How to implement hping3 syn flood attack in OMNeT++
To implement an hping3 SYN flood attack in OMNeT++ needs to include mimicking a scenario where an attacker delivers a large number of TCP SYN packets to a target server from establishing connections to use its resources, preventing legitimate users. While hping3 is a real-world tool used to generate numerous kinds of TCP/IP packets, we can mimic a same SYN flood attack in OMNeT++ by organising an attacker node to send a flood of TCP SYN packets to a target.
Given below is step-by-step process to simulate a SYN flood attack 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 the essential modules for simulating TCP/IP protocols, which will be used to mimic the SYN flood attack.
- Define the Network Topology
- Make a network topology in a .ned file that contains a client, server, router, and an attacker node. The attacker node will make the SYN flood attack.
Example:
network SynFloodAttackNetwork
{
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++;
}
- While the client node represents a legitimate user, attacker node will send a flood of SYN packets to the server.
- Create or Configure the SYN Flood Attack Module
- The attacker node would be configured to send a large number of TCP SYN packets to the server. It can finished by configuring an application that creates SYN packets at a high rate.
Option A: Using INET’s Built-in TCP Module
- We can configure the existing TCP module to make a SYN flood by setting up a high frequency of connection attempts without finishing the TCP handshake.
Example configuration in omnetpp.ini:
*.attacker.numApps = 1
*.attacker.app[0].typename = “TcpBasicClientApp”
*.attacker.app[0].connectAddress = “server”
*.attacker.app[0].connectPort = 80
*.attacker.app[0].tOpen = 0s
*.attacker.app[0].tSend = 0s
*.attacker.app[0].tClose = 0s # Prevent the client from completing the handshake
*.attacker.tcp.msl = 1s
*.attacker.tcp.tcpNoDelay = true
*.attacker.tcp.activeOpen = true
- This configuration sets up the attacker node to initiate a large number of SYN packets towards the server.
Option B: Creating a Custom SYN Flood Module
- For many control, we can create a custom module to mimic the SYN flood attack by sending raw TCP SYN packets.
Example C++ code for a custom SYN flood attack module:
class SynFloodAttack : public cSimpleModule
{
protected:
virtual void initialize() override;
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;
void sendSynPacket();
};
void SynFloodAttack::initialize()
{
// Schedule the first SYN packet send event
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“startTime”), new cMessage(“sendSyn”));
}
void SynFloodAttack::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)
{
if (msg->isSelfMessage()) {
sendSynPacket();
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“interval”), msg); // Schedule the next SYN packet
} else {
delete msg;
}
}
void SynFloodAttack::sendSynPacket()
{
auto synPacket = new cPacket(“SynPacket”);
synPacket->setByteLength(par(“packetSize”));
// Set TCP SYN flags and other packet details here
send(synPacket, “out”);
}
Define_Module(SynFloodAttack);
- This module sends SYN packets at regular intervals, creating a flood.
- Configure the Attacker Node
- In the .ini file, configure the attacker node to use the SYN flood attack module.
Example configuration in omnetpp.ini:
*.attacker.numApps = 1
*.attacker.app[0].typename = “SynFloodAttack”
*.attacker.app[0].startTime = 1s
*.attacker.app[0].interval = 0.01s # High frequency to simulate the flood
*.attacker.app[0].packetSize = 64B # Size of the SYN packet
- startTime determines when the SYN flood attack starts.
- interval controls how often SYN packets are sent, mimicking the flood.
- packetSize specifies the size of each SYN packet.
- Configure the Server Node
- The server node should be configured to listen for incoming connections on the specified port and to control the SYN packets.
Example:
*.server.numApps = 1
*.server.app[0].typename = “TcpServerApp”
*.server.app[0].localPort = 80
*.server.tcp.listenPort = 80
*.server.tcp.maxConnections = 10000 # Allow a high number of connections
- The server will attempt to manage the incoming SYN packets, but the flood may overwhelm it.
- Run the Simulation
- Compile and run the OMNeT++ simulation. The attacker node will start flooding the server including SYN packets.
- Analyze the Results
- To monitor the impact of the SYN flood attack on the network by using OMNeT++’s analysis tools. Watch on metrics like server response times, network throughput, packet loss, and the number of half-open connections.
- Monitor how the server manages the flood of SYN packets and whether it converts unresponsive or crashes.
- Enhancements and Variations
- Variable Flood Rates: Analyse with various flooding rates to learn the effect of changing intensities of SYN flood attacks on the server.
- Defensive Mechanisms: Execute and test defences like rate limiting, SYN cookies, or firewalls to counteract the SYN flood attack.
- Multiple Attackers: Mimic a distributed SYN flood attack like DDoS by adding many attacker nodes.
Example Files
The following files we may create as part of the simulation:
- SynFloodAttackNetwork.ned: States the network topology.
- omnetpp.ini: Encompasses configuration settings for the SYN flood attack.
- SynFloodAttack.cc: For the SYN flood attack module custom C++ code.
Finally, we had conclude step-by-step procedure for implement Hping3 Syn Flood Attack using INET file in OMNeT++. We will offer further details about this topics using various tools.
Get help with implementing and simulating hping3 SYN flood attacks in the OMNeT++ tool from the developers at omnet-manual.com. We’re always in the loop with the latest trends on hping3 SYN flood attacks in OMNeT++, so come to us for the best project ideas!