A Comprehensive Review on DDoS Attack in Software-Defined Network (SDN): Problems and Possible Solutions

Abstract

This paper provides key insights into the classification of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and defensive techniques to protect software-defined net-works (SDN) in these attacks. The networking industry is evolving due to a revo-lutionary paradigm known as software-defined networking. It is the type of net-work where data and control planes have been decoupled to minimize errors and enable efficient use of network resources. DDoS attacks have proved to be a major threat to any business such as small- and large-scale enterprises. These attacks have the potential to destroy businesses in a few hours. Even giants like Amazon have reported that it has thwarted one of the biggest DDoS attacks. Attackers tar-get various SDN-based networks to cause huge losses to entrepreneurs and busi-nesses. The most worrisome part is that they are still taking place across the globe in no time. Unlike a simple denial of service attack, many nodes initiate an attack on the network or server in a distributed environment. Attacks are seriously damaging the CIA triad: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Moreover, the performance and security metrics of infrastructure are also affected. As things stand, we need to realize that we can avoid DDoS to some extent but not com-pletely.