How to Implement Network Threat Hunting in OMNeT++
To implement the network threat hunting using the tool OMNeT++ has contains mimicking the proactive search for threats in a network by evaluating suspicious activities, identifying anomalies, and observing traffic. Given below is an instance of how to establish and execute a simple network threat hunting system in OMNeT++.
Step-by-Step Implementations:
- Define the Network Topology
Initially, make an elementary network topology using the NED language. Let’s describe a network with a router, a server, an attacker, and an observing host which will execute the threat hunting.
network ThreatHuntingNetwork
{
submodules:
attacker: StandardHost {
@display(“p=100,150”);
}
router: Router {
@display(“p=300,150”);
}
server: StandardHost {
@display(“p=500,150”);
}
monitor: StandardHost {
@display(“p=300,250”);
}
connections:
attacker.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;
router.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> server.ethg++;
monitor.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;
}
- Create Traffic Monitoring Module
Improve a module that captures and evaluates network traffic in real-time. This module will be responsible for finding apprehensive activities like port scans, or unauthorized access attempts, unusual traffic patterns.
// TrafficMonitor.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 TrafficMonitor : public cSimpleModule
{
protected:
virtual void initialize() override;
virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;
void analyzePacket(Packet *packet);
void logSuspiciousActivity(const std::string &activity);
};
Define_Module(TrafficMonitor);
void TrafficMonitor::initialize()
{
// Initialize the traffic monitoring module
}
void TrafficMonitor::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)
{
if (Packet *packet = dynamic_cast<Packet *>(msg)) {
analyzePacket(packet);
}
send(msg, “out”);
}
void TrafficMonitor::analyzePacket(Packet *packet)
{
// Extract information from the packet
const auto& networkHeader = packet->peekAtFront<Ipv4Header>();
std::string source = networkHeader->getSrcAddress().str();
std::string destination = networkHeader->getDestAddress().str();
int protocol = networkHeader->getProtocolId();
// Example: Detect unusual traffic, like large data transfers or repeated attempts to specific ports
if (protocol == IP_PROT_TCP) {
auto transportHeader = packet->peekDataAt<TcpHeader>(networkHeader->getHeaderLength());
int destPort = transportHeader->getDestPort();
int srcPort = transportHeader->getSrcPort();
if (destPort == 22 || destPort == 23) { // SSH or Telnet access
logSuspiciousActivity(“Suspicious activity: Multiple accesses to SSH/Telnet from ” + source + ” to ” + destination);
}
if (packet->getByteLength() > 1000) { // Large data transfer
logSuspiciousActivity(“Large data transfer detected from ” + source + ” to ” + destination);
}
}
// Additional checks can be added for other types of suspicious activities
}
void TrafficMonitor::logSuspiciousActivity(const std::string &activity)
{
EV << “ThreatHunt: ” << activity << endl;
// You could also write this to a file or send an alert to the network admin
}
- Simulate Threat Scenarios
Generate a module to mimic potential threats, like brute-force attacks or data exfiltration attempts, port scans, from the attacker.
// ThreatSimulation.cc
#include <omnetpp.h>
#include “inet/applications/tcpapp/TcpAppBase.h”
using namespace omnetpp;
using namespace inet;
class ThreatSimulation : public TcpAppBase
{
protected:
virtual void initialize(int stage) override;
virtual void handleMessageWhenUp(cMessage *msg) override;
void simulatePortScan();
void simulateDataExfiltration();
};
Define_Module(ThreatSimulation);
void ThreatSimulation::initialize(int stage)
{
TcpAppBase::initialize(stage);
if (stage == inet::INITSTAGE_APPLICATION_LAYER) {
// Simulate port scan and data exfiltration
scheduleAt(simTime() + 1, new cMessage(“portScan”));
scheduleAt(simTime() + 5, new cMessage(“dataExfiltration”));
}
}
void ThreatSimulation::handleMessageWhenUp(cMessage *msg)
{
if (strcmp(msg->getName(), “portScan”) == 0) {
simulatePortScan();
delete msg;
} else if (strcmp(msg->getName(), “dataExfiltration”) == 0) {
simulateDataExfiltration();
delete msg;
} else {
TcpAppBase::handleMessageWhenUp(msg);
}
}
void ThreatSimulation::simulatePortScan()
{
EV << “Simulating port scan…” << endl;
for (int port = 1; port <= 1024; port++) {
// Simulate sending SYN packets to each port
cMessage *msg = new cMessage(“portScan”);
msg->setKind(port);
scheduleAt(simTime() + 0.1 * port, msg);
}
}
void ThreatSimulation::simulateDataExfiltration()
{
EV << “Simulating data exfiltration…” << endl;
// Simulate a large data transfer to the attacker
sendRequest(“GET /largefile HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: server\r\n\r\n”);
}
- Integrate Threat Hunting and Simulation Modules
Incorporate the TrafficMonitor (threat hunting) and ThreatSimulation (attacker) modules into the network to permit the comprehensive threat hunting situation.
network ThreatHuntingNetwork
{
submodules:
attacker: StandardHost {
@display(“p=100,150”);
}
router: Router {
@display(“p=300,150”);
}
server: StandardHost {
@display(“p=500,150”);
}
monitor: StandardHost {
@display(“p=300,250”);
}
threatSimulation: ThreatSimulation {
@display(“p=100,100”);
}
trafficMonitor: TrafficMonitor {
@display(“p=300,200”);
}
connections:
attacker.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;
router.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> server.ethg++;
monitor.ethg++ <–> Eth100M <–> router.ethg++;
threatSimulation.in++ <–> attacker.ethg++;
threatSimulation.out++ <–> router.ethg++;
trafficMonitor.in++ <–> router.ethg++;
trafficMonitor.out++ <–> server.ethg++;
}
- Run the Simulation
In OMNeT++, compile and run the simulation. The threat hunting module (TrafficMonitor) will observe traffic for suspicious activities made by the ThreatSimulation module.
- Analyse the Results
Verify the OMNeT++ simulation log for alerts created by the TrafficMonitor module. The logs will show any suspicious activities detected, like port scanning or big data transfers.
- Extend the Threat Hunting Capabilities
We can extend this simple setup by:
- Adding more complex detection algorithms: Apply machine learning methods or anomaly detection methods for further enhanced threat hunting.
- Simulating different types of attacks: Contain ransomware or social engineering attacks, DDoS attacks.
- Implementing automated responses: Improve modules that automatically mitigate detected threats, like alerting administrators or blocking IP addresses.
- Integrating with SIEM systems: Mimic real-world integrations with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools to improve threat detection and react capabilities.
We had explained about network topology, traffic module, threat hunting and situations are helps to implement and analyse the Network Threat Hunting in OMNeT++. We will offer detailed informations as required. We omnet-manual.com offers guidance on implementing Network Threat Hunting using the OMNeT++ tool for your projects. We encourage you to stay connected with us as we provide innovative services.