How to Calculate Network Security level in Ns3

To calculate the network security level in ns3, we need to simulate various attack scenarios and measure how effectively the network can detect, prevent or mitigate these attacks to evaluate the effectiveness of security mechanisms implemented in the network. This evaluation of network security includes some key metrics like number of successful attacks, detection rate, false positives, and system resilience.

To determine the Network Security level for your project, we perform thorough simulations in ns3 scenarios and assess the network’s resilience.

Here the steps given below will guide to calculate Network security Level in ns3.

Step-by-Step Guide to Calculate Network Security Level in ns3

1. Set Up the Simulation Environment:
   • Make sure ns3 is installed and set up properly.
   • Include necessary modules for the simulation (e.g., Internet, Mobility, Applications).
2. Create Network Topology:
   • Define nodes and configure the network topology.
   • Set up point-to-point links, WiFi devices, and mobility models for the nodes.
3. Implement Security Mechanisms:
   • Implement network security mechanisms (e.g., encryption, intrusion detection systems).
   • Define rules or signatures to detect malicious activities.
4. Generate Normal and Malicious Traffic:
   • Install traffic-generating applications (e.g., UDP, TCP) on the nodes.
   • Introduce both normal and malicious traffic into the network.
5. Enable Tracing and Metrics Collection:
   • Enable tracing to capture relevant metrics such as detected attacks, false positives, and system performance.
6. Run the Simulation:
   • Execute the simulation and collect the trace data.
7. Analyze the Results:
   • Post-process the trace data to evaluate the network security level.

Example Code Snippet for Evaluating Network Security Level

Here’s an example of how to set up a network, implement a simple intrusion detection system (IDS), and evaluate the network security level in ns3:

#include “ns3/core-module.h”

#include “ns3/network-module.h”

#include “ns3/internet-module.h”

#include “ns3/point-to-point-module.h”

#include “ns3/applications-module.h”

#include “ns3/mobility-module.h”

#include “ns3/log.h”

using namespace ns3;

NS_LOG_COMPONENT_DEFINE (“NetworkSecurityLevelExample”);

int truePositives = 0;

int falsePositives = 0;

int trueNegatives = 0;

int falseNegatives = 0;

bool IsMaliciousTraffic (Ptr<const Packet> packet)

{

// Simple example: assume packets with size > 1000 bytes are malicious

return packet->GetSize () > 1000;

}

void PacketReceived (Ptr<const Packet> packet, const Address &address)

{

if (IsMaliciousTraffic (packet))

{

truePositives++;

NS_LOG_UNCOND (“Malicious packet detected”);

}

else

{

trueNegatives++;

NS_LOG_UNCOND (“Normal packet detected”);

}

}

void GenerateTraffic (Ptr<Socket> socket, uint32_t pktSize, uint32_t pktCount, Time pktInterval, bool isMalicious)

{

if (pktCount > 0)

{

Ptr<Packet> packet = Create<Packet> (pktSize);

socket->Send (packet);

if (isMalicious)

{

falseNegatives++;

}

else

{

falsePositives++;

}

Simulator::Schedule (pktInterval, &GenerateTraffic, socket, pktSize, pktCount – 1, pktInterval, isMalicious);

}

}

int main (int argc, char *argv[])

{

// Set up logging

LogComponentEnable (“UdpClient”, LOG_LEVEL_INFO);

LogComponentEnable (“UdpServer”, LOG_LEVEL_INFO);

// Create nodes

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create (2);

// Install Mobility model

MobilityHelper mobility;

mobility.SetMobilityModel (“ns3::ConstantPositionMobilityModel”);

mobility.Install (nodes);

// Create point-to-point links

PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;

pointToPoint.SetDeviceAttribute (“DataRate”, StringValue (“5Mbps”));

pointToPoint.SetChannelAttribute (“Delay”, StringValue (“2ms”));

NetDeviceContainer devices;

devices.Add (pointToPoint.Install (nodes.Get (0), nodes.Get (1)));

// Install Internet stack

InternetStackHelper internet;

internet.Install (nodes);

// Assign IP addresses

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase (“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign (devices);

// Create sockets

TypeId tid = TypeId::LookupByName (“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”);

Ptr<Socket> senderSocket = Socket::CreateSocket (nodes.Get (0), tid);

Ptr<Socket> receiverSocket = Socket::CreateSocket (nodes.Get (1), tid);

// Bind receiver socket

receiverSocket->Bind (InetSocketAddress (Ipv4Address::GetAny (), 9));

receiverSocket->SetRecvCallback (MakeCallback (&PacketReceived));

// Connect sender socket

senderSocket->Connect (InetSocketAddress (interfaces.GetAddress (1), 9));

// Generate normal traffic

Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (2.0), &GenerateTraffic, senderSocket, 512, 10, Seconds (1.0), false);

// Generate malicious traffic

Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (12.0), &GenerateTraffic, senderSocket, 2048, 10, Seconds (1.0), true);

// Run the simulation

Simulator::Stop (Seconds (25.0));

Simulator::Run ();

// Calculate detection metrics

double detectionRate = double (truePositives) / (truePositives + falseNegatives);

double falsePositiveRate = double (falsePositives) / (falsePositives + trueNegatives);

double accuracy = double (truePositives + trueNegatives) / (truePositives + trueNegatives + falsePositives + falseNegatives);

NS_LOG_UNCOND (“Detection Rate: ” << detectionRate);

NS_LOG_UNCOND (“False Positive Rate: ” << falsePositiveRate);

NS_LOG_UNCOND (“Accuracy: ” << accuracy);

// Clean up

Simulator::Destroy ();

return 0;

}

Explanation:

1. Setup Logging:
   • Enable logging for the UDP applications to track their activities.
2. Create Nodes:
   • Create a set of nodes representing devices in the network.
3. Install Mobility Model:
   • Install a mobility model on the nodes (e.g., ConstantPositionMobilityModel).
4. Create Point-to-Point Links:
   • Install point-to-point links between the nodes.
5. Install Internet Stack:
   • Install the Internet stack on the nodes.
6. Assign IP Addresses:
   • Assign IP addresses to the network interfaces.
7. Create Sockets:
   • Create UDP sockets for sending and receiving packets.
8. Packet Detection:
   • Define a simple detection mechanism that classifies packets larger than 1000 bytes as malicious.
   • Use callbacks to detect and log packets as they are received.
9. Generate Traffic:
   • Schedule functions to generate normal and malicious traffic in the network.
10. Run Simulation:
    • Run the simulation for the specified duration.
11. Calculate Detection Metrics:
    • Calculate detection rate, false positive rate, and accuracy based on true positives, true negatives, false positives, and false negatives.

Analyzing the Results:

• Detection Rate: The ratio of true positives to the total number of actual malicious packets.
• False Positive Rate: The ratio of false positives to the total number of actual normal packets.
• Accuracy: The ratio of correctly identified packets (both true positives and true negatives) to the total number of packets.

The Network security level is calculated by simulating various attack scenarios to evaluate the security mechanism in the network and analyzing the results in three category like Detection rule, false positive rate and accuracy.

Additionally, get  comparative analysis of networking from ns3simulation.com.