An Extendable Software Architecture for Mitigating ARP Spoofing-Based Attacks in SDN Data Plane Layer

Abstract

Software-defined networking (SDN) is an emerging network architecture that brings benefits in network function virtualization, performance, and scalability. However, the scalability feature also increases the number of possible vulnerabilities through multiple entry points in the network. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) spoofing-based attacks are widely encountered and allow an attacker to assume the identity of a different computer, facilitating other attacks, such as Man in the Middle (MitM). In the SDN context, most solutions employ a controller to detect and mitigate attacks. However, interacting with the control plane involves asynchronous network communication, which causes delayed responses to an attack. The current work avoids these delays by being implemented solely in the data plane through extendable and customizable software architecture. Therefore, faster response times improve network reliability by automatically blocking attackers. As attacks can be generated with a variety of tools and in networks experiencing different traffic patterns, the current solution is created to allow flexibility and extensibility, which can be adapted depending on the running environment. Experiments were run performing ARP spoofing-based attacks using KaliLinux, Mininet, and OpenVSwitch. The presented results are based on traffic pattern analysis offering greater customization capabilities and insight compared to similar work in this area.