Hybrid Machine Learning Model for Efficient Botnet Attack Detection in IoT Environment

Abstract
The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has introduced unprecedented convenience
and connectivity; however, it has also significantly expanded the attack surface for cyber
malicious actors. Botnet attacks, leveraging compromised IoT devices, pose a severe threat due
to their ability to orchestrate large-scale distributed attacks, exfiltrate sensitive data, and disrupt
critical services. Traditional security measures often prove inadequate against the dynamic and
evolving nature of IoT botnets, characterized by device heterogeneity, resource constraints, and
the sheer volume of traffic generated. Machine learning techniques have emerged as promising
solutions for detecting botnet activities by identifying anomalous patterns in network traffic and
device behavior. However, individual machine learning models may struggle with the diversity
and complexity of botnet attacks in IoT environments. This document proposes a hybrid
machine learning model that combines the strengths of multiple algorithms to enhance the
accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability of botnet attack detection in IoT networks. The proposed
system aims to address the limitations of existing methods by employing a multi-layered
approach that incorporates feature engineering, advanced classification techniques, and
potentially unsupervised learning for identifying novel attack patterns.
Literature Review
The application of machine learning for botnet detection in IoT environments has been an active
area of research. Several studies have explored various machine learning algorithms and
frameworks to address this critical security challenge. This section reviews eight relevant
research papers, summarizing their contributions and highlighting their respective drawbacks.
1. Title: FoSDeT: a new hybrid machine learning model for accurate and fast detection of
IoT botnet (2025)
o Summary: This paper proposes a hybrid model, FoSDeT, combining a decision
tree algorithm with feature selection techniques (Forward Selection and
Backward Elimination) for improved IoT botnet detection. The model
demonstrates enhanced performance compared to a standard decision tree.
o Drawbacks: The reliance on specific feature selection methods might limit its
adaptability to new types of botnets with different feature relevance. The
evaluation might be limited to specific datasets, potentially impacting
generalizability.
2. Title: HYBRID MACHINE LEARNING MODEL FOR EFFICIENT BOTNET ATTACK
DETECTION IN IOT ENVIRONMENT - IRJMETS (2025)
o Summary: This research proposes a hybrid stacking approach integrating
Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), and
Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for botnet detection. The proposed model,
ACLR, shows high testing accuracy.
o Drawbacks: Stacking multiple deep learning models can be computationally
expensive, potentially making real-time detection challenging on resource-
constrained IoT gateways. The interpretability of such a complex stacked model
might also be low.
3. Title: (PDF) Hybrid Machine Learning Model for Efficient Botnet Attack Detection in IoT
Environment - ResearchGate (2024)
o Summary: This paper also explores a hybrid deep learning approach stacking
ANN, CNN, LSTM, and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) (ACLR) for botnet
identification in IoT. It reports high accuracy and AUC values.
o Drawbacks: Similar to the previous entry, the complexity and computational cost
of this stacked deep learning model can be a significant drawback for
deployment in resource-constrained IoT environments. The dataset used for
evaluation might influence the reported performance.
4. Title: [2502.06138] Enhanced Hybrid Deep Learning Approach for Botnet Attacks
Detection in IoT Environment - arXiv (2025)
o Summary: This paper proposes an enhanced hybrid deep learning approach
stacking Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, Bi-Directional Long Short-Term
Memory (Bi-LSTM), Bi-Directional Gated Recurrent Unit (Bi-GRU), and1 RNN for
botnet attack detection using the UNSW-NB15 dataset. High accuracy is
reported.
o Drawbacks: The model's complexity and the computational resources required
for training and inference might be substantial, potentially limiting its
applicability in distributed IoT architectures with limited processing power.
5. Title: Detection of IoT Botnet using Machine learning and Deep Learning Techniques
(2025)
o Summary: This study presents a framework for real-time botnet detection in IoT
traffic and compares various machine learning and deep learning algorithms. It
highlights the efficiency of GRU for botnet detection.
o Drawbacks: While comparing different models is beneficial, the paper might not
delve deeply into the complexities and potential synergies of combining different
techniques in a hybrid manner. The focus might be more on evaluating individual
models.
6. Title: (PDF) IoT botnet detection using machine learning - ResearchGate (2024)
o Summary: This paper discusses a multilayer framework using K-means
clustering in the first layer to filter traffic and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) in the
second layer for IP address blocking.
o Drawbacks: The two-layer approach with distinct functionalities might not fully
capture the intricate patterns of sophisticated botnet attacks that involve
complex temporal and spatial correlations. The effectiveness of K-means can be
sensitive to the initial cluster centroids.
7. Title: IoT Botnet Detection using Deep Learning and Machine Learning Techniques for
Network Traffic Analysis - ijrpr (2024)
o Summary: This research explores the use of classification techniques including
decision tree, random forest, and 1D-CNN for distinguishing between normal and
attack traffic in IoT botnet networks.
 o Drawbacks: While evaluating individual models is useful, a hybrid approach
combining the strengths of tree-based methods and deep learning might offer
better performance against diverse attack vectors.
8. Title: Review of Botnet Attack Detection in SDN-Enabled IoT Using Machine Learning -
MDPI (2022)
o Summary: This review investigates machine learning techniques for deterring
botnet attacks in SDN-enabled IoT networks, discussing common techniques and
their performance metrics. It highlights the challenges of timely detection and
adaptability.
o Drawbacks: As a review, it provides an overview but does not propose or
evaluate a specific hybrid model. It identifies challenges but doesn't offer
concrete solutions for building a robust and adaptive detection system.
Problem Statement
The rapidly expanding landscape of IoT devices, coupled with their inherent resource
constraints and often weak security postures, presents a fertile ground for the proliferation of
sophisticated botnets. Detecting and mitigating these botnets in real-time is a critical challenge
due to several factors:
 Heterogeneity of IoT Devices: The vast diversity in hardware, operating systems, and
communication protocols among IoT devices makes it difficult to develop a uniform
detection mechanism.
 Resource Constraints: Many IoT devices have limited processing power, memory, and
battery life, restricting the deployment of complex security solutions, including
sophisticated machine learning models.
 High Volume and Velocity of Data: IoT networks generate massive amounts of data at
high speeds, requiring efficient and scalable detection methods that can process this
data in near real-time.
 Evolving Botnet Techniques: Botnet operators continuously develop new techniques to
evade detection, including using encrypted communication, polymorphic malware, and
low-and-slow attack strategies. Traditional signature-based methods are often
ineffective against these evolving threats.
 Lack of Labeled Datasets: Obtaining large, diverse, and representative datasets of IoT
botnet attacks for training supervised machine learning models is challenging due to
privacy concerns and the dynamic nature of attacks.
 High False Positive and False Negative Rates: Existing detection systems often suffer
from high false positives, leading to legitimate traffic being flagged as malicious, or high
false negatives, allowing malicious traffic to pass undetected.
Existing machine learning-based solutions, while promising, often face limitations when
deployed individually. Some models might be good at detecting known attack patterns but fail to
identify novel ones (signature-based learning drawback). Others might be able to detect
anomalies but struggle to classify the specific type of attack or generate high false positives
(anomaly-based learning drawback). Furthermore, complex deep learning models can be
computationally prohibitive for many IoT devices or require centralized processing, introducing
latency.
Therefore, there is a need for an efficient and adaptive botnet attack detection system for IoT
environments that can overcome these challenges by leveraging a hybrid approach that
combines the strengths of different machine learning techniques.
Proposed System
The proposed system is a hybrid machine learning model designed for efficient botnet attack
detection in IoT environments. It adopts a multi-layered architecture to address the challenges
outlined in the problem statement. The core idea is to combine different machine learning
techniques to improve detection accuracy, reduce false positives and negatives, and enhance
adaptability to evolving threats.
Features of the Proposed System:
1. Layered Detection Approach: The system employs a multi-layered approach where
initial layers perform lightweight analysis for quick identification of known threats and
filtering of normal traffic, while subsequent layers utilize more complex models for in-
depth analysis of suspicious activities and detection of novel attacks.
2. Hybrid Machine Learning Models: The system integrates multiple machine learning
algorithms, potentially combining supervised and unsupervised learning techniques.
This hybrid approach leverages the strengths of different models; for instance,
supervised learning for classifying known attack patterns and unsupervised learning for
identifying anomalies that might indicate new botnet variants.
3. Effective Feature Engineering and Selection: The system incorporates robust feature
engineering and selection mechanisms to identify the most relevant features from
network traffic and device behavior data. This reduces the dimensionality of the data,
improves the efficiency of the models, and helps in capturing the essential
characteristics of botnet activities.
4. Real-time or Near Real-time Processing: The architecture is designed to handle the high
volume and velocity of IoT data, aiming for real-time or near real-time detection
capabilities to enable prompt response to attacks.
5. Adaptability and Online Learning: The system may incorporate mechanisms for online
learning or periodic retraining to adapt to new attack patterns and changes in normal
network behavior without requiring a complete system redeployment.
6. Edge and Cloud Deployment: The system can be deployed in a distributed manner, with
lightweight detection agents on IoT gateways or even some end devices (edge
deployment) and more complex analysis and model training performed in the cloud.
This balances computational load and provides scalability.
7. Explainability (where possible): While deep learning models can be black boxes, the
system aims to incorporate techniques or components that provide some level of
explainability for detected threats, aiding in understanding attack characteristics and
improving the models.
8. Handling Imbalanced Data: Techniques to address the issue of imbalanced datasets,
where malicious traffic is significantly less frequent than normal traffic, will be
incorporated to prevent models from being biased towards the majority class.
Algorithms for Proposed System
The proposed hybrid machine learning model will leverage a combination of algorithms,
carefully selected for their suitability at different layers of the detection architecture and their
ability to complement each other. Potential algorithms include:
1. For initial lightweight filtering and known pattern detection (Edge Layer):
o Decision Trees/Random Forests: Relatively lightweight, can handle various
feature types, and provide interpretable rules for identifying known attack
signatures based on specific traffic characteristics. Random Forests, as an
ensemble method, can improve robustness.
o Naive Bayes: Simple and fast, suitable for initial classification based on feature
probabilities, effective for certain types of botnet traffic patterns.
o Support Vector Machines (SVM) with linear kernel: Can be efficient for binary
classification (normal vs. malicious) at the edge if the feature space is relatively
low-dimensional after initial processing.
2. For deeper analysis and anomaly detection (Gateway/Cloud Layer):

Technology Stack for Proposed System

1. IoT Data Collection:
o Protocols: MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, ideally with security extensions (MQTTS, HTTPS).

2. Data Storage (постоянное):

o NoSQL Databases: Cassandra, MongoDB for storing large volumes of semi-
structured or unstructured IoT data.
3. Machine Learning Model Development and Training:
o Programming Languages: Python (with libraries like scikit-learn, TensorFlow,
PyTorch), Java, Scala.
o Machine Learning Libraries/Frameworks:

 Traditional ML: scikit-learn.

 Deep Learning: TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras.
 Distributed Computing: Apache Spark MLlib.