Malicious URL Detection Using Random Forest
Malicious URL Detection Using Random Forest
Random Forest
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Abstract
Phishing attacks pose significant threats in cyberspace, exploiting
human vulnerabilities to extract sensitive information or spread
malware. Our contribution lies in leveraging advanced machine learning
algorithms to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of phishing
detection. By integrating a comprehensive set of features derived from
URLs, domains, and user behaviour, we aim to create a robust detection
framework capable of identifying sophisticated phishing attempts.
Furthermore, we incorporate temporal analysis to capture the dynamic
nature of phishing campaigns, thereby improving our system's
adaptability and responsiveness to evolving threats over time.
Additionally, interpretability techniques such as SHAP (SHapley Additive
explanations) values and LIME (Local Interpretable Model-agnostic
Explanations) are employed to provide insights into the factors driving
our model's decisions, enhancing transparency and trustworthiness.
Through extensive testing and evaluation on diverse datasets, our
project aims to contribute to the advancement of cybersecurity by
providing a proactive defence against phishing attacks.
Keywords: Phishing Detection , Machine Learning , Feature Engineering
, Cybersecurity, URL Analysis , Malicious behavior, Model Interpretability
,Temporal Analysis , Ensemble Learning , Real-world Testing , Online
Security , Cyber Threats , User Protection
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Presentation Outline
1. Aim and Motivation 12.1. Proposed Model
2. Research Questions 13. Timeline Chart
3. Title Justification 14. Summary
4. Objectives 15.Results and Output
5. Scope References
6. Introduction
7. Study on Existing
Technologies
8. Gap Analysis
9. SDLC Model
10.Data Collection
11. Data Preparation
12. Methodology 3
1. Aim and Motivation
Aim:
Develop an advanced phishing detection system using machine learning
techniques, focusing on feature-rich approaches to accurately and
efficiently distinguish between malicious and legitimate URLs to enhance
online security and safeguarding users against cyber threats .
Motivation:
• Phishing attacks, malware distribution, and other forms of online fraud
pose significant risks to individuals and organizations, exploiting
human vulnerabilities to compromise sensitive information and cause
financial or reputational damage.
• The motivation behind the project is to enhance online security by
developing a proactive defense mechanism that can automatically
identify and mitigate malicious URLs, thereby safeguarding users and
organizations against cyber threats.
• By leveraging machine learning techniques, particularly Random
Forest, the project seeks to automate the process of detecting
malicious URLs.
• Motivation is to Safeguards users from falling victim to online threats
by providing a layer of defense against malicious URLs. It helps 4in
2. Research Questions
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3. Title Justification
• Malicious URL Detection: The project aims to identify and
classify URLs as either malicious or benign, focusing on
enhancing cybersecurity measures.
• Random Forest: Leveraging the Random Forest algorithm,
the project employs ensemble learning techniques to develop
a robust model for URL classification.
• Enhancing Cybersecurity Measures: The primary
objective is to contribute to the improvement of
cybersecurity infrastructure by effectively detecting and
mitigating threats posed by malicious URLs.
• Safeguarding Users and Organizations: Ultimately, the
project aims to protect users and organizations from falling
victim to cyber threats, ensuring the integrity and security of
online activities.
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4. Objectives
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10. Data Collection
Name of the Dataset: Phishing Websites Dataset 2020
Description:
• This dataset consists of URLs labelled as either legitimate or malicious
for phishing detection tasks.
• Curated from various sources including Phish Tank and real-world
incidents, it covers a wide range of phishing tactics and URL
characteristics.
• The dataset includes features extracted from URL structures, content,
and metadata, enabling comprehensive analysis for detection
purposes.
Number of Instances: 10,000
Data Format: CSV files with labelled URLs and corresponding feature23
11. Data Preparation
1. Data Cleaning:
• Input: Raw dataset with URLs and corresponding labels.
• Output: Cleaned dataset without missing values or duplicates.
• Procedure: Remove duplicate URLs and any rows with missing values
to ensure data integrity.
2. Feature Extraction:
• Input: Cleaned dataset with URLs.
• Output: Extracted features matrix.
• Procedure: Utilize feature extraction techniques to convert URLs into
numerical feature vectors.
Features may include:
• Domain length
• Presence of special characters
• Count of digits in the URL
• Presence of keywords associated with phishing
• URL length
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11. Data Preparation
3. Data Splitting:
• Input: Feature matrix and corresponding labels.
• Output: Training and test sets.
• Procedure: Randomly split the dataset into training (70%)
and test (30%) sets to facilitate model training and
evaluation.
4. Data Balancing(optional):
• Input: Training set with imbalanced classes.
• Output: Balanced training set.
• Procedure: Apply techniques such as oversampling (e.g.,
SMOTE) or under sampling to balance the class distribution
in the training set (if applicable).
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12.1. Proposed Model
Fig(a): System
Architecture
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12.2. Modules of Proposed Model
Module 1 : Data Collection and Preprocessing
1. Gather data on URLs from various sources, including web crawls,
phishing databases, and security feeds.
2. Pre-process the data by handling missing values, standardizing
formats, and removing duplicates to ensure data integrity.
Module 2: Feature Extraction and Engineering
3. Extract features from URLs using techniques such as Bag-of-Words,
TF-IDF, and URL parsing to capture relevant information.
4. Engineer additional features such as domain reputation, URL length,
and presence of suspicious keywords to enhance model
performance.
Module 3 : Model Training
5. Train a Random Forest classifier to learn patterns in the extracted
features and distinguish between legitimate and phishing URLs.
6. Train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to extract features from
URL images and complement the feature-based model.
7. Perform ensemble aggregation, such as majority voting or stacking,
to combine predictions from multiple models for improved accuracy.
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12.2. Modules of Proposed Model
Module 4 : Model Evaluation and Optimization
1. Evaluate the trained models using performance metrics such
as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score on a validation set.
2. Optimize hyperparameters and model architecture through
techniques like grid search or Bayesian optimization to
enhance performance.
Module 5: Deployment
3. Develop a web-based application or API endpoint to receive
URLs for real-time phishing detection.
4. Integrate the trained model into the application backend to
provide instant predictions on submitted URLs.
Module 6 : User Interface
5. Design an intuitive and user-friendly interface for users to
interact with the phishing detection system.
6. Provide informative visualizations and feedback to users, such
as risk scores or confidence levels, to aid in decision-making.
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13. Timeline Chart
TIME PLAN
S.NO. PLAN OF ACTION 2024
JAN FEB MAR APR
1 Project Initiation
3 Feature Engineering
4 Model Development
5 Interpretability and
Explainability
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14. Summary
1. Malicious URLs are often disguised as legitimate links, leading
users to inadvertently expose sensitive information or
compromise system security.
2. Existing detection methods may struggle to keep pace with the
evolving tactics of cybercriminals, leaving users vulnerable to
exploitation.
3. Utilizing Random Forest, a machine learning algorithm known
for its effectiveness fin classification tasks, to develop a robust
model for detecting malicious URLs.
4. Training the model on a comprehensive dataset comprising
both malicious and benign URLs to enable accurate
identification of potentially harmful links.
5. Leveraging features such as URL length, domain reputation,
and presence of suspicious keywords to enhance the model's
predictive capabilities.
6. Evaluating the model's performance through rigorous testing
and validation processes to ensure reliability and effectiveness
in real-world scenarios.
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7. Ultimately, aiming to provide a proactive defense mechanism
15.Results and
Output
15.1 Accuracy
We present a graphical analysis of training and validation
accuracy, with accuracy on the y-axis and n_estimators on the x-
axis. This visualization encapsulates the learning dynamics of our
model, showcasing its convergence behaviour and highlighting
key performance. Figure 6.1 represents the graph of training and
validation accuracy.
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Fig 15.3.2 Malicious URL Output
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References
1. Sheng, Steve, et al. "PHISHNET: Predictive blacklisting to detect
phishing attacks." IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure
Computing 7.3 (2010): 274-287.
2. Zhang, Y., Hong, J.I., Cranor, L.F. and Zheng, X., 2007, April.
Phinding phish: An evaluation of anti-phishing toolbars. In
Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in
computing systems (pp. 373-382).
3. Wang, H., Zhang, J., Shao, J., Liu, L. and Hu, J., 2017. Phishing
websites detection based on deep belief network. In 2017 4th
International Conference on Systems and Informatics (ICSAI) (pp.
250-254). IEEE.
4. Kardas, G., Rasmussen, K.B., Senkul, P., Gelenbe, E. and
Camtepe, S.A., 2010. Phishing websites detection using
generative models. In 2010 IEEE International Conference on
Communications (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
5. Shrivastava, A., & Chauhan, D. (2019). Detecting phishing
attacks using machine learning techniques: A review. IEEE
Access, 7, 167858-167882.
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6. Boukhtouta, A., & El Hajji, S. (2016). Phishing detection based on
Thank you
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