Authors: Mazlan Othman
Abstract: Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a powerful approach for enhancing network security by enabling intelligent detection, prevention, and response to cyber threats. With the increasing complexity and scale of modern networks, traditional rule-based security systems are often insufficient to identify sophisticated attacks such as zero-day exploits, phishing, and advanced persistent threats (APTs). This paper explores the application of machine learning techniques in network security, focusing on how supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning models can analyze network traffic patterns to detect anomalies and malicious activities. It also examines the role of ML in intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), malware detection, and behavioral analysis. Cloud-based and real-time security monitoring systems are discussed as key enablers for scalable ML deployment in distributed network environments. Additionally, the study highlights challenges such as adversarial attacks, data imbalance, privacy concerns, and model interpretability. Emerging solutions including federated learning, explainable AI, and edge-based security analytics are also reviewed. The findings emphasize that machine learning significantly strengthens network security frameworks by enabling proactive, adaptive, and intelligent threat detection mechanisms.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20281072
