Explosive network attack and mitigation strategies

• US 8,997,224 B1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Lu, Tsai-Ching, Moon, Hankyu, Allen, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/935,460
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 726/23
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

Described is a system for explosive network attack and mitigation analysis. A network structure is received as input. A network attack method that applies an Achlioptas process is selected. Then, an explosive mitigation strategy is selected. An attack-mitigation competing process is simulated for the network structure. A sequence of network structures under competing processes is generated. The effectiveness of the selected explosive mitigation strategy against the selected network attack method is quantified by analyzing the sequence of network structures under competing processes.

Claims

1. A system for explosive network attack mitigation, the system comprising:

one or more processors and a non-transitory memory having instructions encoded thereon such that when the instructions are executed, the one or more processors perform operations of;

receiving a network structure as input;

selecting a network attack method that applies an Achlioptas process;

selecting an explosive mitigation strategy;

simulating an attack-mitigation competing process for the network structure;

generating a sequence of network structures under competing processes; and

quantifying effectiveness of the selected explosive mitigation strategy against the selected network attack method by analyzing the sequence of network structures under competing processes.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors further perform an operation of quantifying effectiveness of the selected mitigation strategy based on at least one measure that evaluates a change in size of a giant component in the sequence of network structures under competing processes.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the at least one measure is a survival size measure that evaluates final sizes of the giant component following the attack-mitigation competing process.

4. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the at least one measure is an onset delay measure that evaluates a pre-defined fragmentation threshold of the size of the giant component.

5. A computer-implemented method for explosive network mitigation, comprising:

an act of causing a data processor to execute instructions stored on a non-transitory memory such that upon execution, the data processor performs operations of;

receiving a network structure as input;

selecting a network attack method that applies an Achlioptas process;

selecting an explosive mitigation strategy;

simulating an attack-mitigation competing process for the network structure;

generating a sequence of network structures under competing processes; and

quantifying effectiveness of the selected explosive mitigation strategy against the selected network attack method by analyzing the sequence of network structures under competing processes.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the data processor further performs an operation of quantifying effectiveness of the selected mitigation strategy based on at least one measure that evaluates a change in size of a giant component in the sequence of network structures under competing processes.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the at least one measure is a survival size measure that evaluates final sizes of the giant component following the attack-mitigation competing process.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the at least one measure is an onset delay measure that evaluates a pre-defined fragmentation threshold of the size of the giant component.

9. A computer program product for explosive network mitigation, the computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by a computer having a processor for causing the processor to perform operations of:

receiving a network structure as input;

selecting a network attack method that applies an Achlioptas process;

selecting an explosive mitigation strategy;

simulating an attack-mitigation competing process for the network structure;

generating a sequence of network structures under competing processes; and

quantifying effectiveness of the selected explosive mitigation strategy against the selected network attack method by analyzing the sequence of network structures under competing processes.

10. The computer program product as set forth in claim 9, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to perform an operation of quantifying effectiveness of the selected mitigation strategy based on at least one measure that evaluates a change in size of a giant component in the sequence of network structures under competing processes.

11. The computer program product as set forth in claim 10, wherein the at least one measure is a survival size measure that evaluates final sizes of the giant component following the attack-mitigation competing process.

12. The computer program product as set forth in claim 10, wherein the at least one measure is an onset delay measure that evaluates a pre-defined fragmentation threshold of the size of the giant component.