How to Implement Network Security Metrics in OMNeT++

To implement the network security metrics in OMNeT++ contains making a simulation setting where several security metrics can be observed, computed, and analysed. These metrics can deliver insights into the security state of the network, serving to identify potential vulnerabilities and measure the efficiency of security controls. Get your project simulation performance by sharing your parameter details with us, and we will compare them and provide you with the best results.

Given below is an example of how to set up and execute network security metrics in OMNeT++.

Step-by-Step Implementations:

Define the Network Topology

Initially, make a basic network topology using the NED language. Let’s describe a network with numerous hosts, a server, a router, and a monitoring host that will compute and log the security metrics.

network SecurityMetricsNetwork

{

submodules:

client1: StandardHost {

@display(“p=100,100”);

}

client2: StandardHost {

@display(“p=100,200”);

}

router: Router {

@display(“p=300,150”);

}

server: StandardHost {

@display(“p=500,150”);

}

monitor: StandardHost {

@display(“p=300,250”);

}

connections:

client1.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;

client2.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;

router.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> server.ethg++;

monitor.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;

}

Define Security Metrics

Let’s describe some general network security metrics that we might need to observe:

Packet Drop Rate: The percentage of packets dropped due to security controls or network issues like firewall rules.
Unauthorized Access Attempts: The total number of attempts to access network resources without proper approval.
Intrusion Detection Events: The number of identified intrusions or suspicious activities.
Latency Increase Due to Security Measures: The supplementary network latency presented by security mechanisms like intrusion prevention systems (IPS) or firewalls.

Create a Security Metrics Module

Improve a module that monitors network traffic, evaluates the described metrics, and logs them. This module will be attached to the observing host.

// SecurityMetricsModule.cc

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/common/INETDefs.h”

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

#include “inet/networklayer/ipv4/Ipv4Header_m.h”

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class SecurityMetricsModule : public cSimpleModule

{

protected:

int totalPackets;

int droppedPackets;

int unauthorizedAccessAttempts;

int intrusionDetectionEvents;

simtime_t totalLatency;

int latencyCount;

virtual void initialize() override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

void calculateMetrics(Packet *packet);

void logMetrics();

};

Define_Module(SecurityMetricsModule);

void SecurityMetricsModule::initialize()

{

totalPackets = 0;

droppedPackets = 0;

unauthorizedAccessAttempts = 0;

intrusionDetectionEvents = 0;

totalLatency = 0;

latencyCount = 0;

// Schedule periodic logging of metrics

scheduleAt(simTime() + 1, new cMessage(“logMetrics”));

}

void SecurityMetricsModule::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)

{

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

calculateMetrics(packet);

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

logMetrics();

scheduleAt(simTime() + 1, msg); // Log metrics every second

}

send(msg, “out”);

}

void SecurityMetricsModule::calculateMetrics(Packet *packet)

{

totalPackets++;

// Simulate packet drop detection

if (uniform(0, 1) < 0.01) { // 1% drop rate for simulation

droppedPackets++;

EV << “Packet dropped.” << endl;

}

// Simulate unauthorized access detection

const auto& networkHeader = packet->peekAtFront<Ipv4Header>();

std::string source = networkHeader->getSrcAddress().str();

if (source == “10.0.0.1”) { // Assume 10.0.0.1 is an unauthorized source

unauthorizedAccessAttempts++;

EV << “Unauthorized access attempt detected from ” << source << endl;

}

// Simulate intrusion detection

if (uniform(0, 1) < 0.02) { // 2% chance of detecting an intrusion

intrusionDetectionEvents++;

EV << “Intrusion detected.” << endl;

}

// Calculate latency (for demonstration, assuming some arbitrary values)

simtime_t latency = uniform(0.01, 0.1);

totalLatency += latency;

latencyCount++;

}

void SecurityMetricsModule::logMetrics()

{

double packetDropRate = (double)droppedPackets / totalPackets * 100;

double avgLatency = (latencyCount > 0) ? totalLatency.dbl() / latencyCount : 0;

EV << “=== Security Metrics ===” << endl;

EV << “Total Packets: ” << totalPackets << endl;

EV << “Packet Drop Rate: ” << packetDropRate << “%” << endl;

EV << “Unauthorized Access Attempts: ” << unauthorizedAccessAttempts << endl;

EV << “Intrusion Detection Events: ” << intrusionDetectionEvents << endl;

EV << “Average Latency Due to Security: ” << avgLatency << ” seconds” << endl;

EV << “========================” << endl;

}

Integrate the Security Metrics Module into the Network

Add the SecurityMetricsModule into the observing host in the network topology.

network SecurityMetricsNetwork

{

submodules:

client1: StandardHost {

@display(“p=100,100”);

}

client2: StandardHost {

@display(“p=100,200”);

}

router: Router {

@display(“p=300,150”);

}

server: StandardHost {

@display(“p=500,150”);

}

monitor: StandardHost {

@display(“p=300,250”);

}

securityMetrics: SecurityMetricsModule {

@display(“p=300,200”);

}

connections:

client1.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;

client2.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;

router.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> server.ethg++;

monitor.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;

securityMetrics.in++ <–> router.ethg++;

securityMetrics.out++ <–> server.ethg++;

}

Simulate Traffic and Attacks

We can add modules or manually configure events to mimic various kinds of traffic and attacks on the network. For example, we can mimic DDoS attacks, unauthorized access attempts, or normal network traffic.

// Example: Simulate Unauthorized Access Attempt

#include <omnetpp.h>

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

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class UnauthorizedAccessSimulation : public TcpAppBase

{

protected:

virtual void initialize(int stage) override;

virtual void handleMessageWhenUp(cMessage *msg) override;

};

Define_Module(UnauthorizedAccessSimulation);

void UnauthorizedAccessSimulation::initialize(int stage)

{

TcpAppBase::initialize(stage);

if (stage == inet::INITSTAGE_APPLICATION_LAYER) {

scheduleAt(simTime() + 1, new cMessage(“unauthorizedAccess”));

}

void UnauthorizedAccessSimulation::handleMessageWhenUp(cMessage *msg)

{

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

EV << “Simulating unauthorized access attempt…” << endl;

// Simulate an unauthorized access packet

sendRequest(“GET /unauthorized HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: server\r\n\r\n”);

delete msg;

} else {

TcpAppBase::handleMessageWhenUp(msg);

}

Run the Simulation

In OMNeT++, compile and run the simulation. The SecurityMetricsModule will calculate and log the security metrics based on the network traffic and any mimicked attacks or events.

Analyse the Results

Examine the OMNeT++ simulation log to see the evaluated security metrics. We would see logs presenting the packet drop rate, intrusion detection events, average latency due to measures, and unauthorized access attempts.

Extend the Security Metrics Monitoring

We can extend this setup by:

Adding more metrics: Contain metrics such as mean time to response (MTTR), or compliance scores, mean time to detection (MTTD).
Visualizing metrics: Use OMNeT++’s visualization tools or transfer the metrics data for visualization in external tools like Grafana.
Simulating more complex scenarios: Experiment the security metrics under numerous conditions like changing network loads, several simultaneous attacks, or various security configurations.

We had presented that the way to proceed on how to execute the Network Security Metrices in OMNeT++. We will provide further details regarding this topics as per your needs. Get Implementation of Network Security Metrics in OMNeT++tool for your projects from omnet-manual.com.