How to Implement Network Cybersecurity Compliance in NS2

To implement the Network Cybersecurity Compliance in NS2 required us to simulate policies, controls and security features that associates with cybersecurity standards and frameworks like NIST, ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR, or HIPAA. It makes certain that the network follows the compulsory rules and regulations to guard sensitive data, enable security controls, and uphold proper auditing and observing.

In NS2, execute features like traffic filtering, encryption, access control, auditing, and incident response to replicate the enforcement of cybersecurity compliance. This permits you to analyze how compliant the network is with these standards by observing and recording network activities.

The following set up will guide you to simulate Network Cybersecurity Compliance in NS2:

Step-by-Step Implementation:

1. Set Up NS2

Make certain that you have installed the ns2 on your computer. You can install it using:

sudo apt-get install ns2

2. Define the Network Topology

Begin by designing a simplified network that includes user nodes, a server, and security elements like firewalls, IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention System), and an auditing system which will enable security policies to make sure compliance with cybersecurity standards.

set ns [new Simulator]

set tracefile [open cybersecurity_compliance.tr w]

$ns trace-all $tracefile

# Create network nodes (user, attacker, server, firewall, IDS, and auditing system)

set user [$ns node]         ;# User node

set attacker [$ns node]      ;# Attacker node

set server [$ns node]        ;# Server node

set firewall [$ns node]      ;# Firewall node

set ids_node [$ns node]      ;# IDS node

set audit_node [$ns node]    ;# Auditing system node

# Create links between nodes

$ns duplex-link $user $firewall 1Mb 10ms DropTail  ;# User to firewall

$ns duplex-link $attacker $firewall 1Mb 10ms DropTail  ;# Attacker to firewall

$ns duplex-link $firewall $ids_node 1Mb 10ms DropTail  ;# Firewall to IDS

$ns duplex-link $ids_node $audit_node 1Mb 10ms DropTail  ;# IDS to auditing system

$ns duplex-link $ids_node $server 1Mb 10ms DropTail  ;# IDS to server

3. Implement Cybersecurity Compliance Controls

We will execute security measures like traffic filtering, intrusion detection, auditing, encryption, and incident response, all of which are essential for cybersecurity compliance.

(A) Traffic Filtering Control (Firewall)

A firewall filters network traffic in terms of compliance rules like blocking packets that don’t satisfy specific security demands (for instance: packet size, illegal sources).

# Function to simulate firewall filtering based on packet size and IP address

proc firewall_compliance {packet_size threshold src_ip allowed_ips} {

if { $packet_size > $threshold || [lsearch -exact $allowed_ips $src_ip] == -1 } {

puts “Firewall: Blocking non-compliant traffic from $src_ip with packet size $packet_size”

return 1  ;# Traffic blocked

} else {

puts “Firewall: Allowing compliant traffic from $src_ip with packet size $packet_size”

return 0  ;# Traffic allowed

}

}

# Set allowed IPs and packet size threshold for the firewall

set allowed_ips {user_ip}

set threshold 512

# Simulate firewall filtering at different times

$ns at 1.5 “firewall_compliance 512 $threshold user_ip $allowed_ips”   ;# Normal traffic (allowed)

$ns at 2.5 “firewall_compliance 1024 $threshold attacker_ip $allowed_ips”  ;# Non-compliant traffic (blocked)

(B) Intrusion Detection Control (IDS/IPS)

The IDS identifies network intrusions by assessing traffic patterns and packet activities. It raises alerts when non-compliant behavior is identified includes unauthorized access or abnormal traffic patterns.

# Function to simulate IDS detection based on traffic patterns

proc ids_compliance {packet_size threshold} {

if { $packet_size > $threshold } {

puts “IDS: Non-compliant traffic detected! Packet size $packet_size exceeds threshold”

return 1  ;# Intrusion detected

} else {

puts “IDS: Compliant traffic”

return 0  ;# No intrusion

}

}

# Simulate IDS inspecting traffic at different times

$ns at 3.0 “ids_compliance 1024 $threshold”  ;# Non-compliant traffic detected by IDS

(C) Auditing and Logging System

An auditing system records all network traffic and security events, making certain that the organization is compliant with logging and observing guidelines. All incidents, permitted or congested traffic, and detections are stored.

# Function to simulate logging of security events for auditing

proc audit_log {time event description} {

puts “$time: Auditing – $event – $description”

}

# Simulate logging events to comply with auditing requirements

$ns at 1.5 “audit_log 1.5 ‘Firewall’ ‘Allowed normal traffic'”

$ns at 2.5 “audit_log 2.5 ‘Firewall’ ‘Blocked non-compliant traffic from attacker'”

$ns at 3.0 “audit_log 3.0 ‘IDS’ ‘Detected non-compliant traffic'”

$ns at 3.1 “audit_log 3.1 ‘Incident Response’ ‘Triggered incident response by IDS'”

(D) Incident Response Control

When a non-compliant event is spotted by the IDS or firewall, an incident response is initiated. This encompasses logging the event, notifying the administrator, or blocking further access.

# Function to simulate incident response

proc incident_response {component threat_level description} {

puts “$component: Incident response triggered! Threat level: $threat_level – $description”

}

# Trigger incident response after IDS detection

$ns at 3.1 “incident_response ‘IDS’ ‘High’ ‘Detected non-compliant traffic from attacker'”

(E) Data Encryption Control

Data transferred by the user must be encrypted before being deliver to the server, making sure compliance with data protection standards like GDPR or HIPAA.

# Function to simulate data encryption for compliance

proc encrypt_data {message encryption_key} {

puts “Encrypting message for compliance: ‘$message’ with key: $encryption_key”

return “encrypted_$message”

}

# Encrypt traffic at the user node

set encryption_key “secure_key_123”

set message “Sensitive data to server”

$ns at 1.0 “set encrypted_message [encrypt_data $message $encryption_key]”

(F) Data Decryption Control

The server must decode the data once received to process the encrypted message.

# Function to simulate data decryption

proc decrypt_data {encrypted_message decryption_key} {

puts “Decrypting message for compliance: ‘$encrypted_message’ with key: $decryption_key”

return “decrypted_message”

}

# Decrypt the message at the server

$ns at 2.0 “set decrypted_message [decrypt_data $encrypted_message $encryption_key]”

4. Simulate Network Traffic

We will imitate both compliant (normal) and non-compliant (malicious) traffic in the network.

(A) Simulate Compliant Traffic

This simulates normal user traffic that complies with the cybersecurity regulations.

# Set up UDP agents for compliant traffic (user to server)

set udp_user [new Agent/UDP]

set udp_server [new Agent/Null]

$ns attach-agent $user $udp_user

$ns attach-agent $server $udp_server

$ns connect $udp_user $udp_server

# Create a traffic generator to simulate compliant traffic

set cbr_user [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$cbr_user set packetSize_ 512

$cbr_user set rate_ 1Mb

$cbr_user attach-agent $udp_user

# Start compliant traffic at 1.0 seconds

$ns at 1.0 “$cbr_user start”

(B) Simulate Non-Compliant Traffic

This mimics mischievous traffic that disrupts the cybersecurity compliance rules includes unauthorized access or oversized packets.

# Set up UDP agents for non-compliant traffic (attacker to server)

set udp_attacker [new Agent/UDP]

set udp_malicious [new Agent/Null]

$ns attach-agent $attacker $udp_attacker

$ns attach-agent $server $udp_malicious

$ns connect $udp_attacker $udp_malicious

# Create a traffic generator to simulate non-compliant traffic

set cbr_attacker [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$cbr_attacker set packetSize_ 1024  ;# Larger packet size simulating non-compliance

$cbr_attacker set rate_ 512Kb

$cbr_attacker attach-agent $udp_attacker

# Start non-compliant traffic at 2.0 seconds

$ns at 2.0 “$cbr_attacker start”

5. Run the Simulation

Once the script is ready, execute the simulation using NS2:

ns your_script.tcl

6. Analyze the Results

After executing the simulation, assess the trace file (cybersecurity_compliance.tr) and the console output to validate:

• Compliant traffic was granted through the firewall.
• Non-compliant traffic was blocked by the firewall and spotted by the IDS.
• Data was successfully encrypted before being sent and decrypted after reaching the server.
• Auditing logs recorded all significant events for compliance reporting.
• Incident reactions were initiated for non-compliant actions.

You can visualize the traffic flow by using NAM (Network Animator) and monitor how the cybersecurity compliance features react to both compliant and non-compliant activities.

7. Extend the Simulation

You can extend this simulation by:

• Attaching more compliance controls: Execute modern controls like user authentication, access control, or multi-factor authentication.
• Simulating more attack scenarios: Include more variants of attacks like Man-in-the-Middle (MITM), DDoS, or data exfiltration.
• Inspecting various compliance standards: Alter the controls and policies to comply with specific standards like HIPAA, GDPR, or NIST.
• Computing network performance: Evaluate the effect of compliance controls on network performance as well as throughput, latency, and security overhead.

In this simulation set up, we had successfully shared the information which is essential for the implementation of security mechanisms to accomplish the Network Cybersecurity Compliance in the ns2 tool. You can extend the simulation as per you requirements in the future.Stay in touch with our developers team to get best implementation guidance.