A Model for Managing Input Stream in Computer Networks to Prevent Denial-of-Service Attack Based on Game Theory

In computer incidents, the benefits of the attacker’s (defender) strategy depend heavily on the performance of the defender (attacker). Thus, the effectiveness of the crisis management mechanism relies on the strategic behaviors of the defender and the attacker, and the use of an effective tool, based on information technology can lead to a significant increase in the efficiency. The DoS attacks based on bandwidth reduction are a constant threat to network security. The proposed methods, due to the lack of quantitative approaches in modeling defense strategies against these attacks, cannot solve the problem effectively. Game theory can provide a framework for modeling such attacks. A game theory-based model can act as a decision support system for the defender and enhance its ability to make the best decisions to maintain an optimal level of network security against such attacks. In this paper, a proposed model for responding to the DoS attacks, based on game theory, is presented as a game between attacker and defender. The network is also modeled and the efficiency is calculated. The results show that the game converges to the Nash equilibrium and the best action is inferred from this strategy. The results obtained by simulation and numerical calculations are in favor of the proposed theoretical defense mechanism of the game and support the merit of using game theory to defend against DoS attacks to strengthen network security.