Securing IoT Communications via Anomaly Traffic Detection: Synergy of Genetic Algorithm and Ensemble Method
Abstract
The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed industries by enabling seamless data exchange among connected devices. However, IoT networks remain vulnerable to security threats such as denial of service (DoS) attacks, anomalous traffic, and data manipulation due to decentralized architectures and limited resources. To address these issues, this paper proposes an advanced anomaly detection framework with three main phases. First, data preprocessing is performed using the Median KS Test to remove noise, handle missing values, and balance datasets for cleaner input. Second, a feature selection phase employs a Genetic Algorithm combined with eagle inspired search strategies to identify the most relevant features, reduce dimensionality, and improve efficiency without sacrificing accuracy. Finally, an ensemble classifier integrates Decision Tree, Random Forest, and XGBoost algorithms to achieve accurate and reliable anomaly detection. The proposed model demonstrates high adaptability and scalability across diverse IoT environments. Experimental results show that it outperforms existing methods by achieving 98 percent accuracy, 95 percent detection rate, and reductions in false positive (10 percent) and false negative (5 percent) rates. These results confirm the framework effectiveness and robustness in improving IoT network security against evolving cyber threats.