Generative Adversarial Networks for Anomaly and Malware Detection

Abstract

Generative Adversarial Networks or GANs, have become a significant approach in deep learning along with Con-volutional and Recurrent Neural Networks, due to improvements in computing technology and more advanced ways to train these frameworks or models. Since GANs were first introduced in 2014, their application has expanded beyond image generation to include critical security tasks like anomaly detection and malware analysis. This paper offers a comprehensive survey of how GAN-based methods are utilized for identifying unusual and harmful activities in cyber settings. It examines key variants of GANs relevant to this field, explains their fundamental architectures and training methods, and explains their integration into systems to detect anomalies and malware. Additionally, the paper catalogs publicly accessible datasets and evaluation metrics frequently used in the reviewed studies to illustrate common experimental methodologies and research directions. Finally, it addresses ongoing challenges and potential future avenues for employing GANs to counteract emerging cybersecurity threats, highlighting their importance in developing more proactive and robust security measures.