Empirical Enhancement of Intrusion Detection Systems: A Comprehensive Approach with Genetic Algorithm-based Hyperparameter Tuning and Hybrid Feature Selection

Machine learning-based IDSs have demonstrated promising outcomes in identifying and mitigating security threats within IoT networks. However, the efficacy of such systems is contingent on various hyperparameters, necessitating optimization to elevate their performance. This paper introduces a comprehensive empirical and quantitative exploration aimed at enhancing intrusion detection systems (IDSs). The study capitalizes on a genetic algorithm-based hyperparameter tuning mechanism and a pioneering hybrid feature selection approach to systematically investigate incremental performance improvements in IDS. Specifically, our work proposes a machine learning-based IDS approach tailored for detecting attacks in IoT environments. To achieve this, we introduce a hybrid feature selection method designed to identify the most salient features for the task. Additionally, we employed the genetic algorithm (GA) to fine-tune hyperparameters of multiple machine learning models, ensuring their accuracy in detecting attacks. We commence by evaluating the default hyperparameters of these models on the CICIDS2017 dataset, followed by rigorous testing of the same algorithms post-optimization through GA. Through a series of experiments, we scrutinize the impact of combining feature selection methods with hyperparameter tuning approaches. The outcomes unequivocally demonstrate the potential of hyperparameter optimization in enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of machine learning-based IDS systems for IoT networks. The empirical nature of our research method provides a meticulous analysis of the efficacy of the proposed techniques through systematic experimentation and quantitative evaluation. Consolidated in a unified manner, the results underscore the step-by-step enhancement of IDS performance, especially in terms of detection time, substantiating the efficacy of our approach in real-world scenarios.