How to Start Hping3 SYN Flood Attack Projects Using OMNeT++

To start a SYN Flood Attack project in OMNeT++ that has requires replicating a denial-of-service (DoS) attack in which the attacker transmits a huge amount of SYN packets to a target server, triggering resource exhaustion. In real-world scenarios, generally used hping3 tool however in OMNeT++, we need to replicate same behavior.

Below is a sequential technique on how we can begin a SYN Flood Attack project in OMNeT++:

Steps to Start Hping3 SYN Flood Attack Projects in OMNeT++

1. Understand the SYN Flood Attack

• SYN Flood Attack:
  • It utilises the TCP tripartite handshake.
  • The attacker transmits the SYN packets however it not finishes the handshake by not transmitting the ACK.
  • The target server contains resources for unfinished connections that making possible exhaustion.
• Objective:
  • Replicate a SYN flood attack.
  • Measure their influence over a target server.
  • Discover potential mitigation mechanisms.

2. Set Up OMNeT++ and INET Framework

• Install OMNeT++: We should download and set up OMNeT++ on the system.
• Install INET Framework:
  • INET framework offers support for TCP/IP protocol replication.

3. Define Project Scope

Step 3.1: Goals

• Replicate an attacker to transmit a large amount of SYN packets.
• Compute the resource usage of target server and network effect.
• Optionally execute the countermeasures such as rate restricting or SYN cookies.

Step 3.2: Metrics

• Assess the performance metrics like:
  • Packet loss and latency.
  • Bandwidth usage.
  • Server response time.

4. Design the Network Topology

Make a simple topology including an attacker, a legitimate client, a server, and a router using .ned file.

Example .ned File:

network SynFloodAttackNetwork {

submodules:

attacker: StandardHost;    // Attacker node

client: StandardHost;      // Legitimate client

server: StandardHost;      // Target server

router: Router;            // Router connecting all nodes

connections allowunconnected:

attacker.ethg++ <–> EthernetLink <–> router.ethg++;

client.ethg++ <–> EthernetLink <–> router.ethg++;

router.ethg++ <–> EthernetLink <–> server.ethg++;

}

5. Implement the SYN Flood Attack

Step 5.1: Create the Attacker Module

Inscribe a custom module for making and transmitting a large volume of SYN packets.

SYN Flood Module Code:

#include <omnetpp.h>

#include “inet/common/packet/Packet.h”

#include “inet/transportlayer/contract/tcp/TcpHeader_m.h”

using namespace omnetpp;

using namespace inet;

class SynFloodAttacker : public cSimpleModule {

protected:

virtual void initialize() override;

virtual void handleMessage(cMessage *msg) override;

void sendSynPacket();

};

Define_Module(SynFloodAttacker);

void SynFloodAttacker::initialize() {

// Schedule the first SYN packet

scheduleAt(simTime() + uniform(0.1, 0.2), new cMessage(“sendSyn”));

}

void SynFloodAttacker::handleMessage(cMessage *msg) {

if (strcmp(msg->getName(), “sendSyn”) == 0) {

sendSynPacket();

// Repeat the attack at high frequency

scheduleAt(simTime() + uniform(0.01, 0.05), msg);

}

}

void SynFloodAttacker::sendSynPacket() {

auto pkt = new Packet(“SYNFloodPacket”);

auto tcpHeader = makeShared<TcpHeader>();

tcpHeader->setSynBit(true); // Set SYN flag

tcpHeader->setAckBit(false); // Not an ACK

tcpHeader->setSourcePort(1234); // Random source port

tcpHeader->setDestinationPort(80); // Target port (e.g., HTTP)

pkt->insertAtFront(tcpHeader);

send(pkt, “out”);

EV << “SYN packet sent to target server.\n”;

}

Step 5.2: Configure the Server

• Replicate a server listening on port 80 to utilise INET’s TcpServerApp.

Step 5.3: Configure Legitimate Client

• Make use of INET’s TcpApp or UdpBasicApp for replicating legitimate traffic to the server.

6. Configure the Simulation

.ini File Configuration

[Config SynFloodSimulation]

network = SynFloodAttackNetwork

# Attacker configuration

**.attacker.numApps = 1

**.attacker.app[0].typename = “SynFloodAttacker”

# Server configuration

**.server.numApps = 1

**.server.app[0].typename = “TcpServerApp”

**.server.app[0].localPort = 80

# Legitimate client configuration

**.client.numApps = 1

**.client.app[0].typename = “TcpBasicClientApp”

**.client.app[0].connectAddress = “server”

**.client.app[0].connectPort = 80

**.client.app[0].startTime = 1s

**.client.app[0].sendInterval = 1s

**.client.app[0].messageLength = 512B

# Simulation time

sim-time-limit = 100s

7. Run and Visualize the Simulation

• Run the Simulation: In OMNeT++ IDE, we execute the simulation.
• Monitor the behavior of:
  • High traffic from the attacker node to the server.
  • Resource utilization of server and incapability replying to legitimate demands.

8. Analyze Results

Metrics to Evaluate:

1. Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR):
   • We estimate the rate of legitimate packets that are effectively distributed to the server.
2. Server Resource Utilization:
   • Examine records for server resource overload or dropped connections.
3. Network Latency:
   • Estimate the delay within packet processing by reason of the attack.

Visualization:

• Make use of OMNeT++’s built-in tools for envisioning:
  • Packet loss.
  • Traffic patterns.

9. Mitigation Techniques

Replicate the countermeasures versus SYN Flood attacks:

1. Rate Limiting:
   • Restrict the volume of incoming SYN packets for each second.
2. SYN Cookies:
   • Set the server utilising SYN cookies for confirming connection demands.
3. Firewall Rules:
   • Mimic firewalls to obstruct traffic from suspicious IPs address or ports.

10. Enhance the Project

• Distributed SYN Flood:
  • Replicate numerous attacker nodes (botnet) to introduce an organised SYN flood.
• Advanced Defense Mechanisms:
  • We need to execute machine learning-based anomaly detection mechanisms for attack recognition.
• Complex Topologies:
  • Replicate the larger networks to utilise numerous routers and subnets.

Example Output

• Before the Attack: The server manages the legitimate traffic devoid of problems.
• During the Attack: The server undergoes resource utilization, which is directing to dropped connections or unresponsiveness.

Here, we all get knowledge about how to start and simulate the Hping3 SYN Flood Attack projects using OMNeT++ simulation tool. If you have any doubts we will clarify it and allow guide you for implementing specific parts like attacker module, setting up the simulation, or examining outcomes.