DETECTING AND CONTAINING MALICIOUS SERVICES IN AN INTERCLOUD ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

In the recent past there have been several instances of hackers using cloud computing to launch DoS/DDoS attacks on targets worldwide. The seemingly infinite compute resources on offer make cloud computing an attractive option for launching planetary-scale attacks. Cloud Service Providers (CSP) which rent out computing resources, need to ensure that their platforms are not used by malicious users/services in launching attacks. This paper proposes a novel mechanism for detection and containment of malicious applications based on application profiling. Further, a global blacklist of malicious applications and their performance profiles is maintained and continuously updated to collaboratively aid in quick detection across CSPs. This privacy-preserving scheme effectively neutralizes malicious applications preventing them from misusing the large computational resources on offer.