How to Start Packet Flooding Attack Projects Using NS2

To start replicating a packet flooding attack in NS2 (Network Simulator 2), which is a structure of Denial of Service (DoS) in which a malicious node transmits the unnecessary packets to a target node for devastating the network and minimizing their performance. We can follow these exhaustive simulation steps to get started:

Steps to Start Packet Flooding Attack in NS2

  1. Understand Packet Flooding
  • Attack Mechanism: The attacker transmits vast amount of packets such as UDP, TCP, or ICMP to the target node, which overwhelming their resources and reducing the network performance.
  • Objective: Replicate the attack, monitor their influence over legitimate traffic, and examine the behaviour of network.
  1. Set Up NS2 Environment
  • We can set up NS2 environment if isn’t already installed on the system:

sudo apt-get install ns2

  • Confirm installation with an example NS2 script:

ns example.tcl

  1. Define Network Topology

We need to make a TCL script for describing a network including:

  • Legitimate nodes: It helps to interact in typical scenarios.
  • Attacker node: Creates unnecessary packets.
  • Victim node: Obtains legitimate and attack traffic.
  1. TCL Script for Packet Flooding Attack

Below is an example script for replicating packet flooding:

TCL Script Example

# Initialize NS2 Simulator

set ns [new Simulator]

set tracefile [open flood_attack.tr w]

$ns trace-all $tracefile

# Define nodes

set attacker [$ns node]

set victim [$ns node]

set legitimate [$ns node]

# Create links

$ns duplex-link $attacker $victim 1Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $legitimate $victim 1Mb 10ms DropTail

# Attach UDP agents for attack traffic

set udp_attack [new Agent/UDP]

$ns attach-agent $attacker $udp_attack

set null [new Agent/Null]

$ns attach-agent $victim $null

$ns connect $udp_attack $null

# Attach TCP agents for legitimate traffic

set tcp_legit [new Agent/TCP]

$ns attach-agent $legitimate $tcp_legit

set sink_legit [new Agent/TCPSink]

$ns attach-agent $victim $sink_legit

$ns connect $tcp_legit $sink_legit

# Simulate legitimate traffic

set ftp [new Application/FTP]

$ftp attach-agent $tcp_legit

$ns at 1.0 “$ftp start”

# Simulate packet flooding attack

set cbr [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$cbr set packetSize_ 512

$cbr set interval_ 0.001  # High frequency of packets

$cbr attach-agent $udp_attack

$ns at 2.0 “$cbr start”

$ns at 5.0 “$cbr stop”

# End the simulation

$ns at 6.0 “finish”

proc finish {} {

global ns tracefile

$ns flush-trace

close $tracefile

exit 0

}

$ns run

  1. Analyze the Simulation

Trace File Analysis

  • The trace file (flood_attack.tr) helps to record all packets.
  • For examining attack traffic, we can filter packets:

grep “UDP” flood_attack.tr > attack_traffic.log

  • Monitor the performance parameters like:
    • Throughput: Victim’s throughput minimizes.
    • Latency: Maximized the delay for legitimate traffic.
    • Packet Loss: High packet that is lost by reason of congestion.

Visualization

  • Make use of tools like Gnuplot or another plotting tool for envisioning:
    • Legitimate vs attack traffic throughput.
    • Latency in the course of the attack.
  1. Optional: Implement Countermeasures

Integrate security approaches for identifying and moderating the flooding attack:

  1. Rate Limiting: Limit the packet that are transmitting rate.

set rate_limit 1000

if {[packet_rate] > $rate_limit} {

drop_packet

}

  1. Intrusion Detection: Observe traffic models for anomalies.

set ids [new IDS]

$ids monitor $victim

  1. Enhancements
  • Advanced Attack Simulation: For Distributed DoS (DDoS) scenario, we will need to utilise numerous attacker nodes.
  • Different Protocols: Replicate the flooding including ICMP or TCP packets rather than UDP.
  • Defense Mechanisms: Equate the network performance with and without defense strategies.

Example Visualizations

  1. Throughput Graph:
    • Visualize the throughput before, during, and after the attack.
  2. Packet Loss Graph:
    • We want to envision the amount of packets that are lost over time.

Tools and Resources

  • Wireshark: It helps to examine the trace files for in-depth insights.
  • Gnuplot: Make graphs from trace file data to utilize Gnuplot tools.
  • NS2 Documentation: We can refer NS2 documentation to alter NS2 scripts and components.

By following these steps, you can effectively start simulating the Packet Flooding Attack Projects and visualizing the outcomes using NS2 environment. We are equipped to expand on it if desired.