How to implement packet flooding attack in OMNeT++

To implement a packet flooding attack in OMNeT++  has needs to emulate the scenario where an attacker devastates a target network or node by sending a large volume of packets in a short period and this kind  of attack can interrupt network services by overwhelming bandwidth, overwhelming network devices, or exhausting resources on the target node. The given below is the brief structure on how to execute a packet flooding attack in OMNeT++ using the INET framework:

Step-by-Step Implementation:

1. Set up OMNeT++ and INET Framework

• Make sure that OMNeT++ and the INET framework are installed and correctly configured. The INET framework offers the modules to emulate network protocols, which we can use to model the packet flooding attack.

2. Define the Network Topology

• Generate a network topology in a .ned file that contains a client, server, router, and an attacker node. The attacker node will create the packet flood.

Example:

network PacketFloodingAttackNetwork

{

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++;

}

• The attacker node is connected to the network and will be responsible for flooding the server with packets.

3. Configure the Attacker Node for Packet Flooding

• The attacker node must be configured to send a large number of packets to the server in a short period to emulate a flood.

Option A: Using INET’s Built-in UDP or TCP Modules

• We need to configure an existing UDP or TCP application to transfer the packets at a high rate to emulate the flooding.

Example configuration in omnetpp.ini:

*.attacker.numApps = 1

*.attacker.app[0].typename = “UdpBasicApp”  // or “TcpBasicClientApp” for TCP

*.attacker.app[0].destAddr = “server”

*.attacker.app[0].destPort = 5000

*.attacker.app[0].messageLength = 1024B

*.attacker.app[0].sendInterval = 0.001s  // Very high frequency to simulate a flood

• In this sample, the attacker sends UDP packets of size 1024 bytes to the server with a very short interval among packets, simulating a flood.

Option B: Creating a Custom Flooding Module

• For more control over the flooding behaviour, we need to generate a custom C++ module that creates and sends packets continuously.

Example C++ code for a custom packet flooding module:

class PacketFlooding : public cSimpleModule

{

protected:

virtual void initialize() override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

void floodNetwork();

};

void PacketFlooding::initialize()

{

// Schedule the first packet flood event

scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“startTime”), new cMessage(“floodNetwork”));

}

void PacketFlooding::handleMessage(cMessage *msg)

{

if (msg->isSelfMessage()) {

floodNetwork();

scheduleAt(simTime() + par(“interval”), msg);  // Continuously flood

} else {

delete msg;

}

}

void PacketFlooding::floodNetwork()

{

auto packet = new cPacket(“FloodPacket”);

packet->setByteLength(par(“packetSize”));

// Set packet parameters and send it to the target

send(packet, “out”);

}

Define_Module(PacketFlooding);

• This module transfers packets continuously, flooding the target server with traffic.

4. Configure the Server Node

• The server node must be configured to eavesdrop for incoming traffic and manage it. This could contains to processing or simply logging the incoming packets.

Example:

*.server.numApps = 1

*.server.app[0].typename = “UdpSink”  // or “TcpServerApp” for TCP

*.server.app[0].localPort = 5000

• The server is set up to receive and process the incoming packets from the attacker.

5. Run the Simulation

• Compile and run OMNeT++ simulation. The attacker node will start flooding the server with packets, and we need to monitor how the network and server manage this flood.

6. Analyse the Results

• Use OMNeT++’s analysis tools to observe the effect of the packet flooding attack and concentrate performance metrics like network throughput, packet loss, server response times, and overall network latency.
• Measure whether the server or network becomes overwhelmed by the flood and whether it is liable traffic is interuppted.

7. Enhancements and Variations

• Variable Flooding Rates: Investigate with numerous flooding rates to examine how varying intensities of the attack affect the network.
• Different Packet Types: To validate the effect of flooding with various kinds of packets such as ICMP, TCP SYN to mimic diverse attack scenarios such as SYN flooding.
• Defensive Mechanisms: To execute network defences like rate limiting, firewalls, or intrusion detection systems (IDS) to prevent the flooding attack and monitor their efficiencies.
• Multiple Attackers: To mimic a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack by adding multiple attacker nodes.

Example Files

We need to generate the following files as part of simulation:

• PacketFloodingAttackNetwork.ned: Describes the network topology.
• omnetpp.ini: Contains configuration settings for the packet flooding attack.
• PacketFlooding.cc: Custom C++ code for the packet flooding module, if you choose to create one.

We understood the basic to advanced implementation process on how the packet flooding will identify the attack over the network using the OMNeT++ tool. We also deliver how the packet flooding will perform in other simulation tools. So sahrew ith us all your project derails we will assist you with good simulation results with practical explanation