Literature Review for Software Defined Networks -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theLiterature Review for Software Defined Networks. Answer: Introduction SDN is a network architecture that enables the network to work intelligently and centrally programmed using a software application called the controller. This architecture enables the people to manage their network holistically without minding the underlying technology. There is a lot of competing forces for enterprises[1], service providers as well as carriers due to the rapid growth in multimedia content and cloud computing explosion, usage of mobile technologies and the business pressure to improve services while reducing the costs. These demands wreak havoc to businesses that use traditional business models[2]. To make sure they remain in business while providing the best services to their clientele, the businesses are turning to SDN. Currently SDN has faced some security issues related to the architecture. These are discussed below. In recent years many researchers have come up with facts about SDDN and some security issues have been identified. There many security threats posed by this network architecture but below are some of them Security Problems in SDN Due to its centralized structure, the SDN technology is viewed as easy to attack because it poses a single point of attack. This concern can also to solve fault tolerance as well as scalability perspectives. The controller contains the network image as well as the whole network intelligence[3] Vulnerability of the south bound interface between the controller and the data forwarding devices to threats that can affect the availability, integrity as well as the performance of the network. The method of encryption used in Open Flow for communication between the controller and its switches is optional and most of the controllers used do not use it. This is therefore a security concern that needs to be addressed. The fact that many developers should decide on their own encryption method poses a lot of risks that need to be addressed in the next versions[4] The upper level applications can intact directly with the controller. This is a security concern because these applications can be used either intentionally or unintentionally to compromise the controller or even the controller modules. Therefore there should be another protocol used alongside the open flow to ensure the communications between the upper level applications and the controller are protected in such a way that they cannot expose the controller. Denial of service attacks and flooding that can occur to the network when with some flows coming from new sources that can make the traffic to be forwarded to the controller to decide which flow is causing the attack. Another security concern or issue is the middle man attacks also called information leak issue especially as the controller sends control messages to OpenFow switches remotely. If this transmission is compromised by any chance, controller or legitimate hosts can be impersonated which may lead to serious information leakage[5]. Security Opportunities Apart from the security problems, SDN also poses some security opportunities according to the research. These opportunities are discussed below. SDN has the ability to deal with controls differently as compared to the traditional security controls. For example it can build a security service that is customized on demand. This means that the security service can be used to different clients differently. Due to the use of flows to in SDN as compared to the IP management. This means that SDN can therefore tackle security measures that give more specific. The new open flow interface have up to 40 different attributes. The attributes are then related to an exact network. The research also shows that the other technologies for security control need to be revisited using SDN[5] as the framework to know the changes required and how they can make optimum usage of SDN. More insider focus on SDN security. This is because an insider can willingly or unwillingly have more power and insight for open flow networks as compared to traditional network technologies. This privilege can work negatively or positively towards the underlying network. Malicious Application Proposed Solution Due to the many applications that connect to the SDN some applications might be used maliciously to access the controller[6] modules or even control the entire network framework. , also the applications with bugs in their code can make the network vulnerable to attackers. Therefore the SDN technology should make use of FortNOX. To make it more secure. Fortnox is used to check floe rules in the network as well as control them across the communicating devices. This mechanism will monitor all new flows emanating from different security applications Conclusion Software defined networking is a field of networking that focuses majorly on the separation of data planes and control. The technology is evolving rapidly. The difference between the normal switches and the software defined switches is that, the SDN switches have flow tables that are controlled remotely by a separate application called the controller. The technology is not new, it is like an advancement built on top of other good practices. This paper examines and obtains knowledge from various sources by conducting a literature review to know the current trends, the challenges and opportunities as well as future scope of SDN Bibliography [1] S. N. S. . S. S. Scott-Hayward, "A Survey of Security in Software Defined Networks," IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials, pp. 1-34, 2017. [2] R. Horvath, D. Nedbal and M. Stieninger, "A Literature Review on Challenges and Effects of Software Defined Networking," Science Direct, vol. 64, pp. 552-561, 2015. [3] I. Alsmadi, M. Akour and I. Alazzam, "A Systematic Literature Review on Software-Defined Networking," Resarchate, October 2017. [4] M. I. F. M. V. R. M. I. P. V. F. I. Diego Kreutz, "Software-Defined Networking:A Comprehensive Survey," 8 October 2014. [5] W. You, K. Qian, X. He and Y. Qian, "OpenFlow Security Threat Detection and Defense Services," Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications , vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 2347-2351, 2014. [6] J. Spooner, "A Review of Solutions for SDN-Exclusive Security," (IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, vol. 7 , no. 8, 2016.