IoT Cybersecurity: On the Use of Boosting-Based Approaches for Botnet Detection
Mohamed Saied, Shawkat K. Guirguis, Magda M. Madbouly
Abstract
The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) adoption has brought about significant cybersecurity challenges, with botnet attacks being a critical concern. To address this issue, machine learning algorithms, particularly boosting-based approaches, have shown promise in detecting and mitigating botnet intrusions. However, the selection of an appropriate algorithm plays a crucial role in achieving accurate detection and reducing the probability of infection. This article focuses on the utilization of boosting-based algorithms for botnet detection in IoT environments. It evaluates the performance of five boosting-based machine learning algorithms in botnet binary detection. The empirical findings underscored the significant potential of boosting-based algorithms in effectively detecting botnet attacks within IoT environments. The histogram gradient boosting algorithm achieved the best performance for binary detection with an accuracy rate of 0.999977. In addition, a temporal evaluation is presented to evaluate the computational requirements of each algorithm to cope with the resources constrained nature of IoT.