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How to Implement ransomware attack in ns3

To implement a ransomware attack in ns3, we need to create a scenario. Because in ns3 the network simulator mainly focus on the protocols and behaviors comparing to application-layer attacks like ransomware. We can simulate the initial phase of a ransomware attack by sending the malicious packets to a target node (the victim) using malicious node (the attacker). Since it focus on network aspects like spreading the malicious payload. Here the steps given will guide to implement ransomware attack in ns3.

Steps to Implement a Ransomware Attack in ns-3

  1. Set Up ns-3 Environment:
    • Make sure that ns3 is installed on the system.
  2. Create a New ns-3 Script:
    • Create a new script file in the scratch directory of ns-3, e.g., ransomware_attack.cc.
  3. Include Necessary Headers:
    • Include the necessary ns3 headers in the script.
  4. Define Network Topology:
    • Set up a network topology with multiple legitimate nodes and an attacker node.
  5. Implement Ransomware Attack Logic:
    • Simulate the delivery of a malicious payload (e.g., a file) from the attacker to the victim.
  6. Enable Packet Capture:
    • Enable pcap tracing to capture packets for analysis with Wireshark.
  7. Run the Simulation:
    • Set the simulation time and run the simulation using Simulator::Run() and Simulator::Destroy().

Here’s an example of how to implement a simulated ransomware attack in ns3:

Example Code:

#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/packet-sink.h”

using namespace ns3;

NS_LOG_COMPONENT_DEFINE (“RansomwareAttack”);

void SendMaliciousPayload (Ptr<Node> attackerNode, Ipv4Address victimAddress, uint16_t port, uint32_t packetSize, uint32_t numPackets, Time interval)

{

Ptr<Socket> socket = Socket::CreateSocket (attackerNode, TypeId::LookupByName (“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”));

InetSocketAddress remote = InetSocketAddress (victimAddress, port);

socket->Connect (remote);

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

for (uint32_t i = 0; i < numPackets; ++i)

{

socket->Send (packet);

Simulator::Schedule (interval, &SendMaliciousPayload, attackerNode, victimAddress, port, packetSize, numPackets, interval);

}

}

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

{

bool verbose = true;

uint32_t nNodes = 2; // Number of legitimate nodes

uint16_t port = 8080; // Target port for the attack

uint32_t packetSize = 1024; // Size of the payload packet

uint32_t numPackets = 10; // Number of packets to send

Time interval = Seconds (1.0); // Interval between packets

CommandLine cmd;

cmd.AddValue (“nNodes”, “Number of legitimate nodes”, nNodes);

cmd.AddValue (“port”, “Target port for the attack”, port);

cmd.AddValue (“packetSize”, “Size of the payload packets”, packetSize);

cmd.AddValue (“numPackets”, “Number of payload packets”, numPackets);

cmd.AddValue (“interval”, “Interval between payload packets”, interval);

cmd.Parse (argc, argv);

if (verbose)

{

LogComponentEnable (“RansomwareAttack”, LOG_LEVEL_INFO);

}

NodeContainer nodes;

nodes.Create (nNodes + 1); // +1 for the attacker node

Ptr<Node> attacker = nodes.Get (nNodes);

PointToPointHelper pointToPoint;

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

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

NetDeviceContainer devices;

for (uint32_t i = 0; i < nodes.GetN () – 1; ++i)

{

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

}

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install (nodes);

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

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

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces = address.Assign (devices);

// Install PacketSink application on the victim node to simulate receiving the malicious payload

PacketSinkHelper sink (“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress (Ipv4Address::GetAny (), port));

ApplicationContainer sinkApp = sink.Install (nodes.Get (nNodes – 1));

sinkApp.Start (Seconds (1.0));

sinkApp.Stop (Seconds (10.0));

// Schedule ransomware attack

Simulator::Schedule (Seconds (3.0), &SendMaliciousPayload, attacker,

interfaces.GetAddress (nNodes – 1), port, packetSize, numPackets, interval);

// Enable packet capture

pointToPoint.EnablePcapAll (“ransomware_attack”);

Simulator::Run ();

Simulator::Destroy ();

return 0;

}

Explanation:

  1. Nodes and Links:
    • Created nodes for legitimate communication and one attacker node.
    • Configured point-to-point links between the nodes.
  2. Applications:
    •  A PacketSink application is installed on the victim node to simulate receiving the malicious payload.
    •  Sending multiple packets from the attacker node to the victim node to Scheduled the ransomware attack.
  3. Packet Capture:
    • Enabled pcap tracing on all nodes to capture the traffic for analysis with Wireshark.
  4. Running the Simulation:
    • Simulating the delivery of a ransomware payload by sending packets to the victim node from the attacker node, for capturing the traffic in pcap files.

Finally, the ransomware attack in ns3 is implemented and simulated successfully by sending the attacker node to the victim node to find the application layer attack from the network.

We work on all concepts of ransomware attack , if you are finding hard with implementation then reach us out for top experts guidance.