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A General Detection Framework for Transparent Middleboxes
  • Vahab Pournaghshband,
  • Peter Reiher
Vahab Pournaghshband
University of San Francisco

Corresponding Author:vpournaghshband@usfca.edu

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Peter Reiher
University of California Los Angeles Computer Science Department
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Abstract

As Internet middleboxes become increasingly prevalent, their influence on traffic streams presents significant challenges and opportunities for network management. Among these devices, transparent middleboxes are particularly difficult to detect, as they can modify traffic patterns without altering content, thereby preserving the appearance of normal routing. This paper addresses the challenge of detecting such transparent middleboxes by proposing a generalized detection framework capable of identifying a broad range of middlebox behaviors, including those that operate transparently. In contrast to existing ad hoc approaches that target specific middlebox types, our framework is novel in its ability to detect a wide variety of middleboxes instead. We validate the effectiveness of our approach through a combination of analytical methods, network simulations, and live Internet experiments. Our results demonstrate the framework's capability to accurately detect widely employed middlebox behaviors, such as network compression, traffic prioritization, and traffic shaping.
27 Aug 2024Submitted to International Journal of Network Management
28 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
28 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
28 Aug 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
28 Aug 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
16 Oct 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
29 Nov 20241st Revision Received
02 Dec 2024Submission Checks Completed
02 Dec 2024Assigned to Editor
02 Dec 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
03 Dec 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned