Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network Infrastructure

In today’s digitally driven world, network security has become a top accountability as cyberattacks become more sophisticated, especially within emerging NextG network infrastructures. Advanced threats, including as zero-day exploits, polymorphic malware, and large-scale distributed denia...

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Main Authors: Md Junayed Hossain, Khorshed Alam, Md Fahad Monir, Md Mozammal Hoque, Tarem Ahmed
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11069291/
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author Md Junayed Hossain
Khorshed Alam
Md Fahad Monir
Md Mozammal Hoque
Tarem Ahmed
author_facet Md Junayed Hossain
Khorshed Alam
Md Fahad Monir
Md Mozammal Hoque
Tarem Ahmed
author_sort Md Junayed Hossain
collection DOAJ
description In today&#x2019;s digitally driven world, network security has become a top accountability as cyberattacks become more sophisticated, especially within emerging NextG network infrastructures. Advanced threats, including as zero-day exploits, polymorphic malware, and large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, have surpassed traditional Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS), which frequently use out-of-date signature-based methodologies. These conventional methods not only struggle to detect unknown attack patterns but are also hindered by the issue of imbalanced datasets, where minority attack classes are underrepresented and frequently overlooked. To address these challenges, we proposes an innovative NIDS framework tailored for NextG networks that combines Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models. The framework utilizes GANs to generate synthetic samples for minority classes, ensuring a balanced dataset and enhancing the detection of underrepresented attack types. The CNN and LSTM models, applied independently, leverage their respective strengths to extract spatial and temporal features from network traffic, achieving robust classification accuracy. Furthermore, we integrate Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) to make model predictions transparent, increasing trust and usability for practical deployment. Our framework is evaluated on the NF-CSE-CIC-IDS2018 dataset and achieves outstanding results. The LSTM model attains a detection accuracy of 99.67%, while CNN achieves 97.45%. On this GitHub Repository: <uri>https://github.com/i-am-junayed/XAI-Intrusion-Detection-System</uri>, the entire data analysis and prediction method is available for use by anyone. Here, both models perform exceptionally well in detecting minority attack classes, with the LSTM showing superior consistency across all metrics. This framework&#x2019;s high accuracy, explainability, and adaptability make it a critical tool for securing dynamic and high-speed NextG networks against evolving cyber threats.
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spelling doaj-art-0cf7d738fa0f435fbb7dfe47ffef7d9b2025-07-10T23:00:37ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011311497911500110.1109/ACCESS.2025.358578311069291Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network InfrastructureMd Junayed Hossain0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6781-9609Khorshed Alam1https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8040-8598Md Fahad Monir2Md Mozammal Hoque3https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3598-243XTarem Ahmed4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9924-0669Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Independent University Bangladesh, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Independent University Bangladesh, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Independent University Bangladesh, Dhaka, BangladeshAgni Systems Ltd., Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Independent University Bangladesh, Dhaka, BangladeshIn today&#x2019;s digitally driven world, network security has become a top accountability as cyberattacks become more sophisticated, especially within emerging NextG network infrastructures. Advanced threats, including as zero-day exploits, polymorphic malware, and large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, have surpassed traditional Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS), which frequently use out-of-date signature-based methodologies. These conventional methods not only struggle to detect unknown attack patterns but are also hindered by the issue of imbalanced datasets, where minority attack classes are underrepresented and frequently overlooked. To address these challenges, we proposes an innovative NIDS framework tailored for NextG networks that combines Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models. The framework utilizes GANs to generate synthetic samples for minority classes, ensuring a balanced dataset and enhancing the detection of underrepresented attack types. The CNN and LSTM models, applied independently, leverage their respective strengths to extract spatial and temporal features from network traffic, achieving robust classification accuracy. Furthermore, we integrate Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME) to make model predictions transparent, increasing trust and usability for practical deployment. Our framework is evaluated on the NF-CSE-CIC-IDS2018 dataset and achieves outstanding results. The LSTM model attains a detection accuracy of 99.67%, while CNN achieves 97.45%. On this GitHub Repository: <uri>https://github.com/i-am-junayed/XAI-Intrusion-Detection-System</uri>, the entire data analysis and prediction method is available for use by anyone. Here, both models perform exceptionally well in detecting minority attack classes, with the LSTM showing superior consistency across all metrics. This framework&#x2019;s high accuracy, explainability, and adaptability make it a critical tool for securing dynamic and high-speed NextG networks against evolving cyber threats.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11069291/Intrusion detectionGANs imputationLSTMCNNLIMEXAI
spellingShingle Md Junayed Hossain
Khorshed Alam
Md Fahad Monir
Md Mozammal Hoque
Tarem Ahmed
Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network Infrastructure
IEEE Access
Intrusion detection
GANs imputation
LSTM
CNN
LIME
XAI
title Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network Infrastructure
title_full Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network Infrastructure
title_fullStr Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network Infrastructure
title_full_unstemmed Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network Infrastructure
title_short Explainable AI Meets Synthetic Data: A Deep Learning Framework for Detecting Network Intrusion in NextG Network Infrastructure
title_sort explainable ai meets synthetic data a deep learning framework for detecting network intrusion in nextg network infrastructure
topic Intrusion detection
GANs imputation
LSTM
CNN
LIME
XAI
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11069291/
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AT mdfahadmonir explainableaimeetssyntheticdataadeeplearningframeworkfordetectingnetworkintrusioninnextgnetworkinfrastructure
AT mdmozammalhoque explainableaimeetssyntheticdataadeeplearningframeworkfordetectingnetworkintrusioninnextgnetworkinfrastructure
AT taremahmed explainableaimeetssyntheticdataadeeplearningframeworkfordetectingnetworkintrusioninnextgnetworkinfrastructure