Extended SNMP for Integrity Verification in Distributed Systems

As dependence on computer technology grows, the need for improved security becomes increasingly essential. The majority of people are connected to networks through various means, such as mobile phones, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), online banking, and social media. Researchers have proposed various strategies to protect user data, however, security remains a primary concern as users continue to face numerous challenges. In order to cope with these technological challenges, Trusted Computing Group (TCG) introduced the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a hardware-based cryptographic chip designed for system integrity verification. The TPM provides hardware-based integrity verification; however, there is no existing protocol to remotely monitor integrity across multiple systems in a distributed network. This study proposes an extended Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) architecture that collects TPM-verified integrity values of distributed systems and report them to the network administrator. On the administrator side, these values are matched against stored signatures to determine the integrity of these systems. To validate our approach, a Nagios-based monitoring system is used to displays the integrity status of overall network, distinguishing between trusted and compromised devices. Experimental results indicate that the Extended-SNMP solution achieve low overhead, high scalability, and reduced false positives compared to conventional host-based integrity monitoring techniques such as Host-based Intrusion Detection System (HIDs) or Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDs). This approach enhances real-time security visibility in distributed environments, making it a practical alternative for large-scale network security management.