Using MedBIoT Dataset to Build Effective Machine Learning-Based IoT Botnet Detection Systems

The exponential increase in the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology combined with the usual lack of security measures carried by such devices have brought up new risks and security challenges to networks. IoT devices are prone to be easily compromised and used as magnification platforms for record-breaking cyber-attacks (i.e., Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks). Intrusion detection systems based on machine learning aim to detect such threats effectively, overcoming the security limitations on networks. In this regard, data quantity and quality is key to build effective detection models. These data are scarce and limited to small-sized networks for IoT environments. This research addresses this gap generating a labelled behavioral IoT data set, composed of normal and actual botnet network traffic in a medium-sized IoT network (up to 83 devices). Mirai, BashLite and Torii real botnet malware are deployed and data from early stages of botnet deployment is acquired (i.e., infection, propagation and communication with C&C stages). Supervised (i.e. classification) and unsupervised (i.e., anomaly detection) machine learning models are built with the data acquired as a demonstration of the suitability and reliability of the collected data set for effective machine learning-based botnet detection intrusion detection systems (i.e., testing, design and deployment). The IoT behavioral data set is released, being publicly available as MedBIoT data set.