A Survey of the Main Security Issues and Solutions for the SDN Architecture

Maria B Jimenez,Jorge Eduardo Rivadeneira,David Fernandez,Luis Bellido,Andres Cardenas

doi:10.1109/access.2021.3109564

Maria B Jimenez, Jorge Eduardo Rivadeneira + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2021.3109564

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Abstract

The software-defined networking (SDN) paradigm proposes the decoupling of control and data planes and a centralized software-oriented management approach based on a central controller, easing the development of new applications and services. These design principles pave the way for a more flexible, fast, and dynamic software-controlled network. However, in terms of security, the elements that comprise the SDN architecture present several vulnerabilities, which could be exploited by attackers to carry out malicious actions and thus affect the network and its services. Although for several years, some studies have already focused on identifying the weaknesses of the SDN layer structure, the nature of the attacks, and possible solutions for this paradigm, the literature contains few contributions that review and discuss this topic in an integral fashion. This paper provides a comprehensive, updated, and detailed review of the main security issues and mitigating measures for all layers and interfaces of the SDN architecture, classifying the contributions according to the STRIDE threat modeling methodology categories. Finally, this manuscript identifies, discusses, and synthesizes open challenges and future research directions in this area.

Highlights

T HE software-defined networking (SDN) paradigm is deeply transforming telecommunications networks and has been broadly adopted as an enabling technology in initiatives, such as 5G or the Internet of Everything (IoE) [1], [2]
This paper provides a comprehensive, updated, and detailed review of the main security issues and mitigating measures for all layers and interfaces of the SDN architecture, classifying the contributions according to the STRIDE threat modeling methodology categories
There are several boosters influencing this growth, but much of it is undoubtedly driven by cloud service providers (CSPs), who have seen in the innovation that SDN, in relation to traditional networks, represents a solution to build highly scalable, reliable, and automatized data-center infrastructures [3]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

T HE software-defined networking (SDN) paradigm is deeply transforming telecommunications networks and has been broadly adopted as an enabling technology in initiatives, such as 5G or the Internet of Everything (IoE) [1], [2]. The east-/westbound interface is responsible for interconnecting distributed controllers [4], [5] This architecture offers several advantages in terms of infrastructure management and growth projection. The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) issued a paper in which the main security challenges faced by SDN architecture are exposed and in turn, the organization proposed a set of principles in that area [17]. Jiménez et al.: A Survey of the Main Security Issues and Solutions for the SDN Architecture

RELATED LITERATURE AND CONTRIBUTIONS

SECURITY IN SDN ARCHITECTURE BACKGROUND

Literature

Findings

CONCLUSION