Application of the PageRank algorithm to alarm graphs (extended abstract)

Abstract

The task of separating genuine attacks from false alarms in large intrusion detection infrastructures is extremely difficult. The number of alarms received in such environments can easily enter into the millions of alerts per day. The overwhelming noise created by these alarms can cause genuine attacks to go unnoticed. As means of highlighting these attacks, we introduce a host ranking technique utilizing Alarm Graphs. Rather than enumerate all potential attack paths as in Attack Graphs, we build and analyze graphs based on the alarms generated by the intrusion detection sensors installed on a network. Given that the alarms are predominantly false positives, the challenge is to identify, separate, and ideally predict future attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to tackle this problem based on the PageRank algorithm. By elevating the rank of known attackers and victims we are able to observe the effect that these hosts have on the other nodes in the Alarm Graph. Using this information we are able to discover previously overlooked attacks, as well as defend against future intrusions. © Springer-Vorlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.