Securing static nodes in mobile-enabled systems using a network-layer moving target defense

As computing becomes mobile and systems enable connectivity through mobile applications, the characteristics of the network communication of these systems change due to the instability of mobile nodes on networks. Mobile devices logically move by changing addresses throughout the course of their communication in the system. These mobiles nodes acquire characteristics of a moving target defense, in which nodes change addresses to avoid detection and attack. Yet, as mobile nodes change addresses, the critical points in the system that applications are set to communicate with, such as servers, cloud services, and peer registration servers, remain static and become easily identifiable. Mobile-enabled systems are beginning to model heterogeneous moving target networks, in which some nodes move while others remain static. Heterogeneous moving target networks expose relationships and dependencies between nodes, helping an attacker easily identify the static, critical nodes within a mobile-enabled system. Homogeneous moving target networks, in which all nodes change addresses, mask the critical points within the system, blending the mobile nodes with the critical, static nodes, and provide additional security for the static nodes. By applying a moving target defense to all nodes within a mobile-enabled system, the critical points can be masked and additional security can be provided.