Numerical Feature Selection and Hyperbolic Tangent Feature Scaling in Machine Learning-Based Detection of Anomalies in the Computer Network Behavior

Abstract

Anomaly-based intrusion detection systems identify the computer network behavior which deviates from the statistical model of typical network behavior. Binary classifiers based on supervised machine learning are very accurate at classifying network data into two categories: normal traffic and anomalous activity. Most problems with supervised learning are related to the large amount of data required to train the classifiers. Feature selection can be used to reduce datasets. The goal of feature selection is to select a subset of relevant input features to optimize the evaluation and improve performance of a given classifier. Feature scaling normalizes all features to the same range, preventing the large size of features from affecting classification models or other features. The most commonly used supervised machine learning models, including decision trees, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbors, weighted k-nearest neighbors and feedforward neural network, can all be improved by using feature selection and feature scaling. This paper introduces a new feature scaling technique based on a hyperbolic tangent function and damping strategy of the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm.