Comparison of single and multi-objective evolutionary algorithms for robust link-state routing

Traffic Engineering (TE) approaches are increasingly impor- tant in network management to allow an optimized configuration and resource allocation. In link-state routing, the task of setting appropriate weights to the links is both an important and a challenging optimization task. A number of different approaches has been put forward towards this aim, including the successful use of Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs). In this context, this work addresses the evaluation of three distinct EAs, a single and two multi-objective EAs, in two tasks related to weight setting optimization towards optimal intra-domain routing, knowing the network topology and aggregated traffic demands and seeking to mini- mize network congestion. In both tasks, the optimization considers sce- narios where there is a dynamic alteration in the state of the system, in the first considering changes in the traffic demand matrices and in the latter considering the possibility of link failures. The methods will, thus, need to simultaneously optimize for both conditions, the normal and the altered one, following a preventive TE approach towards robust configurations. Since this can be formulated as a bi-objective function, the use of multi-objective EAs, such as SPEA2 and NSGA-II, came nat- urally, being those compared to a single-objective EA. The results show a remarkable behavior of NSGA-II in all proposed tasks scaling well for harder instances, and thus presenting itself as the most promising option for TE in these scenarios

From Intrusion Detection to Attacker Attribution: A Comprehensive Survey of Unsupervised Methods

Over the last five years there has been an increase in the frequency and diversity of network attacks. This holds true, as more and more organisations admit compromises on a daily basis. Many misuse and anomaly based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) that rely on either signatures, supervised or statistical methods have been proposed in the literature, but their trustworthiness is debatable. Moreover, as this work uncovers, the current IDSs are based on obsolete attack classes that do not reflect the current attack trends. For these reasons, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of unsupervised and hybrid methods for intrusion detection, discussing their potential in the domain. We also present and highlight the importance of feature engineering techniques that have been proposed for intrusion detection. Furthermore, we discuss that current IDSs should evolve from simple detection to correlation and attribution. We descant how IDS data could be used to reconstruct and correlate attacks to identify attackers, with the use of advanced data analytics techniques. Finally, we argue how the present IDS attack classes can be extended to match the modern attacks and propose three new classes regarding the outgoing network communicatio

Integrated Approach for Diversion Route Performance Management during Incidents

Non-recurrent congestion is one of the critical sources of congestion on the highway. In particular, traffic incidents create congestion in unexpected times and places that travelers do not prepare for. During incidents on freeways, route diversion has been proven to be a useful tactic to mitigate non-recurrent congestion. However, the capacity constraints created by the signals on the alternative routes put limits on the diversion process since the typical time-of-day signal control cannot handle the sudden increase in the traffic on the arterials due to diversion. Thus, there is a need for proactive strategies for the management of the diversion routes performance and for coordinated freeway and arterial (CFA) operation during incidents on the freeway. Proactive strategies provide better opportunities for both the agency and the traveler to make and implement decisions to improve performance. This dissertation develops a methodology for the performance management of diversion routes through integrating freeway and arterials operation during incidents on the freeway. The methodology includes the identification of potential diversion routes for freeway incidents and the generation and implementation of special signal plans under different incident and traffic conditions. The study utilizes machine learning, data analytics, multi-resolution modeling, and multi-objective optimization for this purpose. A data analytic approach based on the long short term memory (LSTM) deep neural network method is used to predict the utilized alternative routes dynamically using incident attributes and traffic status on the freeway and travel time on both the freeway and alternative routes during the incident. Then, a combination of clustering analysis, multi- resolution modeling (MRM), and multi-objective optimization techniques are used to develop and activate special signal plans on the identified alternative routes. The developed methods use data from different sources, including connected vehicle (CV) data and high- resolution controller (HRC) data for congestion patterns identification at the critical intersections on the alternative routes and signal plans generation. The results indicate that implementing signal timing plans to better accommodate the diverted traffic can improve the performance of the diverted traffic without significantly deteriorating other movements\u27 performance at the intersection. The findings show the importance of using data from emerging sources in developing plans to improve the performance of the diversion routes and ensure CFA operation with higher effectiveness

Multiobjective optimization of MPLS-IP networks with a variable neighborhood genetic algorithm

This paper presents a Genetic Algorithm for the optimization of multiple indices of Quality of Service of Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) IP networks. The proposed algorithm, the Variable Neighborhood Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm (VN-MGA), is a Genetic Algorithm based on the NSGA-II, with the particular feature that solutions are encoded defining two different kinds of neighborhoods. The first neighborhood is defined by considering as decision variables the edges that form the routes to be followed by each request, whilst the second part of solution is kept constant. The second neighborhood is defined by considering the request sequence as decision variable, with the first part kept constant. Comparisons are performed with: (i) a VNS algorithm that performs a switch between the same two neighborhoods that are used in VN-MGA; and (ii) the results obtained with an integer linear programming solver, running a scalarized version of the multiobjective problem. The results indicate that the proposed VN-MGA outperforms the pure VNS algorithm, and provides a good approximation of the exact Pareto fronts obtained with Integer Linear Programming (ILP) approach, at a much smaller computational cost. Besides potential benefits of the application of the proposed approach to the optimization of packet routing in MPLS networks, this work raises the theoretical issue of the systematic application of variable encodings, which allow variable neighborhood searches, as generic operators inside general evolutionary computation algorithms. Codice rivista: E013138 Titolo rivista: APPLIED SOFT COMPUTING Issn: 1568-4946 Cordiali saluti CINECA - Servizio Gestione Rivist

Review of Path Selection Algorithms with Link Quality and Critical Switch Aware for Heterogeneous Traffic in SDN

Software Defined Networking (SDN) introduced network management flexibility that eludes traditional network architecture. Nevertheless, the pervasive demand for various cloud computing services with different levels of Quality of Service requirements in our contemporary world made network service provisioning challenging. One of these challenges is path selection (PS) for routing heterogeneous traffic with end-to-end quality of service support specific to each traffic class. The challenge had gotten the research community\u27s attention to the extent that many PSAs were proposed. However, a gap still exists that calls for further study. This paper reviews the existing PSA and the Baseline Shortest Path Algorithms (BSPA) upon which many relevant PSA(s) are built to help identify these gaps. The paper categorizes the PSAs into four, based on their path selection criteria, (1) PSAs that use static or dynamic link quality to guide PSD, (2) PSAs that consider the criticality of switch in terms of an update operation, FlowTable limitation or port capacity to guide PSD, (3) PSAs that consider flow variabilities to guide PSD and (4) The PSAs that use ML optimization in their PSD. We then reviewed and compared the techniques\u27 design in each category against the identified SDN PSA design objectives, solution approach, BSPA, and validation approaches. Finally, the paper recommends directions for further research

Optimizing load balancing routing mechanisms with evolutionary computation

Link State routing protocols, such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), are widely applied to intra-domain routing in todays IP networks. They provide a good scalability without lost of simplicity. A router running OSPF distributes traf- fic uniformly over Equal-cost Multi-path (ECMP), enabling a better distribution of packets among the existent links. More recently, other load balancing strategies, that consider non even splitting of traffic, have been put forward. Such is the case of the Distributed Exponentially-weighted Flow SpliTting (DEFT), that enables traf- fic to be directed through non equal-cost multi-paths, while preserving the OSPF simplicity. As the optimal link weight computation is known to be NP-hard, intel- ligence heuristics are particularly suited to address this optimization problem. In this context, this work compares the solutions provided by Evolutionary Al- gorithms (EA) for the weight setting problem, considering both ECMP and DEFT load balancing alternatives. In addition to a single objective network congestion optimization problem, both load balancing schemes are also applied to a multi- objective optimization approach able to attain routing configurations resilient to traffic demand variations.COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e TecnologiaThis work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the ProjectScope: UID/CEC/00319/2013

Identifying and Detecting Attacks in Industrial Control Systems

The integrity of industrial control systems (ICS) found in utilities, oil and natural gas pipelines, manufacturing plants and transportation is critical to national wellbeing and security. Such systems depend on hundreds of field devices to manage and monitor a physical process. Previously, these devices were specific to ICS but they are now being replaced by general purpose computing technologies and, increasingly, these are being augmented with Internet of Things (IoT) nodes. Whilst there are benefits to this approach in terms of cost and flexibility, it has attracted a wider community of adversaries. These include those with significant domain knowledge, such as those responsible for attacks on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities, a Steel Mill in Germany, and Ukraine’s power grid; however, non specialist attackers are becoming increasingly interested in the physical damage it is possible to cause. At the same time, the approach increases the number and range of vulnerabilities to which ICS are subject; regrettably, conventional techniques for analysing such a large attack space are inadequate, a cause of major national concern. In this thesis we introduce a generalisable approach based on evolutionary multiobjective algorithms to assist in identifying vulnerabilities in complex heterogeneous ICS systems. This is both challenging and an area that is currently lacking research. Our approach has been to review the security of currently deployed ICS systems, and then to make use of an internationally recognised ICS simulation testbed for experiments, assuming that the attacking community largely lack specific ICS knowledge. Using the simulator, we identified vulnerabilities in individual components and then made use of these to generate attacks. A defence against these attacks in the form of novel intrusion detection systems were developed, based on a range of machine learning models. Finally, this was further subject to attacks created using the evolutionary multiobjective algorithms, demonstrating, for the first time, the feasibility of creating sophisticated attacks against a well-protected adversary using automated mechanisms

A Planning and Optimization Framework for Hybrid Ultra-Dense Network Topologies

The deployment of small cells has been a critical upgrade in Fourth Generation (4G) mobile networks as they provide macrocell traffic offloading gains, improved spectrum reuse and reduce coverage holes. The need for small cells will be even more critical in Fifth Generation (5G) networks due to the introduction of higher spectrum bands, which necessitate denser network deployments to support larger traffic volumes per unit area. A network densification scenario envisioned for evolved fourth and fifth generation networks is the deployment of Ultra-Dense Networks (UDNs) with small cell site densities exceeding 90 sites/km2 (or inter-site distances of less than 112 m). The careful planning and optimization of ultra-dense networks topologies have been known to significantly improve the achievable performance compared to completely random (unplanned) ultra-dense network deployments by various third-part stakeholders (e.g. home owners). However, these well-planned and optimized ultra-dense network deployments are difficult to realize in practice due to various constraints, such as limited or no access to preferred optimum small cell site locations in a given service area. The hybrid ultra-dense network topologies provide an interesting trade-off, whereby, an ultra-dense network may constitute a combination of operator optimized small cell deployments that are complemented by random small cell deployments by third-parties. In this study, an ultra-dense network multiobjective optimization framework and post-deployment power optimization approach are developed for realization and performance comparison of random, optimized and hybrid ultra-dense network topologies in a realistic urban case study area. The results of the case study demonstrate how simple transmit power optimization enable hybrid ultra-dense network topologies to achieve performance almost comparable to optimized topologies whilst also providing the convenience benefits of random small cell deployments