To simulate a sniffer attack in NS2 has includes to generate an environment in which the attacker captures and tracks the network traffic to listen on the interaction among the nodes. The sniffer attacks target privacy by capturing data packets as they travel via the network.
Here’s a guide on how we can simulate a sniffer attack in NS2:
Steps to Simulate a Sniffer Attack in NS2
- Install NS2
Make sure that NS2 is installed. If it’s not already installed, download and install it from the NS2 Official Website.
- Set up a Basic Network Topology
We will need to generate a simple network in which legitimate nodes communicate, and a malicious node (sniffer) captures packets among those nodes. The sniffer node won’t disturb communication but will silently capture packets.
- Create a TCL Script for Sniffer Attack Simulation
Below is an instance of how to mimic a sniffer attack. The sniffer node eavesdrops to packets interchanged among two legitimate nodes without participating in the communication.
Example TCL Script for Sniffer Attack Simulation:
# Create a simulator object
set ns [new Simulator]
# Define trace and NAM files for analysis and visualization
set tracefile [open “sniffer_attack_trace.tr” w]
set namfile [open “sniffer_attack_simulation.nam” w]
$ns trace-all $tracefile
$ns namtrace-all $namfile
# Create three nodes: two legitimate nodes and one sniffer node
set n0 [$ns node] ;# Legitimate node 1
set n1 [$ns node] ;# Legitimate node 2
set sniffer [$ns node] ;# Sniffer node
# Create duplex links between the legitimate nodes and between each legitimate node and the sniffer
$ns duplex-link $n0 $n1 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# Legitimate communication
$ns duplex-link $n0 $sniffer 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# Sniffer listening
$ns duplex-link $n1 $sniffer 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# Sniffer listening
# Attach UDP agents to simulate traffic between legitimate nodes
set udp0 [new Agent/UDP]
set udp1 [new Agent/UDP]
$ns attach-agent $n0 $udp0
$ns attach-agent $n1 $udp1
# Create a CBR (Constant Bit Rate) traffic generator to simulate data communication
set cbr0 [new Application/Traffic/CBR]
$cbr0 set packetSize_ 512
$cbr0 set rate_ 1Mb
$cbr0 attach-agent $udp0
# Connect the legitimate nodes for communication
$ns connect $udp0 $udp1
# Schedule legitimate communication to start and stop
$ns at 1.0 “$cbr0 start”
$ns at 4.5 “$cbr0 stop”
# Define sniffer behavior (sniffing the traffic but not participating in communication)
# In a real scenario, you would monitor packet exchanges at the sniffer node
proc sniffer_behavior {sniffer} {
global ns
puts “Sniffer is listening for packets…”
# Sniffer listens passively, monitoring traffic between n0 and n1
}
# Schedule sniffer to start sniffing when communication begins
$ns at 1.0 “sniffer_behavior $sniffer”
# Define finish procedure to end simulation and close trace files
proc finish {} {
global ns tracefile namfile
$ns flush-trace
close $tracefile
close $namfile
exit 0
}
# End the simulation at 5.0 seconds
$ns at 5.0 “finish”
# Run the simulation
$ns run
- Run the Simulation
Save the script as sniffer_attack_simulation.tcl and execute it in NS2:
ns sniffer_attack_simulation.tcl
- Visualize the Simulation Using NAM
Open the .nam file in the Network Animator (NAM) to envision the packet transmissions among legitimate nodes and track the sniffer node listening to traffic:
nam sniffer_attack_simulation.nam
- Analyse the Trace File
The trace file (sniffer_attack_trace.tr) will encompasses information about all packet transmissions among the legitimate nodes, in addition to any monitoring activities by the sniffer node. We need to measure:
- Packets captured by the sniffer.
- Communication among the legitimate nodes.
- Time intervals when the sniffer initiates and ends monitoring traffic.
- Modify the Simulation
- Increase Network Complexity: Incorporate more nodes to generate a larger network and replicate the sniffer capturing traffic in a more complex environment.
- TCP Communication: Interchange UDP with TCP for reliable, connection-oriented communication, and track on how the sniffer captures TCP packets.
- Sniffer Filtering: Insert the filtering logic to replicate the sniffer selectively capturing only specific kinds of packets such as packets with specific IP addresses or protocols.
Optional Enhancements:
- Intrusion Detection System (IDS): Execute IDS in the network to identify when a sniffer is capturing traffic.
- Encryption Simulation: Replicate encrypted communication among legitimate nodes and demonstrate that the sniffer captures the encrypted traffic however cannot decrypt it.
- Performance Metrics: Evaluate the performance of the network such as throughput, delay, and packet loss with and without the sniffer attack.
We had explicit the information about the simulation process with examples regarding the Sniffer attack that was executed using the tool of ns2 and also we provide the additional enhancement for this process. We plan to elaborate on the sniffer attack Project procedure in other simulation scenarios.
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