DNN-based Denial of Quality of Service Attack on Software-defined Hybrid Edge-Cloud Systems

In order to satisfy diverse quality-of-service (QoS) requirements of complex real-time video applications, civilian and tactical use cases are employing software-defined hybrid edge-cloud systems. One of the primary QoS requirements of such applications is ultra-low end-to-end latency for video applications that necessitates rapid frame transfer between end-devices and edge servers using software-defined networking (SDN). Failing to guarantee such strict requirements leads to quality degradation of video applications and subsequently mission failure. In this paper, we show how a collaborative group of attackers can exploit SDN's control communications to launch Denial of Quality of Service (DQoS) attack that artificially increases end-to-end latency of video frames and yet evades detection. In particular, we show how Deep Neural Network (DNN) model training on all or partial network state information can help predict network packet drop rates with reasonable accuracy. We also show how such predictions can help design an attack model that can inflict just the right amount of added latency to the end-to-end video processing that is enough to cause considerable QoS degradation but not too much to raise suspicion. We use a realistic edge-cloud testbed on GENI platform for training data collection and demonstration of high model accuracy and attack success rate.