Cisco Technology, Inc.

Laurent Sartran

Jean-Philippe Vasseur

Grégory Mermoud

Pierre-André Savalle

Sébastien Gay

Javier Cruz Mota

In one embodiment, a device obtains characteristics of a first anomaly detection model executed by a first distributed learning agent in a network. The device receives a query from a second distributed learning agent in the network that requests identification of a similar anomaly detection to that of a second anomaly detection model executed by the second distributed learning agent. The device identifies, after receiving the query from the second distributed learning agent, the first anomaly detection model as being similar to that of the second anomaly detection model, based on the characteristics of the first anomaly detection model. The device causes the first anomaly detection model to be sent to the second distributed learning agent for execution.

Hierarchical models using self organizing learning topologies

In one embodiment, a device in a network receives traffic records indicative of network traffic between different sets of host address pairs. The device identifies one or more address grouping constraints for the sets of host address pairs. The device determines address groups for the host addresses in the sets of host address pairs based on the one or more address grouping constraints. The device provides an indication of the address groups to an anomaly detector.

Learning internal ranges from network traffic data to augment anomaly detection systems

In one embodiment, a device in a network obtains characteristic data regarding one or more traffic flows in the network. The device incrementally estimates an amount of noise associated with a machine learning feature using bootstrapping. The machine learning feature is derived from the sampled characteristic data. The device applies a filter to the estimated amount of noise associated with the machine learning feature, to determine a value for the machine learning feature. The device identifies a network anomaly that exists in the network by using the determined value for the machine learning feature as input to a machine learning-based anomaly detector. The device causes performance of an anomaly mitigation action based on the identified network anomaly.

Estimating feature confidence for online anomaly detection

In one embodiment, a device in a network maintains a plurality of anomaly detection models for different sets of aggregated traffic data regarding traffic in the network. The device determines a measure of confidence in a particular one of the anomaly detection models that evaluates a particular set of aggregated traffic data. The device dynamically replaces the particular anomaly detection model with a second anomaly detection model configured to evaluate the particular set of aggregated traffic data and has a different model capacity than that of the particular anomaly detection model. The device provides an anomaly event notification to a supervisory controller based on a combined output of the second anomaly detection model and of one or more of the anomaly detection models in the plurality of anomaly detection models.

In one embodiment, a device in a network determines cluster assignments that assign traffic data regarding traffic in the network to activity level clusters based on one or more measures of traffic activity in the traffic data. The device uses the cluster assignments to predict seasonal activity for a particular subset of the traffic in the network. The device determines an activity level for new traffic data regarding the particular subset of traffic in the network. The device detects a network anomaly by comparing the activity level for the new traffic data to the predicted seasonal activity.

Detection and analysis of seasonal network patterns for anomaly detection

In one embodiment, a device in a network receives a notification of a particular anomaly detected by a distributed learning agent in the network that executes a machine learning-based anomaly detector to analyze traffic in the network. The device computes one or more distance scores between the particular anomaly and one or more previously detected anomalies. The device also computes one or more relevance scores for the one or more previously detected anomalies. The device determines a reporting score for the particular anomaly based on the one or more distance scores and on the one or more relevance scores. The device reports the particular anomaly to a user interface based on the determined reporting score.

Anomaly selection using distance metric-based diversity and relevance

In one embodiment, a device in a network receives feedback regarding an anomaly reporting mechanism used by the device to report network anomalies detected by a plurality of distributed learning agents to a user interface. The device determines an anomaly assessment rate at which a user of the user interface is expected to assess reported anomalies based in part on the feedback. The device receives an anomaly notification regarding a particular anomaly detected by a particular one of the distributed learning agents. The device reports, via the anomaly reporting mechanism, the particular anomaly to the user interface based on the determined anomaly assessment rate.

User assistance coordination in anomaly detection

In one embodiment, a device in a network identifies a new interaction between two or more nodes in the network. The device forms a feature vector using contextual information associated with the new interaction between the two or more nodes. The device causes generation of an anomaly detection model for new node interactions using the feature vector. The device uses the anomaly detection model to determine whether a particular node interaction in the network is anomalous.

Edge-based detection of new and unexpected flows

In one embodiment, a device in a network identifies a plurality of traffic records as anomalous. The device matches each of the plurality of traffic records to one or more anomalies using one or more anomaly graphs. A particular anomaly graph represents hosts in the network as vertices in the graph and communications between hosts as edges in the graph. The device applies one or more ordering rules to the traffic records, to uniquely associate each traffic record to an anomaly in the one or more anomalies. The device sends an anomaly notification for a particular anomaly that is based on the traffic records associated with the particular anomaly.

Merging of scored records into consistent aggregated anomaly messages

In one embodiment, a device in a network receives traffic metrics for a plurality of applications in the network. The device populates a feature space for a machine learning-based anomaly detector. The device identifies a missing dataset in the feature space for a particular one of the plurality of applications. The device adjusts how traffic is sent in the network, to capture the missing dataset.

Anomaly detection using network traffic data

In one embodiment, a device in a network receives sets of traffic flow features from an unsupervised machine learning-based anomaly detector. The sets of traffic flow features are associated with anomaly scores determined by the anomaly detector. The device ranks the sets of traffic flow features based in part on their anomaly scores. The device applies a genetic programming approach to the ranked sets of traffic flow features to generate new sets of traffic flow features. The genetic programming approach uses a fitness function that is based in part on the rankings of the sets of traffic flow features. The device specializes the anomaly detector to emphasize a particular type of anomaly using the new sets of traffic flow features.

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Palaiseau, France

Laurent Sartran