Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper reviews and assesses the analogy between the human immune system and network intrusion detection systems. The promising results from a growing number of proposed computer immune models for intrusion detection motivate this work. The paper begins by briefly introducing existing intrusion detection systems (IDS’s). A set of general requirements for network-based IDS’s and the design goals to satisfy these requirements are identified by a careful examination of the literature. An overview of the human immune system is presented and its salient features that can contribute to the design of competent network-based IDS’s are analysed. The analysis shows that the coordinated actions of several sophisticated mechanisms of the human immune system satisfy all the identified design goals. Consequently, the paper concludes that the design of a novel network-based IDS based on the human immune system is promising for future network-based IDS’s.

Citations