How to Implement Network Attacks Mitigation in OMNeT++
To implement the network attack mitigation in OMNeT++, we need to simulate a network that has attacks like Service (DDoS), Man-in-the-Middle (MitM), or packet injection can be detected and countered by mitigation strategies. The intent is to generate a replication that contains both attack situations and corresponding defensive mechanisms to study their efficiency. Below, we offered the step-by-step approach to implement it:
Steps to Implement Network Attack Mitigation in OMNeT++
- Define the Network Environment:
- Generate a network with multiple nodes like workstations, servers, routers, and a mitigation module that will identify and reacts to network attacks.
simple WorkstationModule
{
parameters:
@display(“i=block/pc”);
gates:
inout ethg;
}
simple ServerModule
{
parameters:
@display(“i=block/server”);
gates:
inout ethg;
}
simple RouterModule
{
parameters:
@display(“i=block/router”);
gates:
inout ethg;
}
simple MitigationModule
{
parameters:
@display(“i=block/shield”);
gates:
inout monitorGate;
}
network AttackMitigationNetwork
{
submodules:
workstation1: WorkstationModule;
workstation2: WorkstationModule;
server: ServerModule;
router: RouterModule;
mitigation: MitigationModule;
connections:
workstation1.ethg <–> router.ethg[0];
workstation2.ethg <–> router.ethg[1];
server.ethg <–> router.ethg[2];
router.ethg[3] –> mitigation.monitorGate; // Mirror traffic to the mitigation module
}
- Simulate Network Attacks:
- Simulate different kinds of network attacks like DDoS, packet injection, or unauthorized access tries. This can contain sending abnormal traffic patterns, high traffic volumes, or malicious packets.
class WorkstationModule : public cSimpleModule {
protected:
virtual void initialize() override {
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“startTime”), new cMessage(“generateTraffic”));
}
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
if (strcmp(msg->getName(), “generateTraffic”) == 0) {
generateTraffic();
scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“interval”), msg);
} else {
cPacket *pkt = check_and_cast<cPacket*>(msg);
processPacket(pkt);
delete pkt;
}
}
void generateTraffic() {
cPacket *normalPkt = new cPacket(“normalTraffic”);
send(normalPkt, “ethg$o”);
if (uniform(0, 1) < par(“attackProbability”)) {
cPacket *attackPkt = new cPacket(“maliciousTraffic”);
attackPkt->addPar(“isAttack”) = true;
send(attackPkt, “ethg$o”);
EV << “Simulating network attack” << endl;
}
}
void processPacket(cPacket *pkt) {
EV << “Packet received: ” << pkt->getName() << endl;
}
};
- Implement Attack Detection:
- We can observe the network traffic for signs of attacks by building the mitigation module. Depends on the predefined rules, traffic analysis or anomaly detection methods, it can detect the attacks.
class MitigationModule : public cSimpleModule {
private:
int detectedAttacks = 0;
protected:
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
cPacket *pkt = check_and_cast<cPacket*>(msg);
if (detectAttack(pkt)) {
detectedAttacks++;
EV << “Attack detected: ” << pkt->getName() << endl;
mitigateAttack(pkt);
} else {
forwardPacket(pkt);
}
delete pkt;
}
bool detectAttack(cPacket *pkt) {
// Example detection logic: Detecting malicious packets
if (strcmp(pkt->getName(), “maliciousTraffic”) == 0) {
return true;
}
// Add more sophisticated detection logic here
return false;
}
void mitigateAttack(cPacket *pkt) {
// Example mitigation: Block or drop the malicious packet
EV << “Mitigating attack by blocking packet: ” << pkt->getName() << endl;
delete pkt;
}
void forwardPacket(cPacket *pkt) {
// Forward the packet to its destination if no attack is detected
send(pkt, “monitorGate$o”);
}
virtual void finish() override {
recordScalar(“Detected Attacks”, detectedAttacks);
EV << “Total detected attacks: ” << detectedAttacks << endl;
}
};
- Implement Response Mechanisms:
- After sensing an attack, the mitigation module should react by blocking the attack, alerting administrators, or triggering other defensive mechanisms like rate limiting or redirecting traffic.
class ResponseModule : public cSimpleModule {
protected:
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override {
cPacket *pkt = check_and_cast<cPacket*>(msg);
if (pkt->par(“isAttack”).boolValue()) {
EV << “Blocking malicious packet: ” << pkt->getName() << endl;
delete pkt;
} else {
send(pkt, “ethg$o”);
}
}
};
- Simulate and Evaluate Mitigation Strategies:
- Run the simulation with different attack scenarios to assess the efficiency of the mitigation strategies. Analyze how fast and precisely attacks are detected and mitigated, and estimate the impact on network performance.
virtual void finish() override {
// Collect and record metrics about the mitigation effectiveness
}
Example Scenario: Mitigating a DDoS Attack
In this situation, multiple workstations simulate a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack by sending a large volume of malicious traffic to a server. The mitigation module observes the traffic, find the DDoS attack, and blocks the malicious packets to shield the server.
In this demonstration, we thoroughly learned the entire implementation of Network Attacks Mitigation using OMNeT++ with samples which makes you to understand more about this attack mitigation and how to detect them during the simulation process.
We provide excellent guidance and help for implementing Network Attack Mitigation in the OMNeT++ application. Visit omnet-manual.com for more great project ideas from our researchers!