Security - a perpetual war: lessons from nature

TL;DR

This paper explores how biological and natural strategies can inspire new offensive and defensive cybersecurity techniques, highlighting analogies between natural behaviors and cyber attack/defense mechanisms.

Contribution

It draws parallels between natural biological processes and cybersecurity strategies, proposing that nature can inspire innovative security solutions.

Findings

Natural analogies exist for cyber attack and defense strategies

Biologically inspired techniques can enhance cybersecurity defenses

Nature offers new ideas for offensive cyber tactics

Abstract

For ages people have sought inspiration in nature. Biomimicry has been the propelling power of such inventions, like Velcro tape or "cat's eyes" - retroreflective road marking. At the same time, scientists have been developing biologically inspired techniques: genetic algorithms, neural and sensor networks, etc. Although at a first glance there is no direct inspiration behind offensive and defensive techniques seen in the Internet and the patterns present in nature, closer inspection reveals many analogies between these two worlds. Botnets, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, IDS/IPSs (Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems), and others, all employ strategies which very closely resemble actions undertaken by certain species of the kingdoms of living things. The main conclusion of the analysis is that security community should turn to nature in search of new offensive and defensive techniques for virtual world security.