulation log to monitor how the network managed data, detected intrusions, and defended against attacks. Check that:

Data is processed and stored securely.
Intrusions and attacks are detected and mitigated.
Authentic data flows are processed properly without interruption.

Extend the Fog Computing Security Simulation

We can extend this setup by:

Implementing more advanced security mechanisms: Contain approaches like advanced encryption techniques, tokenization, and data masking.
Simulating additional threats: Encompasses insider threats, ransom ware attacks, or supply chain attacks.
Adding data privacy measures: Execute methods like differential privacy to make sure that sensitive information is not showed while data processing.
Integrating with cloud and edge environments: Mimic Fog Computing security in hybrid situations, where fog nodes interact with both cloud and edge situations.

In this paper, we had presented details about how to implement Fog computing security in the tool OMNeT++. Additional informations will be given according to your needs.