Router Canaries for Home Networks

Malia Rojas Undergraduate Student Researcher

Primary Research Question: In the event of a network cyber attack, how can open-source code integrated into a router assist in identifying the specific hardware targeted, extracting relevant IP addresses, and potentially providing legal information about the breach?

In the event of a cyber attack and compromise of a home network, the integration of an additional defense mechanism into a router plays a crucial role. This measure is designed to identify the specific hardware targeted, pinpoint involved IP addresses, and potentially gather pertinent legal information related to the breach. Employing canaries as a preemptive measure enables prompt alerts to both end-users and the network provider regarding any unauthorized access. The functionality of this safeguard extends to detecting anomalies in IoT device data during access attempts, allowing for the isolation and temporary termination of usage by networked appliances implicated in the breach. Analyzing input/output metrics, inner packet arrival times, and data parameters, including CPU availability, is crucial for identifying and understanding irregular patterns. This is essential for triggering proactive responses, such as disrupting service to the compromised application when necessary, and determining the appropriate instances to notify network providers, ensuring a timely and effective cybersecurity response.