Visible to the public Statistical Assessment of Sybil-Placement Strategies within DHT-Structured Peer-to-Peer Botnets

TitleStatistical Assessment of Sybil-Placement Strategies within DHT-Structured Peer-to-Peer Botnets
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsArora, D., Verigin, A., Godkin, T., Neville, S.W.
Conference NameAdvanced Information Networking and Applications (AINA), 2014 IEEE 28th International Conference on
Date PublishedMay
Keywordsbotnet command and control solution, C&C solutions, command and control systems, compromised computer on-demand collections, Computational modeling, computer network security, Computers, cyber security threat, DHT-structured P2P botnets, DHT-structured peer-to-peer botnets, diffused random graph, interdefender coordination, Internet, invasive software, Network topology, packet level network simulation, Peer-to-peer computing, peer-to-peer distributed hash tables, Routing, statistical analysis, Stochastic Process, Stochastic processes, Sybil placement strategy statistical assessment, Topology
Abstract

Botnets are a well recognized global cyber-security threat as they enable attack communities to command large collections of compromised computers (bots) on-demand. Peer to-peer (P2P) distributed hash tables (DHT) have become particularly attractive botnet command and control (C & C) solutions due to the high level resiliency gained via the diffused random graph overlays they produce. The injection of Sybils, computers pretending to be valid bots, remains a key defensive strategy against DHT-structured P2P botnets. This research uses packet level network simulations to explore the relative merits of random, informed, and partially informed Sybil placement strategies. It is shown that random placements perform nearly as effectively as the tested more informed strategies, which require higher levels of inter-defender co-ordination. Moreover, it is shown that aspects of the DHT-structured P2P botnets behave as statistically nonergodic processes, when viewed from the perspective of stochastic processes. This suggests that although optimal Sybil placement strategies appear to exist they would need carefully tuning to each specific P2P botnet instance.

DOI10.1109/AINA.2014.100
Citation Key6838749