IoT Threat Mitigation: Leveraging Deep Learning for Intrusion Detection

The growth of smart gadgets connected via the Internet of Things (IoT) in today’s modern technology landscape has substantially improved our everyday lives. However, this convenience is juxtaposed with a concomitant surge in cyber threats capable of compromising the integrity of these interconnected systems. Conventional intrusion detection systems (IDS) prove inadequate for IoT due to the unique challenges they present. We propose and evaluate an intrusion detection system (IDS) based on a hybrid Convolutional Neural Network-Long Short-Term Memory (CNN-LSTM) model in this paper. The model is designed to capture both temporal and spatial patterns in network data, offering a robust solution for detecting malicious activities within IoT environments. The CNN-LSTM model displayed excellent accuracy, reaching 98% in both multi-class and binary classifications when trained on the UNSW-NB15 dataset. Furthermore, we explore the real-world applicability of the model through testing on Raspberry Pi, showcasing its effectiveness in IoT scenarios. The system is augmented with alert mechanisms, promptly notifying relevant parties upon intrusion detection. Our findings highlight the CNN-LSTM model's efficacy in strengthening IoT network security.