A Novel Hybrid Convolutional-Attention Recurrent Network (HCARN) for Enhanced Cybersecurity Threat Detection

Cybersecurity solutions are critical for the protection of networks against constantly evolving threats.Traditional intrusion detection systems (IDS) struggle to adapt to the rapidly varying attack patterns, encouraging the exploration of advanced techniques such as deep learning.This study introduces a novel framework utilizing a Hybrid Convolutional-Attention Recurrent Network (HCARN) for identifying cybersecurity threat.Utilizing the CSE-CIC-IDS2018 dataset, the data preparation process includes data cleanup, feature extraction, and Information Gain-based feature choice.The HCARN architecture, integrates convolutional layers, attention mechanisms, and recurrent layers, is employed for categorization.Convolutional layers effectively capture spatial features in the dataset, attention mechanisms highlight critical features, and recurrent layers model temporal dependencies.This allows HCARN to process and analyze complex patterns in network traffic, leading to more accurate threat diagnosis.The proposed model proves significant efficacy in distinguishing between major, moderate, and minor threats, attaining high accuracy and robustness in threat recognition.The incorporation of attention mechanisms allows the model to emphasize on critical features, while the recurrent layers pay attention to temporal dependencies in the dataset.The HCARN architecture determines classification accuracy, achieving 94.7% in K-fold validation, 95.4% in model training, and 92.3% in model testing while classifying major, moderate, minor threats satisfactorily, confirming its effectiveness in cybersecurity threat detection.This novel attempt underscores the potential of hybrid deep learning models in enhancing cybersecurity defenses against sophisticated attacks, paving the way for adaptive security systems.