A Systematic Literature Review on Cyber Attack Detection in Software-Define Networking (SDN)

The increasing complexity and sophistication of cyberattacks pose significant challenges to traditional network security tools. Software-defined networking (SDN) has emerged as a promising solution because of its centralized management and adaptability. However, cyber-attack detection in SDN settings remains a vital issue. The current literature lacks comprehensive assessment of SDN cyber-attack detection methods including preparation techniques, benefits and types of attacks analysed in datasets. This gap hinders the understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of various detection approaches. This systematic literature review aims to examine SDN cyberattack detection, identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in existing techniques, and suggest future research directions in this critical area. A systematic approach was used to review and analyse various SDN cyberattack detection techniques from 2017--2024. A comprehensive assessment was conducted to address these research gaps and provide a comprehensive understanding of different detection methods. The study classified attacks on SDN planes, analysed detection datasets, discussed feature selection methods, evaluated approaches such as entropy, machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and federated learning (FL), and assessed metrics for evaluating defense mechanisms against cyberattacks. The review emphasized the importance of developing SDN-specific datasets and using advanced feature selection algorithms. It also provides valuable insights into the state-of-the-art techniques for detecting cyber-attacks in SDN and outlines a roadmap for future research in this critical area. This study identified research gaps and emphasized the importance of further exploration in specific areas to increase cybersecurity in SDN environments.