Managing computer networks security through self-organization: A complex system perspective

Abstract

The present paper proposes a new perspective to deal with computer networks security. Networks can be viewed as complex systems that exhibit self-organization and self-control properties. These properties are well suited for today's open networks like the Internet. In such uncertain environment as the Internet, ensuring survivability is a hard task. A parallel is made with natural life systems that also have to survive external aggression and that also exhibit complex system characteristics. This paper describes our research work dealing with complex architecture for Intrusion Detection and Response System (IDRS). In the perspective of complex systems, the proposed IDRS presents self-organization characteristics based on interaction between single entities. These entities are implemented using Mobile Agents (MAs) that incarnate a complex "artificial ecosystem" to detect and to answer intrusions. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.