The document proposes NICE, a multi-phase network intrusion detection and countermeasure selection framework designed for cloud security, which addresses vulnerabilities in virtual machines that can be exploited for large-scale DDoS attacks. By leveraging attack graph analytical models and programmable network technology, NICE aims to improve attack detection and mitigate the impact of security breaches without disrupting cloud services. The framework is positioned as an enhancement over existing systems by accurately identifying threats and deploying effective countermeasures.