Security in UAV Ecosystem: An Implementation Perspective

Nikita Malik*, Menal Dahiya and Harsh Sinha
Department of Computer Applications, Maharaja Surajmal Institute, New Delhi, India
*Corresponding Author: Nikita Malik, Department of Computer Applications, Maharaja Surajmal Institute, New Delhi, India.

Published: October 02, 2023

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Abstract  

This paper focuses on implementational security measures to protect the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) ecosystem from malicious adversaries reducing the surface of vulnerability against the malicious intent of these threat actors. To accomplish this goal, we have discussed five basic security measures. These measures include lightweight cryptographic function to encrypt firmware and other PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) buses, disabling non-utilized ports on the ground station, blocking inorganic traffic with an intrusion detection and prevention system, obscuring the Service Set Identifier (SSID) from broadcast scans, and implementing filter scrubs and dynamic whitelisting. These measures will be discussed in detail in this paper in parallel to the configurational implementation. The results of this paper were both challenging and rewarding. The proposed measures are helpful in improving the security of the UAV ecosystem and protecting it from different attacks, however, it still remains vulnerable to malicious actors. By preventing malicious requests generated by attackers, the lifespan and security of UAVs can be prolonged.

Keywords: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles; Internet of Drones; Security Measures; Intrusion Detection

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