To simulate active attacks in Network Simulator 2 (NS2), which encompasses modeling malicious activities in which the attacker dynamically disrupts or changes the network communications. Unlike passive attacks that only eavesdrop on the communication, active attacks include the packet modification, insertion, dropping, or flooding. General instances of active attacks contain packet modification, Denial of Service (DoS), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks, and routing attacks. Get in touch with us for more reasech benefits tailored to your needs.
Here is a detailed protocol on how to simulate active attacks in NS2:
Steps To Simulate Active Attacks Projects in NS2
Step 1: Set Up NS2
Make sure we have NS2 installed on the machine. We can replicate the active attacks in both wired and wireless networks that relying on the nature of the attack.
Step 2: Understand Active Attacks
A few instances of active attacks that encompass:
- Packet Dropping (Blackhole/Grayhole): The attacker node publicizes itself as a valid route however drops or selectively sends packets.
- Denial of Service (DoS): The attacker floods the target with traffic to consume its resources.
- Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attack: The attacker intercepts and possibly modifies the communication among two legitimate nodes.
- Routing Attacks: The attacker publicizes false routing data, which triggering traffic to be misrouted or dropped.
Step 3: Design the Network Topology
To replicate an active attack, make a network with:
- Legitimate Nodes: These make normal traffic.
- Attacker Node(s): These show malicious behavior, like packet dropping, traffic flooding, or impersonation.
Step 4: Create an NS2 TCL Script for Active Attack Simulation
Below is an instance of a Denial of Service (DoS) attack, in which an attacker floods the network including excessive traffic, overwhelming the target server.
Example: DoS Attack Simulation in NS2
# Create a new NS2 simulator object
set ns [new Simulator]
# Define network topology with 4 nodes
set n0 [$ns node] ;# Legitimate Client
set n1 [$ns node] ;# Legitimate Client
set n2 [$ns node] ;# Attacker (DoS)
set n3 [$ns node] ;# Target Server
# Create duplex links between the nodes (with 10ms delay, 1Mb bandwidth)
$ns duplex-link $n0 $n3 1Mb 10ms DropTail
$ns duplex-link $n1 $n3 1Mb 10ms DropTail
$ns duplex-link $n2 $n3 1Mb 10ms DropTail
# Define TCP agents for legitimate clients
set tcp0 [new Agent/TCP]
$ns attach-agent $n0 $tcp0
set tcp1 [new Agent/TCP]
$ns attach-agent $n1 $tcp1
# Define a TCP sink (Null agent) at the target to receive legitimate traffic
set sink [new Agent/TCPSink]
$ns attach-agent $n3 $sink
# Connect legitimate clients to the target
$ns connect $tcp0 $sink
$ns connect $tcp1 $sink
# Define FTP traffic over TCP for legitimate clients
set ftp0 [new Application/FTP]
$ftp0 attach-agent $tcp0
set ftp1 [new Application/FTP]
$ftp1 attach-agent $tcp1
# Start legitimate FTP traffic from the clients
$ns at 1.0 “$ftp0 start”
$ns at 1.5 “$ftp1 start”
# Define UDP agent for the attacker (DoS flood)
set udp_attacker [new Agent/UDP]
$ns attach-agent $n2 $udp_attacker
# Define CBR traffic for the attacker (high-rate traffic flood)
set cbr_attack [new Application/Traffic/CBR]
$cbr_attack set packetSize_ 1024 ;# Larger packet size
$cbr_attack set interval_ 0.01 ;# High rate to simulate flooding
$cbr_attack attach-agent $udp_attacker
# Start DoS attack traffic at 2.0 seconds
$ns at 2.0 “$cbr_attack start”
puts “DoS attack started at 2.0 seconds.”
# Stop all traffic after 10 seconds
$ns at 10.0 “$ftp0 stop”
$ns at 10.0 “$ftp1 stop”
$ns at 10.0 “$cbr_attack stop”
# Trace file for recording the simulation events
set tracefile [open “active_attack.tr” w]
$ns trace-all $tracefile
# NAM file for visualizing the attack
set namfile [open “active_attack.nam” w]
$ns namtrace-all $namfile
# Define the finish procedure
proc finish {} {
global ns tracefile namfile
$ns flush-trace
close $tracefile
close $namfile
exec nam active_attack.nam &
exit 0
}
# Finish the simulation after 12 seconds
$ns at 12.0 “finish”
# Run the simulation
$ns run
Step 5: Explanation of the Script
- Network Setup:
- The script describes four nodes they are two legitimate clients (n0, n1), one attacker node (n2), and one target server (n3).
- Duplex links with 10ms delay and 1Mb bandwidth associate the clients, attacker, and server.
- Legitimate Traffic:
- TCP agents are connected to the legitimate clients, and an FTP application makes traffic across TCP to the server (n3).
- TCPSink is utilized at the target to receive the legitimate traffic.
- DoS Attack Traffic:
- The attacker (n2) utilizes a UDP agent to make a flood of CBR traffic (Constant Bit Rate) with a high rate (0.01-second intervals) and large packet size (1024 bytes) to overwhelm the target server.
- The DoS attack begins at 2.0 seconds.
- Tracing and Visualization:
- A trace file (active_attack.tr) is made to record entire network events.
- A NAM file (active_attack.nam) is created to envision the attack with the help of NAM.
Step 6: Run the Simulation
- We can save the script as active_attack.tcl.
- Execute the simulation in NS2:
ns active_attack.tcl
It will generate two files:
- active_attack.tr: A trace file, which logs network events.
- active_attack.nam: A NAM file for envisioning the attack.
Step 7: Visualize the Simulation Using NAM
To envision the DoS attack, utilize NAM:
nam active_attack.nam
In NAM, we will monitor:
- Legitimate traffic among the clients and the server.
- A huge number of flood traffic from the attacker node to the server beginning at 2.0 seconds, overwhelming the server and degrading the network performance.
Step 8: Analyze the Trace File
The trace file (active_attack.tr) includes in depth packet-level information. We can examine it to:
- Compute the packet delivery ratio (PDR) before and for the period of the attack.
- Monitor the influence of the DoS attack on network performance such as increased delays, packet loss, or reduced throughput.
- Estimate the behavior of the target server under high traffic loads.
We can utilize the tools such as AWK, Python, or custom scripts to process the trace file and take out important performance parameters.
Step 9: Enhance the Simulation
Here are ways to enhance or prolong the simulation:
- Simulate Other Active Attacks:
- Execute other active attacks, like Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks, packet modification, or routing attacks.
- Add Intrusion Detection System (IDS):
- Replicate an IDS, which observes traffic and identifies anomalies such as high traffic rates, packet drops, or malicious behavior. The IDS could activate an alarm or countermeasure once an attack is identified.
- Increase Network Complexity:
- Insert more nodes to replicate a larger, more complex network that containing numerous attackers and targets.
- Simulate DDoS Attack:
- Replicate a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack with numerous attackers transmitting high-rate traffic to overwhelm the target.
- Measure Performance Metrics:
- Calculate the influence of the attack by estimating the parameters such as packet delivery ratio (PDR), latency, throughput, and packet loss.
This process had covered the entire concept with examples which is essential to know before simulating the Active Attacks Projects using NS2 simulation tool. Likewise, we will offer the additional details regarding this subject based on your needs.
