A Comprehensive Survey of Unmanned Aerial Systems' Risks and Mitigation Strategies

2025-06-12

AI Summary

The widespread deployment of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in communications, defense, and transportation has exposed critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities across their operational lifecycle. Method: This study systematically identifies and analyzes lifecycle security weaknesses using integrated threat modeling, risk matrix assessment, standards compliance mapping (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001, DO-362), and a comprehensive systematic literature review. It pioneers the cross-domain adaptation of mature security solutions from non-UAS domains to UAS contexts. Contribution/Results: The research quantifies the likelihood and impact of vulnerabilities in key domains—communications, command-and-control, and perception—and establishes a “risk–mitigation” mapping framework. It proposes concrete adaptation pathways for established security standards within UAS architectures and identifies several high-priority research gaps. Collectively, this work provides both theoretical foundations and actionable guidance for developing robust, standards-aligned UAS cybersecurity frameworks.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Security
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Scheduling under Uncertainty
• Multiagent Systems: Multiagent Systems under Uncertainty

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web applications in cross-disciplinary domains and verticals such as mixed reality, smart cities, and digital health
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Attacks and countermeasures in recommendation systems

Abstract

In the last decade, the rapid growth of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV) in communication, defense, and transportation has increased. The application of UAS will continue to increase rapidly. This has led researchers to examine security vulnerabilities in various facets of UAS infrastructure and UAVs, which form a part of the UAS system to reinforce these critical systems. This survey summarizes the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in several phases of UAV deployment, the likelihood of each vulnerability's occurrence, the impact of attacks, and mitigation strategies that could be applied. We go beyond the state-of-the-art by taking a comprehensive approach to enhancing UAS security by performing an analysis of both UAS-specific and non-UAS-specific mitigation strategies that are applicable within the UAS domain to define the lessons learned. We also present relevant cybersecurity standards and their recommendations in the UAS context. Despite the significant literature in UAS security and the relevance of cyberphysical and networked systems security approaches from the past, which we identify in the survey, we find several critical research gaps that require further investigation. These form part of our discussions and recommendations for the future exploration by our research community.

Problem

• Identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities in UAV deployment phases
• Analyze UAS-specific and non-UAS-specific mitigation strategies
• Address critical research gaps in UAS security

Innovation

• Analyzing UAS-specific and non-UAS-specific mitigation strategies
• Summarizing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in UAV deployment phases
• Presenting relevant cybersecurity standards for UAS