A framework for SFC integrity in NFV environments

Part 6: Ph.D. Track: Methods for the Protection of Infrastructure and ServicesInternational audienceIndustry and academia have increased the deployment of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) on their environments, either for reducing expenditures or taking advantage of NFV flexibility for service provisioning. In NFV, Service Function Chainings (SFC) composed of Virtualized Network Functions (VNF) are defined to deliver services to different customers. Despite the advancements in SFC composition for service provisioning, there is still a lack of proposals for ensuring the integrity of NFV service delivery, i.e., detecting anomalies in SFC operation. Such anomalies could indicate a series of different threats, such as DDoS attacks, information leakage, and unauthorized access. In this PhD, we propose a framework composed of an SFC Integrity Module (SIM) for the standard NFV architecture, providing the integration of anomaly detection mechanisms to NFV orchestrators. We present recent results of this PhD regarding the implementation of an entropy-based anomaly detection mechanism using the SIM framework. The results presented in this paper are based on the execution of the proposed mechanism using a realistic SFC data set

A pattern-based framework for the design of secure and dependable SDN/NFV-enabled networks

As the world becomes an interconnected network where objects and humans interact, cyber and physical networks appear to play an important role in smart ecosystems due to their increasing use on critical infrastructure and smart cities. Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) are a promising combination for programmable connectivity, rapid service provisioning and service chaining as they offer the necessary end-to-end optimisations. However, with the actual exponential growth of connected devices, future networks, such as SDN and NFV, require open architectures, facilitated by standards and a strong ecosystem.In this thesis, a model-based approach is proposed to support the design and verification of secure and dependable SDN/NFV-enabled networks. The model is based on the development of a pattern-based approach to design executable patterns as solutions for reusable designs and interactions of objects, encoded in a rule based reasoning system, able to guarantee security and dependability (S&D) properties in SDN/NFV enabled networks. To execute S&D patterns, a pattern based framework is implemented for the insertion of patterns at design and at runtime level. The developed pattern framework highlights also the benefit of leveraging the flexibility of SDN/NFV-enabled networks to deploy enhanced reactive security mechanisms for the protection of the industrial network via the use of service function chaining (SFC). To prove the importance of this approach and the functionality of the pattern framework, different pattern instances are implemented to guarantee S&D in network infrastructures. The developed design patterns are able to design network topologies, guarantee network properties and offer security service provisioning and chaining. Finally, in order to evaluate the developed patterns in the pattern framework, three different use cases are described, where a number of usage scenarios are deployed and evaluated experimentally

Introducing Development Features for Virtualized Network Services

Network virtualization and softwarizing network functions are trends aiming at higher network efficiency, cost reduction and agility. They are driven by the evolution in Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). This shows that software will play an increasingly important role within telecommunication services, which were previously dominated by hardware appliances. Service providers can benefit from this, as it enables faster introduction of new telecom services, combined with an agile set of possibilities to optimize and fine-tune their operations. However, the provided telecom services can only evolve if the adequate software tools are available. In this article, we explain how the development, deployment and maintenance of such an SDN/NFV-based telecom service puts specific requirements on the platform providing it. A Software Development Kit (SDK) is introduced, allowing service providers to adequately design, test and evaluate services before they are deployed in production and also update them during their lifetime. This continuous cycle between development and operations, a concept known as DevOps, is a well known strategy in software development. To extend its context further to SDN/NFV-based services, the functionalities provided by traditional cloud platforms are not yet sufficient. By giving an overview of the currently available tools and their limitations, the gaps in DevOps for SDN/NFV services are highlighted. The benefit of such an SDK is illustrated by a secure content delivery network service (enhanced with deep packet inspection and elastic routing capabilities). With this use-case, the dynamics between developing and deploying a service are further illustrated

Using MACsec to protect a Network Functions Virtualisation Infrastructure

IEEE 802.1AE is a standard for Media Access Control security (MACsec), which enables data integrity, authentication, and confidentiality for traffic in a broadcast domain. This protects network communications against attacks at link layer, hence it provides a higher degree of security and flexibility compared to other security protocols, such as IPsec. Softwarised network infrastructures, based on Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN), provide higher flexibility than traditional networks. Nonetheless, these networks have a larger attack surface compared to legacy infrastructures based on hardware appliances. In this scenario, communication security is important to ensure that the traffic in a broadcast domain is not intercepted or manipulated. We propose an architecture for centralised management of MACsec-enabled switches in a NFV environment. Moreover, we present a PoC that integrates MACsec in the Open Source MANO NFV framework and we evaluate its performance

Reactive Security for SDN/NFV-enabled Industrial Networks leveraging Service Function Chaining

The innovative application of 5G core technologies, namely Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV), can help reduce capital and operational expenditures in industrial networks. Nevertheless, SDN expands the attack surface of the communication infrastructure, thus necessitating the introduction of additional security mechanisms. These major changes could not leave the industrial environment unaffected, with smart industrial deployments gradually becoming a reality; a trend that is often referred to as the 4th industrial revolution or Industry 4.0. A wind park is a good example of an industrial application relying on a network with strict performance, security, and reliability requirements, and was chosen as a representative example of industrial systems. This work highlights the benefit of leveraging the flexibility of SDN/NFV-enabled networks to deploy enhanced, reactive security mechanisms for the protection of the industrial network, via the use of Service Function Chaining. Moreover, the implementation of a proof-of-concept reactive security framework for an industrial-grade wind park network is presented, along with a performance evaluation of the proposed approach. The framework is equipped with SDN and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) honeypots, modelled on and deployable to the wind park, allowing continuous monitoring of the industrial network and detailed analysis of potential attacks, thus isolating attackers and enabling the assessment of their level of sophistication. Moreover, the applicability of the proposed solutions is assessed in the context of the specific industrial application, based on the analysis of the network characteristics and requirements of an actual, operating wind park

View on 5G Architecture: Version 2.0

The 5G Architecture Working Group as part of the 5GPPP Initiative is looking at capturing novel trends and key technological enablers for the realization of the 5G architecture. It also targets at presenting in a harmonized way the architectural concepts developed in various projects and initiatives (not limited to 5GPPP projects only) so as to provide a consolidated view on the technical directions for the architecture design in the 5G era. The first version of the white paper was released in July 2016, which captured novel trends and key technological enablers for the realization of the 5G architecture vision along with harmonized architectural concepts from 5GPPP Phase 1 projects and initiatives. Capitalizing on the architectural vision and framework set by the first version of the white paper, this Version 2.0 of the white paper presents the latest findings and analyses with a particular focus on the concept evaluations, and accordingly it presents the consolidated overall architecture design

Management And Security Of Multi-Cloud Applications

Single cloud management platform technology has reached maturity and is quite successful in information technology applications. Enterprises and application service providers are increasingly adopting a multi-cloud strategy to reduce the risk of cloud service provider lock-in and cloud blackouts and, at the same time, get the benefits like competitive pricing, the flexibility of resource provisioning and better points of presence. Another class of applications that are getting cloud service providers increasingly interested in is the carriers\u27 virtualized network services. However, virtualized carrier services require high levels of availability and performance and impose stringent requirements on cloud services. They necessitate the use of multi-cloud management and innovative techniques for placement and performance management. We consider two classes of distributed applications – the virtual network services and the next generation of healthcare – that would benefit immensely from deployment over multiple clouds. This thesis deals with the design and development of new processes and algorithms to enable these classes of applications. We have evolved a method for optimization of multi-cloud platforms that will pave the way for obtaining optimized placement for both classes of services. The approach that we have followed for placement itself is predictive cost optimized latency controlled virtual resource placement for both types of applications. To improve the availability of virtual network services, we have made innovative use of the machine and deep learning for developing a framework for fault detection and localization. Finally, to secure patient data flowing through the wide expanse of sensors, cloud hierarchy, virtualized network, and visualization domain, we have evolved hierarchical autoencoder models for data in motion between the IoT domain and the multi-cloud domain and within the multi-cloud hierarchy