🛡 Meta Hunter – Tracking VoIP Calls via Network Metadata

🚀 A project developed for National CyberShield Hackathon 2025 by Team Meta Hunters, VIT Bhopal

📛 Badges

📌 Problem Statement

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls are widely used because of their low cost and accessibility. Unfortunately, criminals misuse them for fraud, spam, and cybercrimes. Traditional methods fail, especially when calls are encrypted.

💡 Proposed Solution

🔍 Our system tracks VoIP calls using network metadata instead of intercepting content.

Collect SIP & RTP metadata (IP addresses, timestamps, call duration, packet size trends)
Correlate traffic patterns across networks
Use AI-driven anomaly detection to identify fraud/spam calls

⚙ Technical Approach

🛠 Technologies & Tools

Languages & Frameworks: Python, Scikit-learn
Network Tools: Wireshark/TShark, Elasticsearch
Protocols: SIP, RTP/SRTP
Data Sources: PCAP files, NetFlow/IPFIX

🤖 Machine Learning Methodology

Anomaly Detection: Isolation Forest, DBSCAN
Pattern Analysis: Clustering Algorithms
Visualization: Dashboards & Reports

🔬 Methodology

Data Collection → Capture SIP headers, call metadata
Pre-processing → Extract identifiers, session durations
Analysis → Correlate across multiple networks
ML Models → Detect anomalies (spam campaigns, spoofing)
Visualization → Interactive dashboards

🔧 Installation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

# Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/Lonewolf124/Call_Hunters.git
cd Call_Hunters

# Make the main script executable
chmod +x calltrace1.sh

Step 2: Install System Dependencies

Ubuntu/Debian Systems:

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install essential dependencies
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv python3-dev

# Install network analysis tools
sudo apt install -y wireshark tshark tcpdump

# Install build tools (required for some Python packages)
sudo apt install -y build-essential libpcap-dev

# Install additional utilities
sudo apt install -y bc curl wget

Arch Linux Systems:

# Install essential dependencies
sudo pacman -S python python-pip

# Install network analysis tools
sudo pacman -S wireshark-cli tcpdump

# Install build tools
sudo pacman -S base-devel libpcap

# Install additional utilities
sudo pacman -S bc curl wget

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora Systems:

# For Fedora/newer systems
sudo dnf install -y python3 python3-pip python3-devel

# For older CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install -y python3 python3-pip python3-devel

# Install network analysis tools
sudo dnf install -y wireshark tcpdump
# or: sudo yum install -y wireshark tcpdump

# Install build tools
sudo dnf install -y gcc gcc-c++ libpcap-devel
# or: sudo yum install -y gcc gcc-c++ libpcap-devel

# Install additional utilities
sudo dnf install -y bc curl wget

Step 3: Configure Network Permissions

Option A: Add User to Wireshark Group (Recommended)

# Add your user to the wireshark group
sudo usermod -a -G wireshark $USER

# Set proper permissions for packet capture
sudo setcap cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin+eip /usr/bin/dumpcap

# Logout and login again for group changes to take effect
# Or run: newgrp wireshark

Option B: Grant Permissions to Python

# Allow Python to capture packets (alternative method)
sudo setcap cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin+eip $(which python3)

Step 4: Python Environment Setup

Option A: Automatic Setup (Recommended for Beginners)

# Run the script - it will automatically create venv and install packages
./calltrace1.sh

# If prompted, choose 'y' to create virtual environment
# The script will:
# 1. Create venv/ directory
# 2. Install all Python dependencies
# 3. Activate the environment
# 4. Run the tool

Option B: Manual Setup (Advanced Users)

# Create virtual environment in project directory
python3 -m venv venv

# Activate the virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate

# Upgrade pip to latest version
pip install --upgrade pip

# Install all required Python packages
pip install pandas numpy matplotlib scapy pyshark joblib scikit-learn

# Verify installation
python3 -c "import pandas, numpy, matplotlib, scapy, pyshark, joblib, sklearn; print('All packages installed successfully!')"

# Run the tool
./calltrace1.sh

Step 5: Verify Installation

Test System Dependencies:

# Check if Python is available
python3 --version
# Should output: Python 3.8+ 

# Check if network tools are available
which tshark
which tcpdump
# Should show paths like: /usr/bin/tshark

# Check if wireshark group exists
getent group wireshark
# Should show: wireshark:x:XXX:your_username

Test Python Dependencies:

# Activate virtual environment (if using manual setup)
source venv/bin/activate

# Test imports
python3 -c "
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import scapy.all
import pyshark
import joblib
import sklearn
print('All Python dependencies working!')
"

Test CallTrace:

# Run CallTrace with help flag
./calltrace1.sh -h

# Should display help menu without errors

Step 6: Download Pre-trained Model (If Missing)

# If the ML model file is missing, train a new one:
source venv/bin/activate
python3 isolation_forest.py

# This creates: voip_isolation_forest_model.pkl

⚠️ Troubleshooting Installation

Python Issues:

# If python3 command not found
sudo apt install python3  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install python3  # Fedora/CentOS

# If pip not available
sudo apt install python3-pip  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install python3-pip  # Fedora/CentOS

Permission Issues:

# If getting "Permission denied" for script execution
chmod +x calltrace1.sh

# If getting network capture permission errors
sudo ./calltrace1.sh  # Run with sudo as temporary solution

# Better solution: Fix group permissions (see Step 3)

Virtual Environment Issues:

# If venv module not found
sudo apt install python3-venv  # Ubuntu/Debian

# If virtual environment creation fails
rm -rf venv  # Remove partial venv
python3 -m venv venv --clear  # Create fresh venv

Network Tools Issues:

# If tshark not found
sudo apt install wireshark  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install wireshark  # Fedora/CentOS

# If getting "couldn't run /usr/bin/dumpcap" error
sudo dpkg-reconfigure wireshark-common  # Select 'Yes' for non-root users

Package Installation Issues:

# If pip install fails with compilation errors
sudo apt install python3-dev build-essential  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install python3-devel gcc gcc-c++    # Fedora/CentOS

# If scapy installation fails
sudo apt install libpcap-dev  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install libpcap-devel  # Fedora/CentOS

# Then retry: pip install scapy

🎯 Quick Start

Basic Usage

# Run CallTrace
./calltrace1.sh

🌍 Impact & Benefits

✅ Social – Protects citizens from scam calls
💰 Economic – Reduces telecom fraud losses
🔒 Security – Strengthens national cybercrime prevention

📊 Architecture Diagram

📚 Research & References

👨‍💻 Team Meta Hunter

👥 Team Members:

[SHUBRAT MISHRA]
[KABIR ROY]
[SHREYAS DESAI]
[PRACHI BIRLE]
[ARITRA MAHANTY]

🏫 Institution: Vellore Institute of Technology, Bhopal
🏆 Hackathon: National CyberShield Hackathon 2025

🖼 Screenshots / Demo

🏆 Acknowledgment

Special thanks to our mentors and National CyberShield Hackathon 2025 organizers.

✨ Built with ❤ by Meta Hunter | VIT Bhopal

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
assets		assets
.gitignore		.gitignore
Blacklisted ip.csv		Blacklisted ip.csv
README.md		README.md
call1.pcap		call1.pcap
calltrace1.sh		calltrace1.sh
isolation_forest.py		isolation_forest.py
predictions_bad.csv		predictions_bad.csv
shubrat1.py		shubrat1.py
voip_analysis.csv		voip_analysis.csv
voip_constants.py		voip_constants.py
voip_grapher.py		voip_grapher.py
voip_isolation_forest_model.pkl		voip_isolation_forest_model.pkl
voip_predictor.py		voip_predictor.py
voip_predictor1.py		voip_predictor1.py
voip_tracer1.py		voip_tracer1.py

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