How to Implement Insider Threat in NS2
To implement the Insider Threat in Network Simulator 2 (NS2), we need to simulate an environment that contains a legitimate user or node (an insider) could misuses their access to negotiate the network or disrupt operations. It contains unauthorized data access, denial of service (DoS), data exfiltration or malevolent traffic injection. Need help with using different kinds of Insider Threat in the NS2 tool, reach out to ns2project.com for assistance.
In this manual, we have offered the implementation process of Insider Threat in NS2:
Steps to Implement Insider Threat in NS2:
- Set Up NS2
Make sure that NS2 is installed and properly configured. You will mimic a network where one of the nodes acts maliciously despite being a authentic part of the network.
- Define the Network Topology
Start by generating a network topology in which the client can interact with servers via routers. One of the clients will behave like an insider threat by abusing its legal access to attack the system.
Example: Define network topology
set ns [new Simulator]
# Create nodes for clients, server, routers, and an insider
set client1 [$ns node]
set client2 [$ns node]
set insider [$ns node] ;# Insider threat node
set server [$ns node]
set router1 [$ns node]
set router2 [$ns node]
# Set up communication links between clients, server, and routers
$ns duplex-link $client1 $router1 1Mb 10ms DropTail
$ns duplex-link $client2 $router2 1Mb 10ms DropTail
$ns duplex-link $insider $router1 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# Insider linked to router
$ns duplex-link $router1 $server 10Mb 5ms DropTail
$ns duplex-link $router2 $server 10Mb 5ms DropTail
In this topology, client1, client2, and the insider interact with the server through routers. The insider, initially acting as a regular client, will later trigger malicious actions.
- Simulate Normal Network Traffic
Mimic the legitimate traffic amongst the clients (like the insider) and the server. This indicates normal operation before the insider becomes malicious.
Example: Simulate normal communication between clients and server
# Set up TCP agents for communication between clients and server
set tcp1 [new Agent/TCP]
set tcp2 [new Agent/TCP]
set tcp_insider [new Agent/TCP]
set tcp_server [new Agent/TCP]
$ns attach-agent $client1 $tcp1
$ns attach-agent $client2 $tcp2
$ns attach-agent $insider $tcp_insider
$ns attach-agent $server $tcp_server
# Connect clients and insider to the server
$ns connect $tcp1 $tcp_server
$ns connect $tcp2 $tcp_server
$ns connect $tcp_insider $tcp_server
# Simulate data transfer between client1 and the server (normal traffic)
set ftp1 [new Application/FTP]
$ftp1 attach-agent $tcp1
$ns at 1.0 “$ftp1 start”
$ns at 50.0 “$ftp1 stop”
This simulation denotes normal network traffic amongst clients and the server as well as the insider.
- Introduce Insider Threat Behavior
Now, simulate the insider engaging in malicious activities like trying unauthorized access to limited data, starting a DoS attack, or exfiltrating sensitive information.
- Unauthorized Data Access
The insider tries to access sensitive data stored on the server without proper authorization.
# Simulate unauthorized data access attempt by the insider
proc simulate_unauthorized_access {insider target} {
puts “Insider attempting unauthorized access to $target”
# This could represent a request for confidential information
}
# Launch unauthorized access attempt on the server
$ns at 20.0 “simulate_unauthorized_access $insider $server”
- Denial of Service (DoS) Attack by the Insider
The insider tries to interrupt the server by flooding it with traffic.
# Set up UDP agent for the insider to simulate a DoS attack
set udp_insider [new Agent/UDP]
$ns attach-agent $insider $udp_insider
$ns connect $udp_insider $server
# Flood the server with malicious traffic (DoS attack)
proc simulate_dos_attack {insider target} {
global ns
for {set i 0} {$i < 5000} {incr i} {
$ns at [expr 30.0 + $i*0.01] “$insider send”
}
}
# Launch the DoS attack on the server
$ns at 30.0 “simulate_dos_attack $udp_insider $server”
- Data Exfiltration by the Insider
The insider attempts to snip sensitive information and deliver it to an external server.
# Simulate data exfiltration by insider to an external server
proc simulate_data_exfiltration {insider external_server} {
puts “Insider exfiltrating sensitive data to $external_server”
}
# Launch data exfiltration to an external server
set external_server [$ns node]
$ns duplex-link $insider $external_server 1Mb 10ms DropTail
$ns at 40.0 “simulate_data_exfiltration $insider $external_server”
- Detect and Respond to Insider Threat
Execute an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to observe the network for malicious activities by legitimate nodes. Once an insider threat is identified, the system can react by blocking the malicious node or notifying the administrator.
- Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
See the network traffic for anomalies includes excessive traffic from the insider or illegitimate access tries.
# IDS to detect suspicious behavior (e.g., DoS or unauthorized access)
proc detect_insider_threat {packet_count threshold} {
if {$packet_count > $threshold} {
puts “Insider threat detected!”
trigger_incident_response
} else {
puts “Traffic is normal.”
}
}
# Trigger an incident response when an insider threat is detected
proc trigger_incident_response {} {
puts “Initiating incident response. Blocking insider node…”
block_insider
}
- Block the Insider
Once the insider threat is spotted, congest the malicious insider from further activity.
# Block the insider node after detecting malicious behavior
proc block_insider {} {
global ns insider
puts “Blocking insider node due to malicious activity.”
$ns detach-agent $insider
}
- Collect and Analyze Incident Data
Grant tracing to accumulates network traffic data for analysis. This will help in detecting the malicious actions of the insider and improving future detection functionalities.
Enable tracing for data collection
# Enable trace file to log network traffic
set tracefile [open insider_threat_trace.tr w]
$ns trace-all $tracefile
The trace file will log packet events like sends, receives, and drops, with timestamps and node details, useful for assessing the insider’s actions.
- Simulate and Respond to the Insider Threat
Once the simulation identifies an insider threat, the system can automatically block the malicious node and capably notify the network administrators.
Example: Automated response after detecting insider behavior
# Respond to detected insider threat by blocking the node
proc trigger_incident_response {} {
puts “Incident response triggered. Blocking the insider node.”
block_insider
}
- Run the Simulation and Analyze Results
Execute the simulation to monitor how the system detects and reacts to the insider threat, and how effectively it mitigates the impairment caused by the malicious actions.
Finalize and run the simulation
proc finish {} {
global ns tracefile
$ns flush-trace
close $tracefile
puts “Simulation finished. Analyze the trace file for insider activity.”
exit 0
}
# Schedule the end of the simulation
$ns at 100.0 “finish”
$ns run
- Analyze Trace Data
Once the simulation is done, assess the trace file to compute how the insider acted and how the network responded. You can process the trace file by using Python or another tool.
Example: Analyze the trace file using Python
import pandas as pd
# Function to parse NS2 trace file and extract relevant fields
def parse_trace_file(trace_file):
data = []
with open(trace_file, ‘r’) as f:
for line in f:
fields = line.strip().split()
event, time, node, packet_size, flow_id, src, dest = fields[:7]
data.append([time, node, packet_size, src, dest])
return pd.DataFrame(data, columns=[‘time’, ‘node’, ‘packet_size’, ‘src’, ‘dest’])
# Load and parse the trace data
trace_data = parse_trace_file(‘insider_threat_trace.tr’)
print(trace_data.head())
You can successfully complete the process by following the provided implementation steps on how to establish the insider threat using ns2 simulator tool for the simulation of legal user (insider) could abuse the rights to attack the network. If you need any further information we will provide related information in terms of your demands.