SDN Dynamic Controller Configuration to Mitigate Compromised Controllers

Security of Supervisory Control and Data Acqui-sition (SCADA) network is essential for the Naval shipboard systems. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is introduced in this paper towards security, which is configured with a controller or multiple controllers that are given total control over the network. This design makes it flexible to control the SD N framework. While the fact that these controllers are responsible for managing software-defined networks, it also makes the network vulnerable to the circumstance in which a controller is compromised. This necessitates a dynamic controller configuration that allows an SDN network to be able to defend itself against a threat that is attempting to or successful in compromising a controller. In order to accomplish this, the SDN network requires multiple controllers and the ability to detect and shift network control to another controller in case one becomes compromised. An SDN with a dynamic controller configuration is introduced in this paper to allow the network to remain resilient if an attacker is to compromise a controller and also if a controller were to fail. Dynamic SDN controller configuration is driven by the multi-controller configuration and methods for detecting and responding to attacks. Specifically, these methods are practical in the Mininet environment to ensure the security of Naval SCADA networks but are applicable to most SDN applications. Dynamic controller configuration adds an extra layer of network security to SD N and alleviates a controller from becoming a single point of failure.