How to Implement Botnets Attacks in NS2

 

To implement the Botnets Attacks in Network Simulator (NS2), we have to simulate the activities of a dispersed network of negotiated nodes (bots) that co-operates to implement coordinated malevolent behaviors like DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. NS2 lacks the support for advanced botnet activities out of the box, though you can replicate the necessary actions by adjusting the TCL script to replicate botnet-related coordinated attack traffic.

The below guide will help you about how you can simulate a simplified botnet attack (such as a DDoS attack) in NS2:

Steps to Implement a Botnet Attack:

  1. Set up the Network Topology:
  • Begin by configuring the network topology with multiple bots (attacker nodes) interacts with the target (victim node).
  • Make sure that there is a target server or node that will be attacked.
  1. Identify and Configure Bot Nodes:
  • Generate several nodes in the network and designate them as bot nodes.
  • Each bot node should produce mischievous traffic (like UDP or TCP flood) towards the target node.
  1. Define the Attack Traffic (e.g., DDoS Attack):
  • Simulate the malicious traffic by using transport agent like UDP or TCP.
  • The bots should send traffic to the target node instantaneously to replicate a coordinated attack.
  1. Target the Victim Node:
  • The victim node will obtain the attack traffic from all bots. You can observe the effects on the victim node by logging packet loss, delays, and throughput minimization.
  1. Simulation Script Example:

The below is the sample of Tcl script simulating a basic botnet attack in NS2:

# Create a new simulator object

set ns [new Simulator]

# Open the trace file for output

set tracefile [open out.tr w]

$ns trace-all $tracefile

# Define the network topology

set n0 [$ns node]  ;# Target Node (Victim)

set n1 [$ns node]  ;# Bot Node 1

set n2 [$ns node]  ;# Bot Node 2

set n3 [$ns node]  ;# Bot Node 3

# Define links between nodes

$ns duplex-link $n1 $n0 1Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $n2 $n0 1Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $n3 $n0 1Mb 10ms DropTail

# Define UDP traffic for botnet attack (UDP flood)

set udp1 [new Agent/UDP]

set null1 [new Agent/Null]

$ns attach-agent $n1 $udp1

$ns attach-agent $n0 $null1

$ns connect $udp1 $null1

set udp2 [new Agent/UDP]

set null2 [new Agent/Null]

$ns attach-agent $n2 $udp2

$ns attach-agent $n0 $null2

$ns connect $udp2 $null2

set udp3 [new Agent/UDP]

set null3 [new Agent/Null]

$ns attach-agent $n3 $udp3

$ns attach-agent $n0 $null3

$ns connect $udp3 $null3

# Define traffic sources for the bots (malicious traffic)

set traffic1 [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$traffic1 set packetSize_ 512

$traffic1 set interval_ 0.005

$traffic1 attach-agent $udp1

set traffic2 [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$traffic2 set packetSize_ 512

$traffic2 set interval_ 0.005

$traffic2 attach-agent $udp2

set traffic3 [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$traffic3 set packetSize_ 512

$traffic3 set interval_ 0.005

$traffic3 attach-agent $udp3

# Start the attack from all bot nodes

$ns at 1.0 “$traffic1 start”

$ns at 1.0 “$traffic2 start”

$ns at 1.0 “$traffic3 start”

# Stop the attack after some time

$ns at 10.0 “$traffic1 stop”

$ns at 10.0 “$traffic2 stop”

$ns at 10.0 “$traffic3 stop”

# Schedule simulation end

$ns at 11.0 “finish”

proc finish {} {

global ns tracefile

$ns flush-trace

close $tracefile

exit 0

}

# Run the simulation

$ns run

  1. Explanation of the Script:
  • Nodes:
    • n0 is the victim node.
    • n1, n2, n3 are bot nodes.
  • Traffic:
    • Each bot node produces UDP traffic using CBR (Constant Bit Rate) application. This traffic simulates the malevolent packets being delivered to the victim.
    • All bots begin their attack at the same time (1.0s) and ends at 10.0s.
  • Analysis:
    • The trace file (out.tr) has the logs of the packets sent and received. You can observe how the victim nodes are impacted by the attack by evaluating this file.
    • You can compute packet loss, delay, and throughput to monitor the impact of the attack on the network.
  1. Attack Variations:
  • TCP Flood Attack: Rather than UDP traffic, you can use TCP agents to replicate a TCP flood attack by congesting the target with TCP SYN requests.
  • ICMP Flood Attack: Simulate a ping flood with bots deliver constant ping request to the victim by using the ICMP agents
  • Mixed Attack Traffic: Simulate more advanced botnet attack by incorporating several variants of attacks (like UDP, TCP, and ICMP) from various bot nodes.
  1. Advanced Features:
  • You can launch more advancement by including randomness in packet sizes, attack durations, or attack breaks to simulate more realistic botnet actions.
  • You could also mimic countermeasures like executing a firewall or intrusion detection system (IDS) on the victim node, to study how well the network reacts to the attack.

Post-Simulation Analysis:

  • Trace Analysis: After the simulation, inspect the trace file for detailed packet flow and evaluate how much traffic was sent and received. Compute the effect on the victim node by monitoring packet loss, delays, or high load.
  • Network Animator (NAM): Use NAM to visualize the attack and validate how the botnet overloads the victim node.

We successfully established the Botnet Attacks by defining the network topology, detecting and configuring bot node. We also showed the implementation with examples and how to enhance the simulation network in ns2 environment through this approach.

We specialize in Botnet attacks within NS2 tool projects. If you’re looking for personalized research, visit ns2project.com for customized support. With us, you can expect exceptional implementation results!