Intrusion Detection

Problem Description:
The increasing use of technology in various fields has led to a significant rise in cyber
threats and attacks. One of the main ways to mitigate such attacks is through Intrusion
Detection Systems (IDS). An IDS is designed to identify and alert system administrators of
potential security breaches or malicious activities in a network or system.

The goal of this project is to develop an effective Intrusion Detection System using the
UNSW-NB15 dataset, which contains network traffic data for intrusion detection. This
dataset is obtained from a real-world network environment and contains both normal and
malicious traffic data, making it suitable for developing and evaluating IDS models.

Dataset Description: UNSW-NB15

The UNSW-NB15 dataset is a collection of network traffic data for intrusion detection
developed by the University of New South Wales, Australia. The dataset is a representative
of a real-world network environment, and it includes both normal and malicious traffic
data. The dataset contains more than two million records, each with 49 features, including
the source and destination IP addresses, protocols used, packet and byte counts, and
various other attributes.

The dataset is labeled, with five different types of attacks represented, including DoS,
Probe, R2L, U2R, and normal. The attacks are classified based on their attack vectors and
techniques, making it an ideal dataset for developing and evaluating IDS models.

Requirements and Objectives

The main objective of this project is to develop an effective Intrusion Detection System
using the UNSW-NB15 dataset. To achieve this, we will undertake the following
requirements:
1. Data Preprocessing: The UNSW-NB15 dataset will be preprocessed to remove missing
values, handle categorical features, and normalize the data.
2. Feature Selection: The most relevant features will be selected to reduce the dimensionality
of the dataset.
3. Model Development: Several Machine Learning algorithms will be evaluated to develop
the most effective Intrusion Detection System.
4. Model Evaluation: The developed model will be evaluated using several performance
metrics such as Accuracy, Precision, Recall, and F1-score.

Deliverables

The final deliverable of this project will be an effective Intrusion Detection System that
can accurately detect and classify various types of network attacks. The project will also
include a detailed report documenting the data preprocessing steps, feature selection,
model development, and evaluation results. Additionally, the project will provide a well-
documented codebase with instructions for reproducing the results.
 Possible Framework :
1. Load the dataset into the Python environment.
2. Perform exploratory data analysis to gain insights into the dataset, such as the distribution
of the classes and feature correlations.
3. Preprocess the dataset to handle missing values, categorical features, and normalize the
data.
4. Select the most relevant features to reduce the dimensionality of the dataset.
5. Split the preprocessed dataset into training and testing sets.
6. Develop and train different Machine Learning models, such as Logistic Regression,
Decision Trees, Random Forest, and Neural Networks.
7. Evaluate the performance of each model on the testing set using metrics such as Accuracy,
Precision, Recall, and F1-score.
8. Select the best-performing model and fine-tune its hyperparameters using techniques
such as Grid Search and Cross-Validation.
9. Evaluate the final model on the testing set and report its performance metrics.
10. Save the trained model for future use.
11. Create a user interface for the IDS to allow for real-time detection and alerting of network
attacks.
12. Deploy the Intrusion Detection System on a production environment and monitor its
performance.
 Code Explanation :
Here is the simple explanation for the code you can find at code.py file.

In this project, we aim to build a machine learning model for intrusion detection using the
UNSW-NB15 dataset. The dataset contains network traffic data that can be used to detect
intrusions. We will use Python programming language and various machine learning
algorithms to build our model.

Data Preprocessing: Before we start building our model, we need to preprocess the
dataset. This involves cleaning and transforming the data to make it suitable for analysis.
We will perform the following steps for data preprocessing:

1. Data cleaning: In this step, we will remove any missing or duplicate values from the
dataset.
2. Feature engineering: We will create new features from the existing features that may
improve the performance of our model.
3. Data transformation: We will transform the data into a format that can be used by the
machine learning algorithms. This may involve scaling, encoding, or normalizing the data.

Feature Selection: Feature selection is the process of selecting a subset of relevant

Model Building: After feature selection, we will build our machine learning model. We
will use various algorithms such as logistic regression, decision trees, random forests, and
neural networks to build our model. We will train our model on a training dataset and
evaluate its performance on a test dataset. We will use various metrics such as accuracy,
precision, recall, and F1-score to evaluate the performance of our model.

Model Tuning: Model tuning involves optimizing the hyperparameters of the model to
improve its performance. We will use various techniques such as grid search and random
search to tune the hyperparameters of our model.

Model Deployment: Once we have built and tuned our model, we can deploy it for real-
time intrusion detection. We can create a web application or an API that can accept
network traffic data and predict whether it is normal or malicious.
Conclusion: In this project, we have learned how to build a machine learning model for
intrusion detection using the UNSW-NB15 dataset. We have covered various steps such
as data preprocessing, feature selection, model building, model tuning, and model
deployment. By building this project, we can contribute to the field of cybersecurity and
help prevent cyber attacks.
Future Work :

Step 1: Collecting more data

The UNSW-NB15 dataset contains network traffic data collected in a specific environment.
To develop a more robust Intrusion Detection System, we need to collect data from
different sources and environments. We can use public datasets such as KDD Cup 1999,
NSL-KDD, and CICIDS2017, or collect data from our own network.

Step 2: Enhancing Feature Engineering

In this step, we can enhance the feature engineering process by creating new features
that capture the unique characteristics of different types of network attacks. We can use
domain knowledge and statistical analysis to identify new features that can improve the
performance of the model.

Step 3: Testing with Different Models

In this step, we can test the performance of different Machine Learning models, such as
Gradient Boosting, Support Vector Machines, and Ensemble models. We can use scikit-
learn or other Machine Learning libraries to train and evaluate different models on the
dataset.

Step 4: Implementing Deep Learning Models

In this step, we can implement Deep Learning models such as Convolutional Neural
Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to detect network attacks. These
models can learn complex patterns and relationships in the data and can potentially
improve the performance of the Intrusion Detection System.

Step 5: Deploying the Model on Real-time Network

In this step, we can deploy the trained model on a real-time network to detect network
attacks in real-time. We can use tools such as Snort or Suricata to capture network traffic
and feed it to the model. We can also use containerization technologies such as Docker
to deploy the model in a scalable and efficient manner.
 Step 6: Improving Model Explainability

In this step, we can improve the explainability of the model by using techniques such as
LIME or SHAP to understand the model's decision-making process. This can help us
identify the most important features and the key factors that contribute to network
attacks.

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

To implement the future work plan, we need to follow the following steps:

1. Collect additional network traffic data from different sources and environments.
2. Use statistical analysis and domain knowledge to create new features that capture the
unique characteristics of different network attacks.
3. Test the performance of different Machine Learning models using scikit-learn or other
libraries.
4. Implement Deep Learning models such as CNNs and RNNs to detect network attacks.
5. Deploy the trained model on a real-time network using tools such as Snort or Suricata.
6. Improve the explainability of the model using LIME or SHAP techniques.

By implementing these steps, we can develop a more robust and efficient Intrusion
Detection System that can detect network attacks in real-time and improve network
security.
 Exercise Questions :
1. How did you preprocess the UNSW-NB15 dataset for intrusion detection?
Answer: We performed data cleaning by removing missing and duplicate values from the
dataset. We also performed feature engineering by creating new features from the
existing features that may improve the performance of our model. We transformed the
data into a format that can be used by the machine learning algorithms by scaling,
encoding, or normalizing the data.

2. What feature selection techniques did you use to select the most important features
for building the model?
Answer: We used various feature selection techniques such as correlation matrix, mutual
information, and principal component analysis (PCA) to select the most important features
from the dataset.

3. Which machine learning algorithms did you use to build your model and why?
Answer: We used various algorithms such as logistic regression, decision trees, random
forests, and neural networks to build our model. These algorithms are commonly used for
classification tasks and have shown good performance in intrusion detection.

4. How did you evaluate the performance of your model and what metrics did you
use?
Answer: We evaluated the performance of our model on a test dataset using various
metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. These metrics help us to measure
the performance of our model and compare it with other models.

5. How did you deploy your model for real-time intrusion detection?
Answer: We can deploy our model by creating a web application or an API that can accept
network traffic data and predict whether it is normal or malicious. We can also use various
tools such as Docker and Kubernetes to deploy our model in a production environment.
Concept Explanation :

The algorithm we used in this project is called Random Forest. But don't worry, it's not a
forest filled with randomly placed trees!

Instead, Random Forest is a Machine Learning algorithm that creates an ensemble of

Let's say we want to predict if a person likes pizza or not. We have data on their age,
gender, favorite toppings, and whether or not they own a cat. We can use Random Forest
to make this prediction.

First, the algorithm creates a bunch of decision trees, each based on a random subset of
the data and a random subset of features. Each tree decides whether or not the person
likes pizza based on its own set of rules. For example, one tree might say that anyone who
likes pepperoni and is over 30 years old likes pizza, while another tree might say that
anyone who doesn't like mushrooms and owns a cat doesn't like pizza.

Next, the algorithm combines the predictions of all the trees to make a final prediction. It
does this by taking a majority vote - if most of the trees say the person likes pizza, then
the algorithm predicts that they like pizza. If most of the trees say they don't like pizza,
then the algorithm predicts that they don't like pizza.

Random Forest is a powerful algorithm because it can handle both categorical and
continuous data, and it can handle missing values and outliers. Plus, by using an ensemble
of decision trees, it reduces overfitting and improves the generalization of the model.

So, that's Random Forest in a nutshell! It may sound complicated, but it's actually a fun
and effective way to make predictions in Machine Learning. And who knows, maybe it can
even help you decide if you want pizza for dinner tonight!