A novel autonomous container-based platform for cybersecurity training and research

Chouliaras, Nestoras; Kantzavelou, Ioanna; Maglaras, Leandros; Pantziou, Grammati; Amine Ferrag, Mohamed

doi:10.7717/peerj-cs.1574

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

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“…Furthermore, the cyber ranges serve various purposes: research and development, training and education [3,22], and hosting exercises and competitions like Cyber Defense Exercises (CDX) and Capture the Flag (CTF) events [23]. Some other researchers have created flexible, scalable, and easily reproducible cybersecurity environments for training and experimentation by leveraging AI [13], virtualization [3,24], and automation tools, using technologies like Docker, Ansible, and Python. These works on cyber range inspire us to propose Cyber5Gym, an integrated cyber range that enhances cybersecurity training by automating the emulation of diverse 5G network environments.…”

Section: Cyber Rangesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyber5Gym: An Integrated Framework for 5G Cybersecurity Training

Hamza,

Ejaz,

Kim

2024

Electronics

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The rapid evolution of 5G technology, while offering substantial benefits, concurrently presents complex cybersecurity challenges. Current cybersecurity systems often fall short in addressing challenges such as the lack of realism of the 5G network, the limited scope of attack scenarios, the absence of countermeasures, the lack of reproducible, and open-sourced cybersecurity training environments. Addressing these challenges necessitates innovative cybersecurity training systems, referred to as “cyber ranges”. In response to filling these gaps, we propose the Cyber5Gym, an integrated cyber range that enhances the automation of virtualized cybersecurity training in 5G networks with cloud-based deployment. Our framework leverages open-source tools (i) Open5GS and UERANSIM for realistic emulation of 5G networks, (ii) Docker for efficient virtualization of the training infrastructure, (iii) 5Greply for emulating attack scenarios, and (iv) Shell scripts for automating complex training operations. This integration facilitates a dynamic learning environment where cybersecurity professionals can engage in real-time attack and countermeasure exercises, thus significantly improving their readiness against 5G-specific cyber threats. We evaluated it by deploying our framework on Naver Cloud with 20 trainees, each accessing an emulated 5G network and managing 100 user equipments (UEs), emulating three distinct attack scenarios (SMC-Reply, DoS, and DDoS attacks), and exercising countermeasures, to demonstrate the cybersecurity training. We assessed the effectiveness of our framework through specific metrics such as successfully establishing the 5G network for all trainees, accurate execution of attack scenarios, and their countermeasure implementation via centralized control of the master using automated shell scripts. The open-source foundation of our framework ensures replicability and adaptability, addressing a critical gap in current cybersecurity training methodologies and contributing significantly to the resilience and security of 5G infrastructures.

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