A new cyber-attack alert system could help create better data security systems.
Developed by Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), the new cyber-attack alert system shows network attacks in real time. Attacks are shown as 3D real-time graphics with rapidly moving particles.
The system is known as ‘NICT Daedalus Cyber-attack alert system’. Daedalus stands for ‘Direct Alert Environment for Darknet and Livenet Unified Security’. Daedalus is designed to ‘man’ several computers and watch out for suspicious activity. Once an attack is detected, the system shows a 3-D real time visualization of its progression as it attacks the network.
Daedalus can even detect an attack at the point of “virus infection,” for instance from a USB flash drive. The system immediately alerts a user or sends an email to support if it detects an attack from a USB flash drive.
The system basically looks for unnatural flows of data through the network and “investigates”. Traditionally, detecting cyber-attacks takes a lot more time, since administrators have to literally go through numerous lines of server logs to detect inconsistencies. The new system makes the detection effortless by determining where the attackers are directing their flood of packets. These show on the screen as an array of arrows moving along in flickering lines.
The Institute also created another early detection system known as Nicter, for ‘Network Incident Analysis Center for Tactical Emergency Response’. Nicter is crucial for early detection and in-depth analysis of cyber-attacks.