How Deep Packet Inspection is changing the online world: DPI explained
The growing number of cybercrimes and web attacks demonstrate how continuously threatened the current state of web security is. Hackers are eager to breach your web security and demolish the web application you spent so much time developing. Additionally, as time goes on, cyber-attacks become more sophisticated, making it essential for your online business to combat them in order to survive online.
One of the top players in the web security field, deep packet inspection (DPI), has the capacity to outsmart contemporary web threats. Modern web security protocols are built upon the DPI parameters, which integrate security functions, user service, and network management. Furthermore, every web industry sector, including large corporations, international telecom services, and governments, has a strong requirement for a flexible web security layer. As it encourages new ways to develop web attacks, the Internet of Things (IoT) is turning into a necessary evil for the modern world. DPI is one of our strongest tools for fending off these dangers.
The so-called "enterprise" level (corporations and larger institutions), telecom service providers, and governments all utilize DPI in a variety of contexts.
Governments in North America, Europe, and Asia utilize DPI for a variety of objectives, such as surveillance and censorship, in addition to utilizing it to secure their own networks.
In this article, we will cover the next topics:
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What is DPI, or Deep Packet Analysis?
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How does deep packet inspection work?
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What are the Benefits of DPI?
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What are the Limitations of DPI?
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Why DPI is important?
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What is Deep Packet Inspection Used For?
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What are the top Deep Packet Inspection Software and Tools?
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How to choose DPI and analysis software?
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What is the difference between Deep packet inspection and Conventional packet filtering?
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Do Firewalls Use DPI technology?
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What is the History of deep packet inspection?
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What threats does DPI pose to privacy?
What is DPI, or Deep Packet Analysis?
Deep packet inspection (DPI) is a type of packet filtering that is regularly used by businesses and your internet service provider (ISP) to identify and stop cyberattacks, track user behavior, stop malware, and combat traffic patterns. The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model application layer is used by the DPI systems to extract statistical information. DPI's usefulness is in its ability to find, recognize, classify, and reroute or block packets that contain particular data or code payloads. Deep packet inspection examines a wider variety of data and metadata associated with individual packets, while stateful packet inspection merely assesses packet header information, such as source IP address, destination IP address, and port number.
DPI intercepts any protocol violations, viruses, spam, and other anomalies when packets approach an inspection point and prevents the packet from proceeding past the inspection point.
Deep packet inspection is frequently used, among other things, to check for malicious code, eavesdropping, and internet censorship, establish baseline application behavior, monitor network traffic, troubleshoot network performance, and make sure that data is in the right format.
How does Deep Packet Inspection Work?
Traditional firewalls frequently lacked the processing capacity required to conduct more thorough real-time inspections on substantial amounts of traffic. But as technology has improved, DPI can now carry out more sophisticated inspections to examine both packet headers and data.
Deep packet inspection technology has been hailed by tech experts and network managers as a crucial tool for addressing the number, complexity, and frequency of internet-related dangers that are on the rise. Firewalls with intrusion detection systems frequently employ DPI.
Every single digital piece of information is supplied over the internet in little packages of data known as "packets" in a world where digital information comes first. Emails, messages you've sent through applications, websites you've visited, video conversations, and much more fall under this category.
In addition to the actual data, these packets include metadata that identifies the traffic source, content, destination, and other crucial information. Using a technique known as packet filtering, data is constantly monitored and managed in order to make sure that it is forwarded to the right location.
But to assure network security, conventional packet filtering is just insufficient. In order to execute Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) as part of their network analytics procedures, enterprises must have a solution that can do so throughout their whole network.
Some of the main methods for deep packet inspection in network management are listed below:
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Matching patterns or signatures: Each packet is examined by a firewall with intrusion detection system (IDS) capability against a database of known network assaults. The IDS searches for specific patterns that are known to be malicious and, upon spotting one, disables the traffic. The drawback of the signature matching strategy is that it is only practical with frequently updated signatures. Additionally, only known threats or attacks are resistant to this technique. Daily threat discoveries necessitate continuing signature updates, which are essential for the firewall to be able to recognize new threats and maintain the network safe and secure.
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Protocol anomaly: Because it does not simply allow all material that does not match the signature database, the protocol anomaly technique, utilized by firewalls with an IDS, does not have the intrinsic flaw of the pattern/signature matching method. Instead, it adopts a default deny strategy. Based on protocol definitions, the firewall decides which material and traffic should be allowed. As a result, similar to signature matching, this technique safeguards the network from unidentified threats.
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Intrusion prevention system (IPS): IPS solutions can stop harmful packets from being transmitted depending on their contents, allowing them to block suspected assaults in real-time. This means that the IPS will actively block network traffic based on a defined rule set if a specific packet represents a known security hazard. The requirement to routinely update the cyber threat database with details about fresh threats is one disadvantage of IPS. The danger of false positives is also substantial, but it can be reduced by creating conservative policies and custom thresholds, establishing appropriate baseline behaviors for network components, and routinely evaluating warnings and reported incidents to enhance monitoring and alerting.
What are the Benefits of DPI?
When it comes to the network performance of a corporate network or any organization, deep packet inspections offer a number of significant advantages.
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DPI is a crucial tool for network security. DPIs are able to detect risks or stop attacks that may be concealed in the data by scanning packets other than just the packet header. This makes it easier for a business to spot usage trends, detect malware, stop data leaks, and stop other security threats to the network and its users.
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DPI offers further choices for controlling network traffic flows. Deep packet inspection enables the programming of rules to search for particular data types and distinguish between high- and low-priority packets. Deep packet inspection can prioritize higher-priority or mission-critical packets throughout the data stream in this fashion, and these packets will be sent over the network before surfing packets or lower-priority communications.
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Once these guidelines have been established by an organization, the network is able to identify any forbidden usage of allowed applications.
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You can examine outgoing traffic as it tries to leave the network by using deep packet inspection. This implies that businesses can develop filters intended to stop data leaks. To find out where your data packet is traveling, you can utilize deep packet inspection.
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The real-time handling of packets by DPI is governed by predetermined rules. Based on the pre-programmed rules your team implements, all packet data, from the header to its contents, is examined and automatically handled. This prevents the network from being slowed down while your system automatically sorts, filters, and prioritizes each packet.
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Deep packet inspection gives you the power to react to traffic that matches a profile, such as by alerting you to lost or dropped packets or reducing the bandwidth that is made accessible to that traffic.
What are the Limitations of DPI?
There are a few things to watch out for when it comes to DPI, despite the fact that it is quite advantageous for network monitoring and security. Because, while it offers security against current flaws, DPI introduces new vulnerabilities into the network.
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DPI is used to facilitate the very assaults that it is designed to thwart. Deep packet inspection is very good at stopping attacks like buffer overflows, denial of service (DoS) attacks, and even some types of malware. But it might also be employed to develop comparable assaults.
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DPI makes existing firewalls and other security-related technologies much more complicated and cumbersome. For deep packet inspection rules to remain effective, you must make sure to update and amend them frequently.
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DPI can lower network performance and speed because it causes network bottlenecks and puts more demands on firewall processors for inline inspection and data decryption.
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Some privacy advocates and opponents of net neutrality could not be in favor of DPI since DPI has access to specific information about who and where information is coming from and going to.
Why is DPI Important?
Deep packet inspection greatly improves network user comprehension and business security. Continuous DPI enables security teams to detect more dangerous and complex attacks by combining heuristics and behavioral-based analytics, thoroughly parsing and examining the entire application payload of a packet, and reassembling traffic sessions.
Continuous DPI aids in network activity detection and traffic monitoring. As a result, businesses can implement policies that stop private information from leaving the network and receive alerts when a data leak occurs.
Every year, millions more IoT devices are added to the market, and the majority of them weren't developed using security-by-design principles. There are no built-in security measures to guard against hacking. Continuous DPI can assist in preventing IoT DDoS and botnet assaults by educating security teams about IoT security issues.
DPI is fundamental to network security because of its value in preventing and identifying breaches, to put it briefly. To effectively defend against buffer overflows and DDoS assaults, for example, identify and block the IP of malicious traffic. DPI stops risks from spreading through the whole corporate network by identifying them at the network layer before they can affect end users. As a result, DPI is frequently incorporated into firewalls, where, together with other security features, it protects business networks from a variety of threats.
What are the Use Cases for Deep Packet Inspection?
Network security depends on deep packet inspection functions, which assess whether a specific packet is traveling through network traffic to its intended destination.
Deep packet inspection goes beyond simply looking at the incoming packets to detect protocol anomalies, and analyze, find, and block the packets as necessary. This is in contrast to standard network packet filtering, which sorts packets according to the source and destination.
An additional feature of a DPI system is packet-level analysis, which is used to find the source of application or network performance problems. It is regarded as one of the most precise methods for tracking and analyzing application behavior, network utilization problems, data breaches, and other difficulties. Deep packet analysis additionally aids in performing the following tasks:
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Measuring excessive network latency for business-critical applications
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Enhancing application accessibility and fulfilling SLAs
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Making historical data reports and doing forensics
Furthermore, deep packet inspection assists copyright owners, such as record companies, by preventing unauthorized downloads of their content. DPI can also be used to enforce policies, provide users with tailored advertising, and conduct legitimate interceptions.
What are the Top Deep Packet Inspection Software and Tools?
Deep packet analysis is especially helpful in next-generation firewalls. Because it is utilized as a component of both intrusion detection systems (IDSs) and intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), the adoption of deep packet inspection technology has expanded in recent years. DPI is typically included as a feature in security appliances or is set up as a virtual DPI on a server. Although dedicated security/DPI equipment is the best option for installation, you can also choose to use software or service to implement DPI.
Some of the most popular deep packet inspection tools for DPI are listed below:
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SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor: The SolarWinds Deep Packet Inspection and Analysis with NPM monitors and manages network traffic using a variety of ways. The primary component makes use of the native SNMP message system found in the network equipment's firmware. Deep packet inspection (DPI), however, is used in the monitor's analysis sections as part of the tool's network activity visibility services.
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Paessler Packet Sniffing with PRTG: The PRTG system has a packet sensor and is an infrastructure monitoring tool. A thorough network monitoring solution that uses DPI for data collection is Paessler packet sniffing with PRTG. PRTG's packet sniffer examines particular traffic types to keep an eye out for resource utilization and erratic behavior. The traffic categories and their throughput, such as web traffic, mail server activities, and file transfers, are reported by the traffic monitor. You can use these controls to enforce mail and data security regulations and to identify traffic spikes that might be signs of infiltration or cyber attacks.
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OpManager: OpManager is a network performance monitor that has the ability to record packets for later offline examination. Both Linux and Windows can use the tool. One of the top network monitoring systems on the market right now is ManageEngine's OpManager. For continuing network monitoring and device status tracking, this monitor employs SNMP techniques. OpManager's deep packet inspection features improve the system's traffic management.
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nDPI: Because this tool examines packets at the application layer, traffic must be buffered before the inspection. Deep packet analysis tools are part of the OpenDPI open-source project. Anyone can view an application's source code in an open-source project. This reassures users that there are no dangerous virus techniques or secret tactics concealed therein. Based on the OpenDPI code, nDPI from Ntop enhances its features.
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Netifyd: Netifyd is an nDPI adaptation that collects packets for further inspection by other services. Despite being a branch of OpenDPI, nDPI is evolving into its own standard and serves as the foundation for numerous other adaptations. One of them is Netifyd. Because of this, Netifyd is an adaptation of OpenDPI. Like its forebears, Netifyd is an open-source tool that allows you to view, compile, and use the program's source code. As an alternative, you might modify the code on your own.
Figure 1. Top Deep Packet Inspection Software and Tools
How to Choose DPI and Analysis Software?
To ensure that their system utilizes little bandwidth and has a little burden on nodes, organizations must deploy deep packet inspection software. You can deploy sensors, configure security metrics, and more with the aid of DPI software. For DPI and analysis tools selection, the following standards should be taken into account:
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It should have a packet scanner with the ability to read headers and SSL offloading on a private network so that the payload may be read.
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It should be a system that continuously observed network devices.
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It ought to be possible to switch from DPI to SPI (Stateful packet inspection).
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The instructions for dereference packet header codes should be present.
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In order to evaluate the program without having to pay, it should offer a free trial or demo service.
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A system that offers a valuable service at a reasonable cost or at no cost should be considered to have value for money.
What is the Difference Between Deep packet inspection and Conventional packet filtering?
Each data packet in a network has a header that contains basic details about its sender, recipient, and the time it was transmitted. Only this information can be read using conventional packet filtering. Older firewalls typically operated in this manner because they were unable to handle other forms of data rapidly enough to prevent a negative impact on network performance.
Firewalls can get around these issues with deep packet inspection for more thorough, continuous packet scanning. They now extract or filter data that goes beyond packet headers for more thorough and sophisticated network monitoring and defense. DPI is a potent component of the network security ecosystem inside the ever-expanding cyber threat landscape.
Deep packet inspection goes beyond simply looking at the incoming packets to detect protocol anomalies, and analyze, find, and block the packets as necessary. This is in contrast to standard network packet filtering, which sorts packets according to the source and destination.
| Deep Packet Instection | Stateful packet inspection/conventional packet filtering | |
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| Identify packet source and destination | Yes | Yes |
| Analyze application layer data to detect suspicious behavior | Yes | No |
| Gain insight beyond packet headers | Yes | No |
| Determine content, context and intent of communication | Yes | No |
Table 1. Deep packet inspection vs Conventional packet filtering
Do Firewalls Use DPI technology?
Yes. In order to defend the network, deep packet inspection is performed rather than only recognizing threats and notifying teams. Deep packet inspection is used by next-generation firewalls (NGFW) with characteristics like content inspection and intrusion detection systems to secure the network. In particular, standalone IDSes that are designed to both identify attacks and secure the network, as well as firewalls that have an intrusion detection system feature, both extensively employ DPI.
Firewalls classify network traffic up to the application level in real time thanks to the integration of DPI-powered protocols and application categorization. Firewalls can manage access permission, prioritize or deprioritize traffic, and optimize the quality of service for mission-critical applications thanks to application visibility. Above all, unhindered access to cloud services is provided at all times, and the business network is consistently safe from malware and cyber attacks.
What is the History of Deep Packet Inspection?
Before the technology entered what are now considered to be regular, mainstream deployments, DPI technology boasted a lengthy and highly advanced history that dates back to the 1990s. The history of the technology spans more than 30 years, beginning with the contributions of several pioneers who shared their discoveries with other members of the industry through early innovation and common standards.
The ARPAnet is where deep packet inspection, often referred to as full packet inspection or data packet inspection, first appeared. The TCP/IP data transfer protocol was first used by the ARPAnet, a network that existed before the current internet. Engineers learned how to employ header and metadata data to address UNIX security issues by managing proto-packets.
In 1990, ARPAnet was shut down, but TCP/IP issues became more prevalent as the contemporary internet gained popularity. Network engineers created the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) concept in the 1980s to standardize metadata that had been gathered by the mid-1990s. OSI model made a wide range of statistical analyses possible by formalizing the levels of packet metadata. For instance, secondary headers, also referred to as stateful or shallow data, reduce bandwidth while enabling the right routing of information.
Tiered packet metadata made it easier for ISPs to make distinctions between different data categories. Deep packets could spur new business models, as ISPs learned in the early 2000s with the rise of Web 2.0 and mobile. For over two decades, net neutrality has been a contentious issue, and deep packet inspection technology has turned pipe owners into data owners.
How Do DLP and DPI Work Together?
With hundreds of different file types frequently covered by DLP (Data Loss Prevention) solutions, advanced content and context scanning tools are already available. These tools have predefined rules for data protection standards and regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, as well as intellectual property like patents, proprietary algorithms, or audio-visual content. Their rules are put into action at the endpoint level, right on the data that needs to be protected. DPI gives endpoints access to network capabilities, enhancing the flexibility and accuracy of how DLP policies are executed.
Businesses can more easily restrict or whitelist particular websites by employing DLP solutions in conjunction with DPI to pinpoint the precise location to which a file is sent. By doing this, businesses allow the usage of browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and others while making sure they are aware of where data transfer attempts are happening. It enables businesses to decide, with knowledge, which websites should be allowed for transfer and which should be restricted.
Organizations can also whitelist domains for email clients, which allows the transfer of sensitive data to be restricted to appropriate departments like finance and human resources and barred to all other addresses. Flexibility is crucial to ensuring that DLP policies don't obstruct the work of workers who require daily access to sensitive data to carry out their responsibilities.
DPI is a fantastic supplement to DLP solutions since it improves the accuracy with which DLP policies are applied. By automatically removing unwanted sensitive data transfer destinations while allowing for the usage of valid channels, it actively lowers the impact of DLP on employee productivity.
Can DPI detect VPN?
Yes. With deep packet inspection, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can discover and block the majority of VPN protocols but they can not see the data encrypted inside the VPN packets. They can only see that you are connected to a VPN server and the amount of data you downloaded or uploaded. They know your source and destination VPN server IP addresses.
What Threats does DPI Pose to Privacy?
Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) is a network packet filtering method that inspects the contents of packets as they are sent across the network. DPI is sometimes known as "full packet inspection." Due to the amount of traffic on most networks, DPI is often automated and executed by software according to the network operator's predefined criteria. Deep Packet Inspection may be used to identify the contents of all unencrypted network traffic. DPI allows Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to intercept practically all of their customers' Internet activities, including web browsing data, email, and peer-to-peer downloads since the majority of Internet traffic is not encrypted. ISPs may utilize DPI to carry out operations depending on filter criteria after examining the contents of users' packages. Deep Packet Inspection has been utilized in attempts to:
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construct consumer profiles for marketing purposes; intercept communications at the request of law enforcement (with and without warrants)
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enforce copyright laws
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prioritize the transmission of certain packets over others
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identify computer viruses and spam.
DPI allows non-ISP service providers, such as search engines and webmail providers, to construct user profiles based on Internet usage. ISPs traditionally analyze packet headers for a number of purposes, including packet routing optimization, network abuse detection, and statistical analysis. This inspection, which is frequently referred to as "shallow packet inspection," offers ISPs access to basic information about Internet traffic without revealing the contents of consumers' email or web browsing. Deep Packet Inspection, on the other hand, gives ISPs access to the contents of all unencrypted Internet traffic that their customers transmit or receive. In the early days of the Internet, DPI on a broad scale was almost unfeasible due to limited processing speed and resources. ISPs and service providers may now deploy Deep Packet Inspection on a broad scale due to recent technology advancements. Deep Packet Inspection is contentious, and privacy and network neutrality organizations have attacked it.