How to Implement Network Cybersecurity Policies in NS2
To implement the Network Cybersecurity Policies in NS2, start by specifying and establishing rules for secure communication, identifying illegal access, filtering traffic and making sure that network resources are guarded against numerous attacks. These policies state how traffic should be managed, how interference is identified and how the network reacts to challenges.
In NS2, we can mimic security policies by executing techniques like firewalls, IDS, access control, encryption, and response features. The goal is to see, filter, and enforce the cybersecurity rules in the network.
Here’s how you can simulate Network Cybersecurity Policies in NS2:
Step-by-Step Implementation:
- Set Up NS2
Make sure that NS2 is installed on your system. If it is not installed, you can install it using the below command:
sudo apt-get install ns2
- Define the Network Topology
We will define a simplified network with several nodes as well as user nodes, security components like firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), and a server. Cybersecurity policies will be executed in this network to filter traffic and spot interference.
set ns [new Simulator]
set tracefile [open cybersecurity_policies.tr w]
$ns trace-all $tracefile
# Create network nodes
set user [$ns node] ;# User node
set attacker [$ns node] ;# Attacker node
set server [$ns node] ;# Server node
set firewall [$ns node] ;# Firewall node
set ids_node [$ns node] ;# IDS node
# Create links between nodes
$ns duplex-link $user $firewall 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# User to firewall
$ns duplex-link $attacker $firewall 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# Attacker to firewall
$ns duplex-link $firewall $ids_node 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# Firewall to IDS
$ns duplex-link $ids_node $server 1Mb 10ms DropTail ;# IDS to server
- Define Cybersecurity Policies
We will set up cybersecurity policies including filtering packets depends on source IP, packet size, and data type. Policies will also contain logging, intrusion detection, and response mechanisms.
(A) Traffic Filtering Policy (Firewall)
A firewall can filter traffic in terms of rules like packet size or IP address. Here, we state a basic policy to block traffic if the packet size surpasses a threshold or if it comes from an unauthorized source.
# Function to simulate firewall filtering based on packet size and IP address
proc firewall_policy {packet_size threshold src_ip allowed_ips} {
if { $packet_size > $threshold || [lsearch -exact $allowed_ips $src_ip] == -1 } {
puts “Firewall: Blocking traffic from $src_ip with packet size $packet_size”
return 1 ;# Traffic blocked
} else {
puts “Firewall: Allowing traffic from $src_ip with packet size $packet_size”
return 0 ;# Traffic allowed
}
}
# Set allowed IPs and packet size threshold for the firewall
set allowed_ips {user_ip}
set threshold 512
# Simulate firewall filtering at different times
$ns at 1.5 “firewall_policy 512 $threshold user_ip $allowed_ips” ;# Normal traffic (allowed)
$ns at 2.5 “firewall_policy 1024 $threshold attacker_ip $allowed_ips” ;# Malicious traffic (blocked)”
(B) Intrusion Detection Policy (IDS)
An IDS inspects traffic to spot intrusions depends on traffic patterns, packet sizes, or known attack signatures. When an intrusion is identified, the IDS logs the event and responds by raising an alert or taking other actions.
# Function to simulate IDS detection based on traffic patterns
proc ids_policy {packet_size threshold} {
if { $packet_size > $threshold } {
puts “IDS: Intrusion detected! Packet size $packet_size exceeds threshold”
return 1 ;# Intrusion detected
} else {
puts “IDS: Normal traffic”
return 0 ;# No intrusion
}
}
# Simulate IDS inspection at different times
$ns at 3.0 “ids_policy 1024 $threshold” ;# Malicious traffic detected by IDS
(C) Response Policy (Incident Handling)
When the IDS identifies an intrusion or the firewall blocks mischievous traffic, a response policy is initiated. This could encompass logging the event, blocking further traffic, or altering network administrators.
# Function to simulate incident response
proc incident_response {component threat_level description} {
puts “$component: Incident response triggered! Threat level: $threat_level – $description”
}
# Trigger incident response after an IDS detection
$ns at 3.1 “incident_response ‘IDS’ ‘High’ ‘Suspicious traffic detected by IDS'”
- Simulate Network Traffic
We will mimic both normal and malevolent traffic flowing over the network. The security policies (firewall and IDS) will see and filter this traffic in terms of specified rules.
(A) Simulate Normal Traffic
This replicates legal user traffic being deliver to the server.
# Set up UDP agents for normal traffic (user to server)
set udp_user [new Agent/UDP]
set udp_server [new Agent/Null]
$ns attach-agent $user $udp_user
$ns attach-agent $server $udp_server
$ns connect $udp_user $udp_server
# Create a traffic generator to simulate normal traffic
set cbr_user [new Application/Traffic/CBR]
$cbr_user set packetSize_ 512
$cbr_user set rate_ 1Mb
$cbr_user attach-agent $udp_user
# Start normal traffic at 1.0 seconds
$ns at 1.0 “$cbr_user start”
(B) Simulate Malicious Traffic
This simulates traffic from an attacker trying to bypass security policies.
# Set up UDP agents for malicious traffic (attacker to server)
set udp_attacker [new Agent/UDP]
set udp_malicious [new Agent/Null]
$ns attach-agent $attacker $udp_attacker
$ns attach-agent $server $udp_malicious
$ns connect $udp_attacker $udp_malicious
# Create a traffic generator to simulate malicious traffic
set cbr_attacker [new Application/Traffic/CBR]
$cbr_attacker set packetSize_ 1024 ;# Larger packet size simulating an attack
$cbr_attacker set rate_ 512Kb
$cbr_attacker attach-agent $udp_attacker
# Start malicious traffic at 2.0 seconds
$ns at 2.0 “$cbr_attacker start”
- Log Security Events
We will log all security-related events, including firewall filtering, IDS detections, and incident responses. These logs will provide insights into how well the cybersecurity policies are being enforced.
# Function to log security-related events
proc log_security_event {time event description} {
puts “$time: $event – $description”
}
# Log firewall, IDS, and incident response events
$ns at 1.5 “log_security_event 1.5 ‘Firewall’ ‘Allowed normal traffic'”
$ns at 2.5 “log_security_event 2.5 ‘Firewall’ ‘Blocked malicious traffic from attacker'”
$ns at 3.0 “log_security_event 3.0 ‘IDS’ ‘Detected intrusion'”
$ns at 3.1 “log_security_event 3.1 ‘Incident Response’ ‘Response triggered by IDS detection'”
- Run the Simulation
Once the script is ready, run the simulation using NS2:
ns your_script.tcl
- Analyze the Results
After executing the simulation, verify the trace file (cybersecurity_policies.tr) and the console output to certify:
- Authorized traffic was allowed through the firewall.
- Malevolent traffic was congested by the firewall and spotted by the IDS.
- The IDS successfully detected abnormal behavior, and incident responses were initialized.
You can also use NAM (Network Animator) to visualize how the network traffic flows and how the security policies are required.
- Extend the Simulation
You can extend this simulation by:
- Adding more cybersecurity policies: Execute policies for access control, VPNs, validation, or data encryption.
- Simulating more attack scenarios: Simulate attacks like Man-in-the-Middle (MITM), DDoS, or SQL injection to estimate the effectiveness of the policies.
- Integrating advanced detection mechanisms: Design more advanced intrusion detection policies by using machine learning or anomaly detection.
- Measuring network performance: Assess the influence of cybersecurity policies on network performance as well as throughput, latency, and packet loss.
In this approach, our intent is to guide you through the implementation of network cybersecurity policies in the ns2 environment including how to create a simulation where the given policies are enforced. If you need any additional details regarding this, we’ll provide you.
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