GNN4IFA: Interest Flooding Attack Detection With Graph Neural Networks

In the context of Information-Centric Networking, Interest Flooding Attacks (IFAs) represent a new and dangerous sort of distributed denial of service. Since existing proposals targeting IFAs mainly focus on local information, in this paper we propose GNN4IFA as the first mechanism exploiting complex non-local knowledge for IFA detection by leveraging Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) handling the overall network topology. In order to test GNN4IFA, we collect SPOTIFAI, a novel dataset filling the current lack of available IFA datasets by covering a variety of IFA setups, including ?40 heterogeneous scenarios over three network topologies. We show that GNN4IFA performs well on all tested topologies and setups, reaching over 99% detection rate along with a negligible false positive rate and small computational costs. Overall, GNN4IFA overcomes state-of-the-art detection mechanisms both in terms of raw detection and flexibility, and – unlike all previous solutions in the literature – also enables the transfer of its detection on network topologies different from the one used in its design phase

A multifold approach to address the security issues of stateful forwarding mechanisms in Information-Centric Networks.

Today's Internet dominant usage trends motivate research on more content-oriented future network architectures. Among the emerging future Internet proposals, the promising Information-Centric Networking (ICN) research paradigm aims to redesign the Internet's core protocols to promote a shift in focus from hosts to contents. Among the ICN architectures, the Named-Data Networking (NDN) envisions users' named content requests to be forwarded and recorded by their names in routers along the path from one consumer to 1-or-many sources. The Pending Interest Table (PIT) is the NDN's data-plane component which temporarily records forwarded content requests in routers. On one hand, the PIT stateful mechanism enables properties like requests aggregation, multicast responses delivery and native hop-by-hop control flow. On the other hand, the PIT stateful forwarding behavior can be easily abused by malicious users to mount disruptive distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS), named Interest Flooding Attacks (IFAs). In IFAs, loosely coordinated botnets flood the network with a large amount of hard to satisfy requests with the aim to overload both the network infrastructure and the content producers. Countermeasures against IFA have been proposed since the early attack discovery. However, a fair understanding of the defense mechanisms' real efficacy is missing since those have been tested under simplistic assumptions about the evaluation scenarios. Thus, overall, the IFA security threat still appears easy to launch but hard to mitigate. This dissertation work shapes a better understanding of both the implications of IFAs and the possibilities of improving the state-of-the-art defense mechanisms against these attacks. The contributions of this work include the definition of a more complete and realistic attacker model for IFAs, the design of novel stealthy IFAs built upon the proposed attacker model, a re-assessment of the most-efficient state-of-the-art IFA countermeasures against the novel proposed attacks, the theorization and one concrete design of a novel class of IFA countermeasures to efficiently address the novel stealthy IFAs. Finally, this work also seminally proposes to leverage the latest programmable data-plane technologies to design and test alternative forwarding mechanisms for the NDN which could be less vulnerable to the IFA threat

Secure Routing and Medium Access Protocols inWireless Multi-hop Networks

While the rapid proliferation of mobile devices along with the tremendous growth of various applications using wireless multi-hop networks have significantly facilitate our human life, securing and ensuring high quality services of these networks are still a primary concern. In particular, anomalous protocol operation in wireless multi-hop networks has recently received considerable attention in the research community. These relevant security issues are fundamentally different from those of wireline networks due to the special characteristics of wireless multi-hop networks, such as the limited energy resources and the lack of centralized control. These issues are extremely hard to cope with due to the absence of trust relationships between the nodes. To enhance security in wireless multi-hop networks, this dissertation addresses both MAC and routing layers misbehaviors issues, with main focuses on thwarting black hole attack in proactive routing protocols like OLSR, and greedy behavior in IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol. Our contributions are briefly summarized as follows. As for black hole attack, we analyze two types of attack scenarios: one is launched at routing layer, and the other is cross layer. We then provide comprehensive analysis on the consequences of this attack and propose effective countermeasures. As for MAC layer misbehavior, we particularly study the adaptive greedy behavior in the context of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) and propose FLSAC (Fuzzy Logic based scheme to Struggle against Adaptive Cheaters) to cope with it. A new characterization of the greedy behavior in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) is also introduced. Finally, we design a new backoff scheme to quickly detect the greedy nodes that do not comply with IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol, together with a reaction scheme that encourages the greedy nodes to become honest rather than punishing them

Key management for wireless sensor network security

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have attracted great attention not only in industry but also in academia due to their enormous application potential and unique security challenges. A typical sensor network can be seen as a combination of a number of low-cost sensor nodes which have very limited computation and communication capability, memory space, and energy supply. The nodes are self-organized into a network to sense or monitor surrounding information in an unattended environment, while the self-organization property makes the networks vulnerable to various attacks.Many cryptographic mechanisms that solve network security problems rely directly on secure and efficient key management making key management a fundamental research topic in the field of WSNs security. Although key management for WSNs has been studied over the last years, the majority of the literature has focused on some assumed vulnerabilities along with corresponding countermeasures. Specific application, which is an important factor in determining the feasibility of the scheme, has been overlooked to a large extent in the existing literature.This thesis is an effort to develop a key management framework and specific schemes for WSNs by which different types of keys can be established and also can be distributed in a self-healing manner; explicit/ implicit authentication can be integrated according to the security requirements of expected applications. The proposed solutions would provide reliable and robust security infrastructure for facilitating secure communications in WSNs.There are five main parts in the thesis. In Part I, we begin with an introduction to the research background, problems definition and overview of existing solutions. From Part II to Part IV, we propose specific solutions, including purely Symmetric Key Cryptography based solutions, purely Public Key Cryptography based solutions, and a hybrid solution. While there is always a trade-off between security and performance, analysis and experimental results prove that each proposed solution can achieve the expected security aims with acceptable overheads for some specific applications. Finally, we recapitulate the main contribution of our work and identify future research directions in Part V

Security in Delay Tolerant Networks

Delay- and Disruption-tolerant wireless networks (DTN), or opportunistic networks, represent a class of networks where continuous end-to-end connectivity may not be possible. DTN is a well recognized area in networking research and has attracted extensive attentions from both network designers and application developers. Applications of this emergent communication paradigm are wide ranging and include sensor networks using scheduled intermittent connectivity, vehicular DTNs for dissemination of location-dependent information (e.g., local ads, traffic reports, parking information, etc.), pocket-switched networks to allow humans to communicate without network infrastructure, and underwater acoustic networks with moderate delays and frequent interruptions due to environmental factors, etc. Security is one of the main barriers to wide-scale deployment of DTNs, but has gained little attention so far. On the one hand, similar to traditional mobile ad hoc networks, the open channel and multi-hop transmission have made DTNs vulnerable to various security threats, such as message modification/injection attack or unauthorized access and utilization of DTN resources. On the other hand, the unique security characteristics of DTNs including: long round-trip delay, frequent disconnectivity, fragmentation, opportunistic routing as well as limited computational and storage capability, make the existing security protocols designed for the conventional ad hoc networks unsuitable for DTNs. Therefore, a series of new security protocols are highly desired to meet stringent security and efficiency requirements for securing DTNs. In this research, we focus on three fundamental security issues in DTNs: efficient DTN message (or bundle) authentication, which is a critical security service for DTN security; incentive issue, which targets at stimulating selfish nodes to forward data for others; and certificate revocation issue, which is an important part of public key management and serves the foundation of any DTN security protocols. We have made the following contributions: First of all, the unique ``store-carry-and-forward'' transmission characteristic of DTNs implies that bundles from distinct/common senders may opportunistically be buffered at some common intermediate nodes. Such a ``buffering'' characteristic distinguishes DTN from any other traditional wireless networks, for which intermediate cache is not supported. To exploit such buffering opportunities, we propose an Opportunistic Batch Bundle Authentication Scheme (OBBA) to dramatically reduce the bundle authentication cost by seamlessly integrating identity-based batch signatures and Merkle tree techniques. Secondly, we propose a secure multi-layer credit based incentive scheme to stimulate bundle forwarding cooperation among DTNs nodes. The proposed scheme can be implemented in a fully distributed manner to thwart various attacks without relying on any tamper-proof hardware. In addition, we introduce several efficiency-optimization techniques to improve the overall efficiency by exploiting the unique characteristics of DTNs. Lastly, we propose a storage-efficient public key certificate validation method. Our proposed scheme exploits the opportunistic propagation to transmit Certificate Revocation List (CRL) list while taking advantage of bloom filter technique to reduce the required buffer size. We also discuss how to take advantage of cooperative checking to minimize false positive rate and storage consumption. For each research issue, detailed simulation results in terms of computational time, transmission overhead and power consumption, are given to validate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed security solutions

Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems

The aim of this reprint focuses on the latest protocol research, software/hardware development and implementation, and system architecture design in addressing emerging security and privacy issues for modern wireless communication networks. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the following: deep-learning-based security and privacy design; covert communications; information-theoretical foundations for advanced security and privacy techniques; lightweight cryptography for power constrained networks; physical layer key generation; prototypes and testbeds for security and privacy solutions; encryption and decryption algorithm for low-latency constrained networks; security protocols for modern wireless communication networks; network intrusion detection; physical layer design with security consideration; anonymity in data transmission; vulnerabilities in security and privacy in modern wireless communication networks; challenges of security and privacy in node–edge–cloud computation; security and privacy design for low-power wide-area IoT networks; security and privacy design for vehicle networks; security and privacy design for underwater communications networks

Secure identity management in structured peer-to-peer (P2P) networks

Structured Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks were proposed to solve routing problems of big distributed infrastructures. But the research community has been questioning their security for years. Most prior work in security services was focused on secure routing, reputation systems, anonymity, etc. However, the proper management of identities is an important prerequisite to provide most of these security services. The existence of anonymous nodes and the lack of a centralized authority capable of monitoring (and/or punishing) nodes make these systems more vulnerable against selfish or malicious behaviors. Moreover, these improper usages cannot be faced only with data confidentiality, nodes authentication, non-repudiation, etc. In particular, structured P2P networks should follow the following secure routing primitives: (1) secure maintenance of routing tables, (2) secure routing of messages, and (3) secure identity assignment to nodes. But the first two problems depend in some way on the third one. If nodes’ identifiers can be chosen by users without any control, these networks can have security and operational problems. Therefore, like any other network or service, structured P2P networks require a robust access control to prevent potential attackers joining the network and a robust identity assignment system to guarantee their proper operation. In this thesis, firstly, we analyze the operation of the current structured P2P networks when managing identities in order to identify what security problems are related to the nodes’ identifiers within the overlay, and propose a series of requirements to be accomplished by any generated node ID to provide more security to a DHT-based structured P2P network. Secondly, we propose the use of implicit certificates to provide more security and to exploit the improvement in bandwidth, storage and performance that these certificates present compared to explicit certificates, design three protocols to assign nodes’ identifiers avoiding the identified problems, while maintaining user anonymity and allowing users’ traceability. Finally, we analyze the operation of the most used mechanisms to distribute revocation data in the Internet, with special focus on the proposed systems to work in P2P networks, and design a new mechanism to distribute revocation data more efficiently in a structured P2P network.Las redes P2P estructuradas fueron propuestas para solventar problemas de enrutamiento en infraestructuras de grandes dimensiones pero su nivel de seguridad lleva años siendo cuestionado por la comunidad investigadora. La mayor parte de los trabajos que intentan mejorar la seguridad de estas redes se han centrado en proporcionar encaminamiento seguro, sistemas de reputación, anonimato de los usuarios, etc. Sin embargo, la adecuada gestión de las identidades es un requisito sumamente importante para proporcionar los servicios mencionados anteriormente. La existencia de nodos anónimos y la falta de una autoridad centralizada capaz de monitorizar (y/o penalizar) a los nodos hace que estos sistemas sean más vulnerables que otros a comportamientos maliciosos por parte de los usuarios. Además, esos comportamientos inadecuados no pueden ser detectados proporcionando únicamente confidencialidad de los datos, autenticación de los nodos, no repudio, etc. Las redes P2P estructuradas deberían seguir las siguientes primitivas de enrutamiento seguro: (1) mantenimiento seguro de las tablas de enrutamiento, (2) enrutamiento seguro de los mensajes, and (3) asignación segura de las identidades. Pero la primera de los dos primitivas depende de alguna forma de la tercera. Si las identidades de los nodos pueden ser elegidas por sus usuarios sin ningún tipo de control, muy probablemente aparecerán muchos problemas de funcionamiento y seguridad. Por lo tanto, de la misma forma que otras redes y servicios, las redes P2P estructuradas requieren de un control de acceso robusto para prevenir la presencia de atacantes potenciales, y un sistema robusto de asignación de identidades para garantizar su adecuado funcionamiento. En esta tesis, primero de todo analizamos el funcionamiento de las redes P2P estructuradas basadas en el uso de DHTs (Tablas de Hash Distribuidas), cómo gestionan las identidades de sus nodos, identificamos qué problemas de seguridad están relacionados con la identificación de los nodos y proponemos una serie de requisitos para generar identificadores de forma segura. Más adelante proponemos el uso de certificados implícitos para proporcionar más seguridad y explotar las mejoras en consumo de ancho de banda, almacenamiento y rendimiento que proporcionan estos certificados en comparación con los certificados explícitos. También hemos diseñado tres protocolos de asignación segura de identidades, los cuales evitan la mayor parte de los problemas identificados mientras mantienen el anonimato de los usuarios y la trazabilidad. Finalmente hemos analizado el funcionamiento de la mayoría de los mecanismos utilizados para distribuir datos de revocación en Internet, con especial interés en los sistemas propuestos para operar en redes P2P, y hemos diseñado un nuevo mecanismo para distribuir datos de revocación de forma más eficiente en redes P2P estructuradas.Postprint (published version

Key Management Scheme for Smart Grid

A Smart Grid (SG) is a modern electricity supply system. It uses information and communication technology (ICT) to run, monitor and control data between the generation source and the end user. It comprises a set of technologies that uses sensing, embedded processing and digital communications to intelligently control and monitor an electricity grid with improved reliability, security, and efficiency. SGs are classified as Critical Infrastructures. In the recent past, there have been cyber-attacks on SGs causing substantial damage and loss of services. A recent cyber-attack on Ukraine's SG caused over 2.3 million homes to be without power for around six hours. Apart from the loss of services, some portions of the SG are yet to be operational, due to the damage caused. SGs also face security challenges such as confidentiality, availability, fault tolerance, privacy, and other security issues. Communication and networking technologies integrated into the SG require new and existing security vulnerabilities to be thoroughly investigated. Key management is one of the most important security requirements to achieve data confidentiality and integrity in a SG system. It is not practical to design a single key management scheme/framework for all systems, actors and segments in the smart grid, since the security requirements of various sub-systems in the SG vary. We address two specific sub-systems categorised by the network connectivity layer – the Home Area Network (HAN) and the Neighbourhood Area Network (NAN). Currently, several security schemes and key management solutions for SGs have been proposed. However, these solutions lack better security for preventing common cyber-attacks such as node capture attack, replay attack and Sybil attack. We propose a cryptographic key management scheme that takes into account the differences in the HAN and NAN segments of the SG with respect to topology, authentication and forwarding of data. The scheme complies with the overall performance requirements of the smart grid. The proposed scheme uses group key management and group authentication in order to address end-to-end security for the HAN and NAN scenarios in a smart grid, which fulfils data confidentiality, integrity and scalability requirements. The security scheme is implemented in a multi-hop sensor network using TelosB motes and ZigBee OPNET simulation model. In addition, replay attack, Sybil attack and node capture attack scenarios have been implemented and evaluated in a NAN scenario. Evaluation results show that the scheme is resilient against node capture attacks and replay attacks. Smart Meters in a NAN are able to authenticate themselves in a group rather than authenticating one at a time. This significant improvement over existing schemes is discussed with comparisons with other security schemes

From empowering to motivating:Enhancing policy enforcement through process design and incentive implementation

Policy enforcement is crucial in our daily life, from protecting rights to promoting collaborations. In practice, designed processes and institutional incentives are two powerful tools in enforcing policies. Processes empower compliance and prevent non-compliance by technology, while incentives motivate adherence through rewards and punishments.Given the distinct mechanisms of these two methods, this dissertation addresses policy enforcement from the perspectives of empowerment and motivation in Part I and Part II, respectively.Part I focuses on designing appropriate processes, including pre-audit, operational execution, and post-audit, to empower and terminate compliant and non-compliant behaviors. It further realizes these processes by blockchain and smart contract technologies.Part II discusses comprehensive criteria for institutional incentive design and potential corruption in incentive implementation. It predicts incentive effectiveness through mathematical modeling and simulation experiments.It is worth mentioning that, although the enforced policies in this dissertation are primarily for data governance, the obtained results can be applied to various scenarios