DDoS attacks and machine-learning-based detection methods: A survey and taxonomy

Abstract

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks represent a significant cybersecurity challenge, posing a critical risk to computer networks. Developing an effective defense mechanism against these attacks is crucial but challenging, given their diverse attack types, network and computing platform heterogeneity, and complex communication protocols. Moreover, the emergence of innovative DDoS attack methods presents a formidable threat to existing countermeasures. Various machine learning techniques have shown promise in detecting DDoS attacks with low false-positive rates and high detection rates. This survey paper offers a comprehensive taxonomy of machine learning-based methods for detecting DDoS attacks, reviewing supervised, unsupervised, hybrid approaches, and analyzing the related challenges. Further, we explore relevant datasets, highlighting their strengths and limitations, and propose future research directions to address the current gaps in this domain. This paper aims to provide a profound understanding of DDoS attack detection mechanisms, aiding researchers, and practitioners in developing effective cybersecurity approaches against such attacks. This research is essential because DDoS attacks are diverse and pose a formidable threat to computer networks, and various machine learning techniques have shown promise in detecting them. Its implications include providing insights that can inform the development of robust defense mechanisms against DDoS attacks.