Multiagent DDOS attack detection model: Optimal trained hybrid classifier and entropy-based mitigation process

This study proposes a novel multi-agent system designed to detect Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, addressing the increasing need for robust cybersecurity measures. The hypothesis posits that a structured multi-agent approach can enhance detection accuracy and response efficiency in DDoS attack scenarios. The methodology involves a five-stage detection model: (1) Preprocessing using a modified double sigmoid normalization technique to eliminate duplicate data; (2) Feature Extraction where raw data and improved correlation-based features, mutual information, and statistical features are identified; (3) Dimensionality Reduction conducted by a reducer agent to streamline the feature set; (4) Classification utilizing Deep Belief Networks (DBN), Bi-LSTM, and Deep Maxout models, with their weights optimally tuned using the hybrid optimization algorithm, WUJSO; and (5) Decision Making by the decision agent to ascertain the presence of attacks, followed by mitigation through modified entropy-based techniques. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a detection accuracy of 0.953 at a learning rate of 90%, significantly outperforming other methods, including Bi-GRU (0.857), DEEP-MAXOUT (0.910), Bi-LSTM (0.865), RNN (0.814), NN (0.894), and DBN (0.761). This research underscores the effectiveness of the multi-agent approach in enhancing DDoS attack detection and mitigation.