Mathematics, Vol. 11, Pages 2481: Securing IoT Devices Running PureOS from Ransomware Attacks: Leveraging Hybrid Machine Learning Techniques

Mathematics, Vol. 11, Pages 2481: Securing IoT Devices Running PureOS from Ransomware Attacks: Leveraging Hybrid Machine Learning Techniques

Mathematics doi: 10.3390/math11112481

Authors: Tariq Ahamed Ahanger Usman Tariq Fadl Dahan Shafique A. Chaudhry Yasir Malik

Internet-enabled (IoT) devices are typically small, low-powered devices used for sensing and computing that enable remote monitoring and control of various environments through the Internet. Despite their usefulness in achieving a more connected cyber-physical world, these devices are vulnerable to ransomware attacks due to their limited resources and connectivity. To combat these threats, machine learning (ML) can be leveraged to identify and prevent ransomware attacks on IoT devices before they can cause significant damage. In this research paper, we explore the use of ML techniques to enhance ransomware defense in IoT devices running on the PureOS operating system. We have developed a ransomware detection framework using machine learning, which combines the XGBoost and ElasticNet algorithms in a hybrid approach. The design and implementation of our framework are based on the evaluation of various existing machine learning techniques. Our approach was tested using a dataset of real-world ransomware attacks on IoT devices and achieved high accuracy (90%) and low false-positive rates, demonstrating its effectiveness in detecting and preventing ransomware attacks on IoT devices running PureOS.