A systematic literature review of adversarial domain generation and defense

Pelayo-Benedet, Tomás (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Rodríguez, Ricardo J. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Domain Generation Algorithms (DGAs) have long allowed malware to maintain persistent command and control channels by evading static blocklists. However, this dynamic has evolved into a sophisticated arms race: DGAs are no longer simply random but are now optimized to actively deceive detection systems. This paper presents a systematic literature review analyzing 32 primary studies (2016–2025) at the intersection of algorithmically generated domain detection and adversarial machine learning. We construct a comprehensive taxonomy of the evasion landscape, mapping the progression from simple character perturbations to advanced generative adversarial networks and semantic mimicry. Our analysis reveals two systemic flaws in the state of the art. First, we identify a significant deployment gap, where proposed defenses ignore operational realities, such as strict latency limits and the need for false positive rates below 0.1%. Second, we highlight a serious reproducibility crisis driven by a lack of public code and standardized datasets. We conclude by proposing a roadmap to standar

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.mlwa.2026.100888

Año: 2026

Publicado en: Machine Learning with Applications 24, [17 pp.] (2026), 100888
ISSN:

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/T21-23R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MCIU/PID2023-151467OA-I00
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EUR/MICINN/TED2021-131115A-I00

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Lenguajes y Sistemas Inf. (Dpto. Informát.Ingenie.Sistms.)