Dissecting Denial of Service (DoS) Syn Flood Attack Dynamics and Impacts in Vehicular Communication Systems

Abstract

In the rapidly evolving landscape of vehicular networks, the resilience of vehicular communication systems against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks is critical. Existing research often overlooks the nuanced dynamics of such attacks, particularly in terms of packet size variability and vehicle mobility within Software-Define Internet of Vehicles (SD-IoV) systems. This study addresses this research gap by conducting a detailed analysis of SYN flood DoS attack patterns and their impact on SDN-controlled vehicular networks. This research examines the effects of different packet sizes in SYN packet—1 byte, 200 bytes, 360 bytes, and 1400 bytes—and explore how these packet size variations influence the efficacy of the attacks and the resultant downtime experienced by the victim car. This research findings reveal that SYN flood attacks employing minimal 1-byte packets can cause prolonged unresponsiveness in the victim vehicle, leading to a drastic drop in packet throughput. This research underscores the subtleties of DoS attack strategies and their significant implications on the functionality and safety of IoV environments. The alarming potential of such refined and coordinated DoS attack highlights an urgent need for the development of robust defense mechanisms that can adapt to the sophisticated landscape of vehicular cyber threats.