INIDS: SWOT Analysis and TOWS Inferences of State-of-the-Art NIDS solutions for the development of Intelligent Network Intrusion Detection System

Abstract

Introduction:The growth of ubiquitous networked devices and the proliferation of geographically dispersed ‘Internet of Thing’ devices have exponentially increased network traffic. The socio-economical society is highly dependent on modern devices, and unavailability may lead to catastrophic results for even a short time. The less secure and heterogeneous devices in the public domain have shaped a cyber-attack surface in the cloud environment. Traditional approaches for Network Intrusion Detection Systems have proven ineffective and insufficient in defending against zero-day attacks. Methods:This article visited the advancements in the intrusion detection realm in the last five years and conducted a comprehensive retrospection of modern network intrusion detection systems. The authors have performed a comprehensive SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of contemporary Network Intrusion Detection Systems in multiple technology dimensions, including big-data processing of high volume network traffic, machine learning, deep learning for self-learning machines, readiness for zero-day attacks, distributed processing, cost-effective solution, and ability to perform autonomous operations. Results:The paper turns SWOT analysis into TOWS inferences from the retrospective study for strategy formulation and features the attributes of a futuristic NIDS solution. Discussion:The article concludes with the discussion and future scope as the pinnacle of security solution development against zero-day attacks.