⁠Cyber security Intrusion Detection Systems using Machine Learning

Applications

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Abstract

The increasing complexity of cyber threats have made it more challenging to detect them
accurately using the traditional Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)..Machine Learning
(ML)-based IDS have gained prominence due to their ability to analyze vast amounts of network
traffic, detect anomalies, and classify cyber threats with high accuracy. However, challenges such
as data imbalance, high-dimensional feature spaces, and false positive rates remain. This paper
presents the complete analysis of ML techniques for IDS, in particular, supervised, unsupervised,
and hybrid approaches. Feature selection and dimensionality reduction methods, such as
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and clustering-based Stacking Feature Embedding, are
explored to enhance model efficiency. The study evaluates various ML algorithms, including
Decision Trees (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Trees (ET), using benchmark datasets
such as UNSW-NB15, CIC-IDS-2017, and CIC-IDS-2018. The experimental results show that
the deep learning models and ensemble techniques can achieve up to 99.99% accuracy, which is
a big improvement over traditional IDS methods. Additionally, the study discusses key
challenges, including adversarial attacks, scalability concerns, and interpretability issues. It
suggests future research directions, such as Explainable AI (XAI), federated learning, and
blockchain-based IDS solutions. The findings underscore the potential of ML-driven IDS in
enhancing cybersecurity resilience and mitigating emerging cyber threats.​
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Keywords: Intrusion Detection System (IDS), Machine Learning (ML), Cybersecurity, Network
Security, Anomaly Detection, Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Deep Learning,
Feature Selection, Dimensionality Reduction, Data Imbalance, Principal Component Analysis
(PCA), Ensemble Learning, Explainable AI (XAI), Federated Learning, Blockchain Security,
Adversarial Attacks, Network Traffic Analysis, Cyber Threat Detection, Benchmark Datasets
(UNSW-NB15, CIC-IDS-2017, CIC-IDS-2018).

Introduction

The digital revolution has intensified concerns over cybersecurity, making it a pressing issue
worldwide for organizations. governments, and individuals increasingly rely on interconnected
systems.bringing about ostentatious advances in smart cities, self-driving cars, mobile banking,
and healthcare technologies. However, this strong relationship with networked systems has
caused people, enterprises, and governments to be prone to the increasing number of
cyber-incidents. Cybercriminals take advantage of the weakness and infiltrate networks to steal
important information, disrupt activities, and cause problems in the financial and other respects.
Although traditional protection methods, such as firewalls, encryption, and antivirus software
appear to be the right solutions to the problem at first, these programs are not enough to stop the
people behind the latest sophisticated cyberattacks. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are
becoming indispensable tools for detecting, preventing, and mitigating malicious activities as the
cybersecurity threats are getting more complicated.

IDSs are made to monitor network traffic, find unusual patterns, and send cautioning notes when
particular risks are detected. They are generally categorized into misuse-based (signature-based)
IDS and anomaly-based IDS. Misuse-based IDS are designed to detect the potential threats
which have been identified beforehand by comparing the ongoing traffic with predefined attack
signatures, and anomaly-based IDS are designed to identify deviations from normal behavior,
solving the issue of finding zero-day attacks and new kinds of cyber threats. Nevertheless, the
most vulnerable part tends to be the handling of the modern network data in such a way that
either the sheer volume, speed or complexity of the resulting false positive rates and the
detection methods decrease in efficiency.

The overwhelming number of instances of Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL)
methods came out as the most efficient technologies in boosting IDS capabilities to confront
these struggles. Supervised, unsupervised, and hybrid learning techniques that power ML-based
IDS have been developed to scrutinize the enormous flow of network communicaitons, to
identify complex attack vectors, and to be agile in the face of new threats. Deep learning
algorithms, like deep autoencoders or convolutional neural networks (CNN), and deep belief
networks (DBN), are the most well-known for their intrusion detection systems that have
achieved significant increases in the accuracy level, especially on the big, and also the
unbalanced sets of intrusion detection systems. However, the introduction of ML-based IDS for
instance brings some challenges such as data imbalance, high-dimensional feature spaces,
computational complexity, and adversarial attacks. . Addressing these issues requires the
integration of feature selection techniques, dimensionality reduction methods such as Principal
Component Analysis (PCA), and ensemble learning strategies to enhance IDS efficiency.

Given the exponential growth of cyber threats and big data in cybersecurity, this study explores
the role of ML- and DL-based IDS in modern network security. The paper evaluates various ML
techniques using benchmark datasets such as UNSW-NB15, CIC-IDS-2017, and KDD’99,
highlighting performance metrics, detection accuracy, and real-world applicability. Additionally,
it examines emerging trends in federated learning, explainable AI (XAI), and blockchain-based
IDS solutions, which aim to improve detection transparency, scalability, and privacy.

The rest of this paper is organized as follows: Section 2 provides an overview of IDS, discussing
its types and significance in cybersecurity. Section 3 explores the application of ML algorithms
in IDS, including supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning approaches. Section 4 presents a
comparative analysis of existing IDS models, highlighting dataset challenges, feature selection
techniques, and hybrid methodologies. Section 5 concludes the study by summarizing findings,
discussing limitations, and suggesting future research directions in ML-driven IDS.​
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Another Network Security Term-IDS (Intrusion Detection Systems)

Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is the security system that is more elaborate and is deployed in
the communication network to ensure that one’s communication is secure from the intruder (both
wired and wireless) and also to monitor the network that is being penetrated.This software
module or other additional hardware interface lets the user continue to work through the local
network, while at the same time allowing the monitoring application to keep track of the user's
operation and alert the manager when a security breach is detected.

Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is a security mechanism that continuously monitors the
network and system activities to identify suspicious behavior and potential threats.

IDS may also function as a subpart of a network containment system through the smart use of
IDS and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to maintain a separate protection layer and the
deployment of a network firewall.

Transition to Digital Networks and the Evolution of IDS

Early Approaches to Intrusion DetectionIDS has thus become the part of a larger solution that a
company is using so that they can be protected when a threat is detected by it working with other
compensating controls.In the early days of computing, intrusion detection was largely dependent
on person-to-person communication and the application of manually coded rules and heuristics.
These consisted of templates for the IDS to use so as to detect an attack as well as simple
statistical calculations that would detect threats.Moreover, many security personnel and
administrators had to figure out traffic patterns and manually define suspicious behaviors, thus
rendering it non-scalable and less adaptive to new and more sophisticated cyberattacks. This is
because the IDS product is usually a single deliverable. Also, such products are very dependent
on the network configuration. The administrators have to continuously update the attack types
the ids look for.The main functionality of this tool is to deny the attackers' entry into the server
by identifying and preventing the intrusion of unauthorized people. The primary goal of IDS
technology is to perform checks on attackers and block them off before they can interfere with
the systems, misuse pages, and monitor networks and ISPs.IDS can also be part of azero sum
game, where one's security can be assured by this and the fact that the other party is insecure.
Thus, the losses should be minimal whether it is the result of weak security controls or an
intrusion, which is always the worst case scenario.

Early Approaches to Intrusion Detection

In the early days of the development of computers, the intrusion detection system was operated
on a manually coded rules and heuristics

With the rise of digital networks and cloud computing, IDS had to evolve to handle the
increasing complexity of cyber threats.. With the new traffic congestion brought about by the
rapid digitization of companies, the traditional IDS was failing to detect the advanced cyber
threats effectively. Thus, the use of Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) techniques
was enabled to accomplish the tasks such as anomaly detection automation, the ability to adapt to
the newest threats, and the enhancement of detection accuracy. The AI-backed solutions help
modern IDS work efficiently as they are capable of analyzing a huge amount of network traffic
and pointing out the known as well as the unknown cyber threats in real time.

Anomaly Detection Techniques in IDS

Anomaly-based IDS uses machine learning and statistical models to determine network behavior
as either benign or suspicious. Principal measures in idea detection consist of the following
steps:

Data Collection: This entails collecting system logs, network packets, and user activity data in
order to establish a normal behavior baseline.

Feature Engineering: The task of finding important features from the collected data that assist
in distinguishing between normal and malicious actions will be at the center of this work.

Model Training: Employing either supervised learning, unsupervised learning or a blend of

hybrid learning techniques to constructing a model that can recognize new data points.

Real-Time Monitoring: The method involving the relentless analysis of the network is
instrumental in the detection of the activity not being the norm for the network.

Threat Response: The action of generating alerts or the communication of alerts to any function
that could autonomously apply one or more of the possible countermeasures when they have
been identified as possible abnormalities.

Challenges in Anomaly-Based IDS

Besides the fact that anomaly detection can pinpoint zero-day threats, there are other difficulties:

High False Positive Rates: Often times incongruences in the network, which are still marked as
anomalies, lead to unnecessary alarms and thus are time-consuming and not cost-efficient.
Data Imbalance: The percentage of normal network traffic is much bigger than that of attacking
one, hence it is a robust challenge to come over and train correctly the needed machine learning
models.

Scalability Issues: Managing webinar recordings would require large amounts of information
which can be hard to visualize with the available computer resources; that is why IDS is present
on a small scale.

Adversarial Attacks: Vulnerability can be exploited in ML-based IDS when attackers introduce
carefully crafted malicious inputs in order to avoid detection.

Evolution of IDS: Signature-Based vs. Anomaly-Based Approaches

IDS contacts have been transformed through three phases:

Traditional Signature-Based IDS: They used predefined attack signatures to detect known threats
but struggled with zero-day attacks.

Anomaly-Based IDS: They implemented behavior-based detection, which helped in an unknown

threats identification but needed continuous updates and fine-tuning.

Machine Learning and Deep Learning-Based IDS: The current developments are made up of AI
models like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to
better find threats and detect them instantly through automation.

Machine Learning and Deep Learning in IDS

The integration of machine learning and deep learning in IDS has significantly improved its
ability to detect sophisticated cyber threats. Key advantages include:

●​ Automated Threat Detection: ML models learn from historical attack patterns and
continuously improve detection capabilities.
●​ Reduced False Positives: Advanced algorithms differentiate between normal network
fluctuations and actual attacks.
●​ Adaptability to New Threats: Unlike signature-based IDS, ML-based IDS can identify
previously unseen attack vectors.

Popular ML/DL models used in IDS include:

●​ Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs): Identify patterns in network traffic data.

 ●​ Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs): Detect sequential anomalies in time-series
network logs.
●​ Autoencoders: Used for unsupervised anomaly detection.
●​ Ensemble Learning: Combines multiple ML models to improve detection accuracy.

Emerging Trends in IDS Research

As cyber threats continue to evolve, researchers are exploring next-generation IDS solutions
that incorporate:

1.​ Explainable AI (XAI): Enhances the transparency of ML-based IDS models by

providing interpretable detection results.
2.​ Federated Learning: Enables IDS to collaboratively learn from distributed data sources
while preserving data privacy.
3.​ Blockchain-Based IDS: Ensures the integrity of security logs and prevents tampering of
IDS-generated alerts.
4.​ Real-Time Adaptive Security: Advances in AI-driven security frameworks allow IDS to
dynamically adjust detection rules based on evolving threat landscapes.

Literature review ​
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Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) have evolved significantly with the integration of Machine Learning
(ML) and Deep Learning (DL) techniques to improve accuracy in detecting cyber threats. Traditional
IDS approaches, including signature-based and anomaly-based detection, often struggle with zero-day
attacks, high false positive rates, and evolving adversarial threats. Recent research focuses on
advanced ML/DL models, dataset augmentation techniques, and real-time anomaly detection to
enhance IDS performance.

This literature review critically analyzes recent contributions in ML/DL-based IDS, focusing on
datasets, methodologies, technologies, and challenges encountered in developing robust intrusion
detection frameworks.

2. Datasets for IDS Research

Accurate IDS development depends on high-quality datasets that reflect real-world attack scenarios.
Recent studies have explored various benchmark datasets:
 Author(s) Dataset(s) Used Key Findings

Mamatha Maddu et InSDN dataset Feature selection techniques improved detection of

al. (2023) zero-day and low-rate DDoS attacks in IoT
networks.

Khushnaseeb Roshan CICIDS-2017 Adversarial attacks on IDS were studied,

et al. (2024) highlighting defense mechanisms against evasion
techniques.

Bayi Xu et al. (2024) NSL-KDD dataset Proposed enhancements to network-based IDS

(NIDS) while addressing performance and resource
constraints.

Sanu Yaras et al. CIC10T2023 & Investigated the scalability of IDS models in IoT
(2023) TON10T2017 security applications.

Vladmir Ciric et al. NSL-KDD (NSW) Emphasized the need for real-world testing of
(2024) dataset AI-driven IDS solutions.

Yanfang Fu et al. IoT-related security Developed models for energy-efficient IDS in IoT
(2022) datasets devices.

Yakub Kayode Diverse Implemented privacy-aware IDS for IoT

Saheed (2022) texture-based environments.
datasets

While these datasets provide a strong foundation for training and validating IDS models, they still pose
challenges such as data imbalance, lack of real-world variability, and difficulty in capturing evolving
attack vectors.
3. Machine Learning and Deep Learning Techniques in IDS
3.1 ML & DL Models Used in IDS

Researchers have applied various ML/DL models to improve IDS accuracy. The following table
summarizes some key techniques:

Author(s) ML/DL Models Used Key Contributions

Mamatha Maddu et al. ReNet152V2 Improved IDS feature selection and

(2023) zero-day attack detection.

Khushnaseeb Roshan et BLSTM, PSO (Particle Investigated adversarial robustness in

al. (2024) Swarm Optimization) IDS models.

Bayi Xu et al. (2024) IoT-Based Detection Systems Addressed performance optimization

(DS) and computational efficiency.

Sanu Yaras et al. (2023) Deep Learning (CNN, RNN) Proposed novel feature extraction
techniques for IDS.

Vladmir Ciric et al. ML-based IDS frameworks Explored resource-efficient IDS

(2024) deployment.

Yanfang Fu et al. (2022) Deep Learning-based IDS Developed privacy-focused IDS

models for IoT.

3.2 Feature Selection and Data Preprocessing

Preprocessing and feature selection play a critical role in improving IDS accuracy and efficiency.
Various methods have been used to reduce feature dimensionality and enhance model performance:
 ●​ Mamatha Maddu et al. (2023): Applied feature selection techniques to identify important
network traffic attributes for zero-day attack detection.
●​ Talukder et al. (2024): Implemented Stacking Feature Embedding (SFE) and Principal
Component Analysis (PCA) for dimensionality reduction, leading to improved IDS accuracy.
●​ Ramesh et al. (2024): Used Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) to remove redundant
features and enhance IDS computational efficiency.

4. Performance and Accuracy of ML/DL-Based IDS

The success of an IDS model is largely determined by its detection accuracy, false positive rate, and
overall system efficiency. Below is a comparative summary of IDS model performances from recent
research:

Author(s) Accuracy Limitations

(%)

Mamatha Maddu et al. 99.31% Required further enhancements for low-rate DDoS
(2023) attack detection.

Khushnaseeb Roshan et al. 99.99% Required better defense mechanisms against

(2024) adversarial attacks.

Bayi Xu et al. (2024) 99.95% High resource consumption due to deep learning
model complexity.

Sanu Yaras et al. (2023) 90.73% Required real-world testing for more reliable results.

Vladmir Ciric et al. (2024) 99.99% Needed a real-time IDS deployment framework.

5. Challenges and Limitations in ML-Based IDS

Despite recent advancements, ML-based IDS face several key challenges:

5.1 Adversarial Attacks on IDS

●​ Khushnaseeb Roshan et al. (2024) studied black-box adversarial attacks such as FGSM,
JSMA, and PGD, which manipulate IDS models to evade detection.
●​ Ahmed et al. (2025) introduced fuzzy clustering-based IDS to improve robustness against
adversarial attacks.

5.2 Computational Efficiency and Scalability

●​ Bayi Xu et al. (2024) and Dini et al. (2023) highlighted the need to optimize ML/DL-based IDS
for real-time applications due to high energy consumption and processor limitations.

5.3 Lack of Real-World Testing

●​ Vladmir Ciric et al. (2024) emphasized that many IDS models lack real-world testing, making
it difficult to assess their performance in practical cybersecurity environments.

6. Emerging Trends in IDS Research

6.1 Federated Learning for Privacy-Preserving IDS

Federated Learning (FL) is gaining popularity in IDS research as a privacy-enhancing approach that
enables distributed IDS training without exposing raw data.

●​ Ali et al. (2022) explored FL-based IDS for IoT and cloud networks, demonstrating its
potential for privacy-preserving anomaly detection.

6.2 Blockchain for Secure IDS Logging

Blockchain technology is being explored to enhance IDS data integrity and prevent tampering.

●​ Dini et al. (2023) proposed a blockchain-integrated IDS framework for secure, decentralized
log storage.

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