Leveraging datasets for effective mitigation of DDoS attacks in software-defined networking: significance and challenges

Abstract

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has emerged as a transformative paradigm for network management, offering centralized control and programmability. However, with the proliferation of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks that pose significant threats to network infrastructures, effective mitigation strategies are needed. The subject matter of this study is to explore the importance of datasets in the mitigation of DDoS attacks in SDN environments. The paper discusses the significance of datasets for training machine learning models, evaluating detection mechanisms, and enhancing the resilience of SDN-based defense systems. Goal of the paper is to assist researchers in effectively selecting and usage of datasets for DDoS mitigation in SDN, thereby maximizing benefits and overcoming challenges involved in dataset selection. This paper outlines the challenges associated with dataset collection, labeling, and management, along with potential solutions to address these challenges. Effective detection and mitigation of DDoS attacks in SDN require robust datasets that capture the diverse and evolving nature of attack scenarios. Characterization of tasks for each section is as follows: Importance of datasets in DDoS attack mitigation in SDN, challenges in dataset utilization in DDoS mitigation in SDN, Guidelines for dataset selection, comparison of datasets used and their results and different dataset usage according to the need.  Methodology involves collecting results in tabular form based on prior research to analyze the characteristics of existing datasets, techniques for dataset augmentation and enhancement, and evaluating the effectiveness of different datasets in detecting and mitigating DDoS attacks through comprehensive experimentation. Results of our findings indicate that effective detection and mitigation of DDoS attacks in SDN require robust datasets that capture the diverse and evolving nature of attack scenarios. Our findings provide valuable insights into the importance of datasets in enhancing the resilience of SDN infrastructures against DDoS attacks. In conclusion, our findings provide valuable insights into the importance of datasets in enhancing the resilience of SDN infrastructures against DDoS attacks and highlight the need for further research in this critical area. Thorough guidelines for dataset selection and impacts of different datasets used in recent studies, provide research challenges and future directions in this area.