How to Start DDoS Attack Projects Using NS3

To simulate a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack in NS3, we follow this structured approach:

Steps to Start DDoS Attack Projects in NS3

  1. Set Up NS3 Environment
  • Initially, we install NS3 and necessary dependencies:

./waf configure

./waf build

  • Confirm installation:

./waf –run hello-simulator

  1. Understand DDoS Attack Scenarios
  • DDoS Attack Definition: A DDoS attack encompasses several attackers to overflow a target server including traffic to trigger service disruption.
  • Kind of DDoS attacks to replicate the following flood:
    • UDP Flood: Attackers transmit large amounts of UDP packets.
    • SYN Flood: Attackers utilize TCP handshake by means of transmitting the SYN requests without finishing the handshake.
    • HTTP Flood: Attackers overburden the HTTP server including demands.
  1. Set Up the Network Topology
  • Define the nodes:
    • Numerous attacker nodes.
    • One victim server.
    • Intermediate routers and network links.
  • Example: Point-to-Point Network Topology

NodeContainer attackers, routers, server;

attackers.Create(10); // 10 attacker nodes

routers.Create(2);    // 2 routers

server.Create(1);     // 1 victim server

// Create point-to-point links

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“100Mbps”));

p2p.SetChannelAttribute(“Delay”, StringValue(“2ms”));

NetDeviceContainer attackerToRouter, routerToServer;

attackerToRouter = p2p.Install(NodeContainer(attackers.Get(0), routers.Get(0)));

routerToServer = p2p.Install(NodeContainer(routers.Get(1), server.Get(0)));

  1. Install Network Stack
  • We can allocate an IP addresses to nodes:

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(attackers);

stack.Install(routers);

stack.Install(server);

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase(“10.0.0.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer attackerInterfaces = address.Assign(attackerToRouter);

address.SetBase(“10.1.0.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer serverInterface = address.Assign(routerToServer);

  1. Simulate Normal Traffic
  • We need to install the applications on legitimate nodes making typical traffic:

UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(9);

ApplicationContainer serverApps = echoServer.Install(server.Get(0));

serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(serverInterface.GetAddress(0), 9);

echoClient.SetAttribute(“MaxPackets”, UintegerValue(100));

echoClient.SetAttribute(“Interval”, TimeValue(Seconds(0.1)));

echoClient.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));

ApplicationContainer clientApps = echoClient.Install(attackers.Get(0));

clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

  1. Simulate DDoS Traffic
  • Attacker Nodes: We want to install an application overflowing the server including packets.
  • Example: UDP Flood Attack

OnOffHelper udpFlood(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, Address(InetSocketAddress(serverInterface.GetAddress(0), 9)));

udpFlood.SetAttribute(“OnTime”, StringValue(“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=1]”));

udpFlood.SetAttribute(“OffTime”, StringValue(“ns3::ConstantRandomVariable[Constant=0]”));

udpFlood.SetAttribute(“DataRate”, DataRateValue(DataRate(“10Mbps”)));

udpFlood.SetAttribute(“PacketSize”, UintegerValue(1024));

for (uint32_t i = 0; i < attackers.GetN(); ++i)

{

ApplicationContainer attackApps = udpFlood.Install(attackers.Get(i));

attackApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));

attackApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

}

  • SYN Flood Attack: Continuously transmit TCP SYN packets to utilize a custom application.
  1. Monitor the Network
  • Allow packet tracing:

AsciiTraceHelper ascii;

p2p.EnableAsciiAll(ascii.CreateFileStream(“ddos.tr”));

p2p.EnablePcapAll(“ddos”);

  • For traffic analysis we make use of FlowMonitor:

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

Ptr<FlowMonitor> monitor = flowmon.InstallAll();

  1. Run the Simulation
  • We need to compile and run the simulation:

./waf –run ddos-simulation

  1. Analyze Results
  • We examine the PCAP files including Wireshark observing the packet flows.
  • Estimate the performance parameters of server:
    • Packet delivery ratio.
    • Response time.
    • Packet loss.
  • For traffic insights we can utilize FlowMonitor logs.
  1. Implement Countermeasures (Optional)
  • Replicate the DDoS mitigation methods:
    • Traffic filtering: Strain packets including abnormal patterns.
    • Rate limiting: Limit the volume of packets for each second from a single source.
    • CAPTCHA challenges: We insert security on the application layer.

Example: Filtering Packets

void PacketFilter(Ptr<const Packet> packet, const Address &srcAddr)

{

// Implement logic to drop packets from attacker nodes

}

By following these steps, you can be replicated a DDoS attack projects through NS3 analyse the outcomes with FlowMonitor and optionally implement countermeasures. If you want more assistance with the code or a certain attack type like UDP/SYN/HTTP Flood, we will provide.

Our team focuses on tackling specific types of attacks, such as UDP, SYN, and HTTP, customized to meet your project needs while maximizing performance. Feel free to reach out to us at phdprojects.org to start a conversation. Just share the details of your project, and we’ll help you find the best topics for simulation and DDoS Attack Projects.