NEMESYS: Enhanced Network Security for Seamless Service Provisioning in the Smart Mobile Ecosystem

TL;DR

The paper presents NEMESYS, a project developing advanced security technologies and data collection infrastructure, including honeypots, to detect, analyze, and counter mobile cyber-attacks in the evolving smart mobile ecosystem.

Contribution

Introduction of a comprehensive security framework with virtualized honeypots and data analysis methods to improve mobile network security and understand attack patterns.

Findings

Development of a mobile attack data collection infrastructure

Identification of cyber-attack trends in mobile networks

Enhanced early warning capabilities for mobile threats

Abstract

As a consequence of the growing popularity of smart mobile devices, mobile malware is clearly on the rise, with attackers targeting valuable user information and exploiting vulnerabilities of the mobile ecosystems. With the emergence of large-scale mobile botnets, smartphones can also be used to launch attacks on mobile networks. The NEMESYS project will develop novel security technologies for seamless service provisioning in the smart mobile ecosystem, and improve mobile network security through better understanding of the threat landscape. NEMESYS will gather and analyze information about the nature of cyber-attacks targeting mobile users and the mobile network so that appropriate counter-measures can be taken. We will develop a data collection infrastructure that incorporates virtualized mobile honeypots and a honeyclient, to gather, detect and provide early warning of mobile attacks and better understand the modus operandi of cyber-criminals that target mobile devices. By correlating the extracted information with the known patterns of attacks from wireline networks, we will reveal and identify trends in the way that cyber-criminals launch attacks against mobile devices.