How to Implement Cybersecurity Embedded Security in NS2

To implement the cybersecurity for embedded systems using NS2 (Network Simulator 2), we will be mimicked the network of embedded devices, like sensors, microcontrollers, and control servers, and make certain that the communication among these components is safeguard. These embedded systems are frequently found in complex infrastructures, IoT devices, and industrial control systems, are vulnerable to attacks such as unauthorized access, data tampering, and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. To safeguard such systems, we can be used the encryption, authentication, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and incident response mechanisms. We distribute the comprehensive steps to execute it in NS2:

Steps to Implement Cybersecurity Embedded Security in NS2:

  1. Set Up NS2

Make sure that NS2 is installed and appropriately setup. The embedded system can contain numerous nodes like sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, and control servers, also we will be launch an attacker node to replicate the potential cyber threats.

  1. Define the Embedded System Network Topology

Make a network topology signifying an embedded system in which components such as sensors and microcontrollers communicate with a control server. Furthermore, launch an attacker node to mimic the security threats.

Example: Define embedded system network topology

set ns [new Simulator]

# Create nodes representing sensors, microcontrollers, a control server, and an attacker

set sensor1 [$ns node]

set sensor2 [$ns node]

set microcontroller1 [$ns node]

set microcontroller2 [$ns node]

set control_server [$ns node]

set attacker [$ns node]

set router1 [$ns node]

# Set up communication links between sensors, microcontrollers, and control server

$ns duplex-link $sensor1 $router1 1Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $sensor2 $router1 1Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $microcontroller1 $router1 1Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $microcontroller2 $router1 1Mb 10ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $router1 $control_server 10Mb 5ms DropTail

$ns duplex-link $attacker $router1 1Mb 10ms DropTail  ;# Attacker linked to router

This topology contains two sensors and two microcontrollers, which communicate with a control server via a router. The attacker node mimics potential security threats to the system.

  1. Simulate Normal Data Flow in Embedded Systems

Replicate usual communication among the embedded devices and the control server. It will be denoted the normal operation of an embedded system where data, like sensor readings are transferred to the server for processing.

Example: Simulate data communication in an embedded system

# Set up TCP agents for communication between sensors/microcontrollers and the control server

set tcp_sensor1 [new Agent/TCP]

set tcp_sensor2 [new Agent/TCP]

set tcp_microcontroller1 [new Agent/TCP]

set tcp_microcontroller2 [new Agent/TCP]

set tcp_server [new Agent/TCP]

$ns attach-agent $sensor1 $tcp_sensor1

$ns attach-agent $sensor2 $tcp_sensor2

$ns attach-agent $microcontroller1 $tcp_microcontroller1

$ns attach-agent $microcontroller2 $tcp_microcontroller2

$ns attach-agent $control_server $tcp_server

# Connect sensors and microcontrollers to the control server

$ns connect $tcp_sensor1 $tcp_server

$ns connect $tcp_sensor2 $tcp_server

$ns connect $tcp_microcontroller1 $tcp_server

$ns connect $tcp_microcontroller2 $tcp_server

# Simulate data transmission from sensor1 to the control server (sensor data transmission)

set ftp1 [new Application/FTP]

$ftp1 attach-agent $tcp_sensor1

$ns at 1.0 “$ftp1 start”

$ns at 50.0 “$ftp1 stop”

In this setup, sensor1 transfers the data to the control server that replicating normal sensor operations.

  1. Implement Security Mechanisms (Encryption, Authentication, etc.)

To secure the embedded system, we can be executed numerous security mechanisms such as encryption to protect data confidentiality, authentication to check the legitimate devices, and intrusion detection systems (IDS) to identify the malicious activities.

  1. Encryption

Implement the encryption to make certain that data exchanged among the embedded devices and the control server is confidential and safeguarded from the eavesdropping.

# Define encryption and decryption procedures

proc encrypt_message {message key} {

set encrypted_message “”

for {set i 0} {$i < [string length $message]} {incr i} {

set encrypted_message [string append $encrypted_message \

[expr [scan [string index $message $i] %c] ^ $key]]

}

return $encrypted_message

}

proc decrypt_message {encrypted_message key} {

return [encrypt_message $encrypted_message $key]  ;# XOR encryption is reversible

}

# Encrypt data before sending it from sensor1 to the control server

set message “Sensor data: Temperature=25C”

set key 54321  ;# Example encryption key

set encrypted_msg [encrypt_message $message $key]

puts “Encrypted message: $encrypted_msg”

  1. Authentication

Authentication checks that only trusted sensors, microcontrollers, and the control server communicate in the network.

# Simple authentication procedure for embedded devices

proc authenticate_device {device key} {

set pre_shared_key 98765  ;# Pre-shared key for authentication

if {$key == $pre_shared_key} {

puts “Device $device authenticated”

return 1

} else {

puts “Device $device authentication failed”

return 0

}

}

# Authenticate sensor1

set sensor1_key 98765

set auth_status [authenticate_device “sensor1” $sensor1_key]

  1. Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

An IDS observes the network traffic for any abnormal behaviour, which might show a cyberattack, like an excessive number of packets (DoS attack) or unauthorized access attempts.

# IDS to detect abnormal traffic (e.g., DoS attacks or unauthorized access)

proc detect_intrusion {packet_count threshold} {

if {$packet_count > $threshold} {

puts “Intrusion detected!”

trigger_incident_response

} else {

puts “Traffic is normal.”

}

}

# Trigger an incident response when an intrusion is detected

proc trigger_incident_response {} {

puts “Incident response triggered. Isolating attacker node…”

isolate_attacker

}

  1. Simulate Cyberattacks on the Embedded System

Here, mimic numerous kinds of cyberattacks, like Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks or Denial of Service (DoS), to assess the security measures in position.

  1. Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attack

An attacker intercepts interacts among the embedded devices and the control server to steal or manipulate data.

# Simulate MITM attack where attacker intercepts data between sensor1 and the control server

proc simulate_mitm_attack {attacker target} {

puts “MITM attack: Attacker intercepting data from $target”

}

# Launch the MITM attack on communication between sensor1 and control server

$ns at 20.0 “simulate_mitm_attack $attacker $sensor1”

  1. Denial of Service (DoS) Attack

An attacker floods the network, disrupting communication among the embedded devices and the control server.

# Set up a malicious node to simulate a DoS attack on the embedded system

set udp_attacker [new Agent/UDP]

$ns attach-agent $attacker $udp_attacker

$ns connect $udp_attacker $router1

# Simulate flooding the router with malicious traffic (DoS attack)

proc simulate_dos_attack {attacker target} {

global ns

for {set i 0} {$i < 5000} {incr i} {

$ns at [expr 10.0 + $i*0.01] “$attacker send”

}

}

# Launch the DoS attack on the router

$ns at 15.0 “simulate_dos_attack $udp_attacker $router1”

  1. Simulate Response Mechanisms

When an attack is identified then the system can automatically react by isolating the attacker or rerouting traffic to mitigate the threat.

Example: Isolate the attacker node

# Isolate the attacker after detecting malicious activity

proc isolate_attacker {} {

global ns attacker

puts “Isolating attacker node from the network.”

$ns detach-agent $attacker

}

  1. Collect and Analyze Traffic Data

Allow NS2’s tracing feature to gather the network traffic logs that will be supported estimate the attacks and determine the efficiency of the security mechanisms.

Enable tracing for data collection

# Enable trace file to log network traffic

set tracefile [open embedded_system_trace.tr w]

$ns trace-all $tracefile

The trace file logs events like packet sends, receives, and drops, together with node informations and timestamps.

  1. Run the Simulation and Analyze Results

Run the simulation to monitor the embedded system under both typical and attack conditions also compute how successfully the executed security mechanisms protect the network.

Finalize and run the simulation

proc finish {} {

global ns tracefile

$ns flush-trace

close $tracefile

puts “Simulation finished. Analyze the trace file for embedded system data.”

exit 0

}

# Schedule the end of the simulation

$ns at 100.0 “finish”

$ns run

  1. Analyze Trace Data

After the simulation is finish then we estimate the trace data to know the effect of the attacks and how effectively the security mechanisms (e.g., encryption, IDS) protected the system.

Example: Analyze the trace file using Python

import pandas as pd

# Function to parse NS2 trace file and extract relevant fields

def parse_trace_file(trace_file):

data = []

with open(trace_file, ‘r’) as f:

for line in f:

fields = line.strip().split()

event, time, node, packet_size, flow_id, src, dest = fields[:7]

data.append([time, node, packet_size, src, dest])

return pd.DataFrame(data, columns=[‘time’, ‘node’, ‘packet_size’, ‘src’, ‘dest’])

# Load and parse the trace data

trace_data = parse_trace_file(’embedded_system_trace.tr’)

print(trace_data.head())

The procedure for Cybersecurity embedded security was executed methodically, then implemented using the simulation tool ns2. We will explore this topic in depth using different simulation tools as required providing a comprehensive analysis.

For help with Cybersecurity Embedded Security in the NS2 tool, visit ns2project.com. You can find guidance on encryption, authentication, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and how to respond to incidents.