How to Start Eavesdropping Attack Projects Using NS3

To start an eavesdropping attack in NS3, we will make a network scenario in which a passive attacker seizures and examines the traffic among legitimate nodes. It can contain to seize the unencrypted packets, observing interaction patterns, or trying to mine sensitive information.

Following is a basic method to simulate Eavesdropping Attack Projects in NS3:

Steps to Start Eavesdropping Attack Projects in NS3

  1. Set Up NS3
  • Initially, we install and build NS3:

./waf configure

./waf build

  • Experiment the installation:

./waf –run hello-simulator

  1. Understand Eavesdropping Attacks
  • Definition:
    • Eavesdropping attacks contain to interrupt network interaction without dynamically modifying the traffic.
  • Attack Goals:
    • To seize unencrypted information like plaintext passwords.
    • Examine the traffic patterns to extrapolate sensitive data.
  • Mechanisms:
    • Make utilize of promiscuous mode attending to traffic not destined for the attacker.
    • We examine the headers or payloads for sensitive information.
  1. Define the Network Topology
  • We make a network including:
    • Legitimate nodes (Sender and Receiver).
    • Passive attacker (Eavesdropper).
  • Example Topology:

NodeContainer sender, receiver, eavesdropper;

sender.Create(1);       // Sender node

receiver.Create(1);     // Receiver node

eavesdropper.Create(1); // Eavesdropper node

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.SetDeviceAttribute(“DataRate”, StringValue(“10Mbps”));

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

// Connect sender to receiver

NetDeviceContainer devices1 = p2p.Install(NodeContainer(sender.Get(0), receiver.Get(0)));

// Connect eavesdropper to the same network

NetDeviceContainer devices2 = p2p.Install(NodeContainer(eavesdropper.Get(0), sender.Get(0)));

  1. Install Network Protocols
  • Allocate an IP addresses and then we install the Internet stack.

InternetStackHelper stack;

stack.Install(sender);

stack.Install(receiver);

stack.Install(eavesdropper);

Ipv4AddressHelper address;

address.SetBase(“10.1.1.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces1 = address.Assign(devices1);

address.SetBase(“10.1.2.0”, “255.255.255.0”);

Ipv4InterfaceContainer interfaces2 = address.Assign(devices2);

  1. Simulate Legitimate Traffic
  • We need to insert typical traffic among the sender and receiver.
  • Example: UDP Echo Traffic

UdpEchoServerHelper echoServer(9);

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

serverApps.Start(Seconds(1.0));

serverApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

UdpEchoClientHelper echoClient(interfaces1.GetAddress(1), 9);

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

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

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

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

clientApps.Start(Seconds(2.0));

clientApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

  1. Implement the Eavesdropping Attack
  • Packet Capture:
    • Seize packets received with the help of eavesdropper to utilize tracing system of NS3.

Instance:

void PacketSniffer(Ptr<const Packet> packet) {

NS_LOG_UNCOND(“Captured Packet: ” << *packet);

}

Ptr<NetDevice> eavesdropperDevice = devices2.Get(0);

eavesdropperDevice->TraceConnectWithoutContext(“PhyRxDrop”, MakeCallback(&PacketSniffer));

  • Traffic Analysis:
    • We examine the traffic extrapolating patterns or mining information.

void TrafficAnalyzer(Ptr<const Packet> packet, Ptr<Ipv4> ipv4, uint32_t interface) {

Ipv4Header ipv4Header;

packet->PeekHeader(ipv4Header);

NS_LOG_UNCOND(“Traffic Captured: Source: ” << ipv4Header.GetSource()

<< ” Destination: ” << ipv4Header.GetDestination()

<< ” Size: ” << packet->GetSize());

}

eavesdropper.Get(0)->GetObject<Ipv4>()->TraceConnect(“Rx”, “Interface”, MakeCallback(&TrafficAnalyzer));

  1. Enable Packet Tracing
  • Allow PCAP tracing seizing the packets including Wireshark for analysis.

PointToPointHelper p2p;

p2p.EnablePcapAll(“eavesdropping-attack”);

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

./waf –run eavesdropping-attack

  • The .pcap files will create for each network device.
  1. Analyze Captured Packets
  • Go to the .pcap file within Wireshark:

wireshark eavesdropping-attack-0-0.pcap

  • Examine certain traffic to utilize filters:
    • UDP Packets: udp
    • ICMP Packets: icmp
    • TCP Packets: tcp
  1. Optional: Add Sensitive Data Simulation
  • Replicate the sensitive information like HTTP passwords within legitimate traffic.

BulkSendHelper bulkSender(“ns3::TcpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress(interfaces1.GetAddress(1), 9));

bulkSender.SetAttribute(“MaxBytes”, UintegerValue(1024));

ApplicationContainer senderApp = bulkSender.Install(sender.Get(0));

senderApp.Start(Seconds(2.0));

senderApp.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

  1. Implement Countermeasures
  • Mimic encryption or other defenses moderating the eavesdropping:
    • Encryption: Encrypt traffic to utilize secure protocols.
    • Authentication: Avoid unauthorized access by authenticate devices.
  • Example: To insert Noise Traffic

OnOffHelper noiseTraffic(“ns3::UdpSocketFactory”, InetSocketAddress(interfaces1.GetAddress(1), 9));

noiseTraffic.SetAttribute(“DataRate”, DataRateValue(DataRate(“1Mbps”)));

ApplicationContainer noiseApps = noiseTraffic.Install(eavesdropper);

noiseApps.Start(Seconds(3.0));

noiseApps.Stop(Seconds(10.0));

  1. Evaluate Metrics
  • We need to estimate the effect of the attack:
    • Captured Packets: We measure the amount of captured packets.
    • Information Leakage: Compute the volume of sensitive information, which is revealed.
  • For in-depth traffic analysis, we utilize FlowMonitor:

FlowMonitorHelper flowmon;

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

Example Scenarios

  1. Unencrypted Traffic Capture: Eavesdrop on plaintext UDP or TCP interaction.
  2. Traffic Analysis: Imply the interaction patterns like frequent senders or receivers.
  3. Encrypted vs. Unencrypted Comparison: To mimic both scenarios estimating the effect of encryption.

Leveraging the NS3 environment, we had presented solid foundation to simulate and examine the Eavesdropping Attacks through the above step-by-step method. We will also be given more insights on this project as needed.

To get in touch with us, visit phdprojects.org. Just share the details of your project, and we’ll help you find the best topics for simulation and Eavesdropping Attack Projects. Our team is skilled in handling unencrypted packets and analyzing interaction patterns to meet your project needs, all while ensuring top-notch performance.