Scatter Plot–Based Tabular-to-Image Conversion Method with a Modified VGG16 Model for Intrusion Detection in IoT Networks

Authors

  • Zahia Benamor ICOSI Laboratory, Khenchela, Algeria; Department of Computer Science, Abbes Laghrour University Khenchela, Algeria
  • Ahmed Seghir Zianou ICOSI Laboratory, Khenchela, Algeria; Department of Computer Science, Abbes Laghrour University Khenchela, Algeria
  • Hemam Mounir ICOSI Laboratory, Khenchela, Algeria; Department of Computer Science, Abbes Laghrour University Khenchela, Algeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32890/jict2026.25.4.1

Keywords:

CICIoT2023, CNN, Internet of Things, intrusion detection systems, tabular-to-image conversion

Abstract

Security is one of the most severe problems in the Internet of Things (IoT) environment. Early detection of attacks is crucial, as it can significantly enhance network security. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) represent a significant advancement in image classification; however, the application of CNNs to the classification of tabular data remains less explored for Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) compared to their success in image-based tasks. In this paper, we develop and evaluate a novel method for the classification of data using a modified VGG16 model by transforming tabular data into images. This transformation handles each block of samples as an image. A modified VGG16 model is then trained to classify the transformed images. We applied this method to the CICIoT2023 cybersecurity dataset, and the model achieved an accuracy of 98.05% with precision, recall, and F1-score of 98.15%, 98.05%, and 98.04%, respectively. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves superior detection performance and greater classification robustness compared to other state-of-the-art methods. The significance of this study lies in detecting intrusions in IoT networks effectively and efficiently by utilizing tabular to image transformation and VGG16 model.

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Published

31-10-2026

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Vol. 25 No. 4 (2026): Journal of Information and Communication Technology (JICT) Vol.25, No.4, October 2026

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Benamor, Z., Zianou, A. S., & Mounir, H. (2026). Scatter Plot–Based Tabular-to-Image Conversion Method with a Modified VGG16 Model for Intrusion Detection in IoT Networks. Journal of Information and Communication Technology, 25(4), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.32890/jict2026.25.4.1

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Identifiers DOI 10.32890/jict2026.25.4.1