A Novel Hybrid Feature Selection with Cascaded LSTM: Enhancing Security in IoT Networks

Abstract

The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has created a situation where a huge amount of sensitive data is constantly being created and sent through many devices, making data security a top priority. In the complex network of IoT, detecting intrusions becomes a key part of strengthening security. Since IoT environments can be easily affected by a wide range of cyber threats, intrusion detection systems (IDS) are crucial for quickly finding and dealing with potential intrusions as they happen. IDS datasets can have a wide range of features, from just a few to several hundreds or even thousands. Managing such large datasets is a big challenge, requiring a lot of computer power and leading to long processing times. To build an efficient IDS, this article introduces a combined feature selection strategy using recursive feature elimination and information gain. Then, a cascaded long–short-term memory is used to improve attack classifications. This method achieved an accuracy of 98.96% and 99.30% on the NSL-KDD and UNSW-NB15 datasets, respectively, for performing binary classification. This research provides a practical strategy for improving the effectiveness and accuracy of intrusion detection in IoT networks.