Enhancing IoT Cybersecurity with Multi-Layer Deep Transfer Learning Approach for Intrusion Detection

Authors

  • Anuj Rapaka Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women (Autonomous), Bhimavaram, 534202
  • Govindan Manoharan Karthik Department of Information Security,School of Computer Science and Engineering (SCOPE), Vellore Institute of Technology, Katpadi - Thiruvalam Road, Vellore - 632 014, Tamil Nadu,
  • Balla Sudhir Department of Electronics and Communication, International School of Technology and Sciences for Women, NH-16, Eastgonagudem, Rajanagaram, Rajamahendravaram, AP-533294,
  • Gurram Venkata Naga Bhagya Sree Department of Computer Science, Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology & Sciences (ANITS),Sangivalasa, Bheemunipatnam, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh-531162,
  • Narendra Kumar Department of CSE, Amity University Jharkhand, Ranchi, 835303, Jharkhand,
  • Jyothi Nelahonne Mohan Department of Computer Science Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation,Vaddeswaram, Andhra Pradesh, 522502

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5614/itbj.ict.res.appl.2026.19.3.4

Keywords:

auto encoders, golden jackal-grey wolf hybrid optimization algorithm, intrusion detection systems, kernel mean alignment, malicious events

Abstract

Intrusion detection in IoT-enabled cloud environments is challenged by high-dimensional traffic, class imbalance, and limited labeled data. This paper proposes a hybrid framework combining Golden Jackal?Grey Wolf Optimization (GJO-GWO) for feature selection with a Kernel Mean Alignment Autoencoder (KMA-AE) for deep transfer learning. GJO-GWO selects a compact, discriminative feature subset, while KMA-AE aligns source and target latent representations to mitigate distribution mismatch. Experiments on the CIDDS-001 dataset achieve 90.21% accuracy and 0.90 macro-F1, with improved precision?recall for minority attacks and a 60% feature reduction. Although training is more expensive, the method attains the lowest inference time, enabling real-time deployment. Overall, the framework provides an effective and generalizable intrusion detection solution for dynamic IoT environments.

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References

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Published

2026-05-26

How to Cite

Rapaka, A., Karthik, G. M., Sudhir, B., Sree, G. V. N. B., Kumar, N., & Mohan, J. N. (2026). Enhancing IoT Cybersecurity with Multi-Layer Deep Transfer Learning Approach for Intrusion Detection. Journal of ICT Research and Applications, 19(3), 275-292. https://doi.org/10.5614/itbj.ict.res.appl.2026.19.3.4

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