TITLE:
A Secure Communication Framework for Drone Swarms in Autonomous Surveillance Operations
AUTHORS:
Ahad Alotaibi, Chris Chatwin, Phil Birch
KEYWORDS:
Drone Swarm Security, Mesh Network Architecture, Surveillance Missions, Vulnerability Testing, GNS3 Simulation
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Computer and Communications,
Vol.12 No.11,
October
31,
2024
ABSTRACT: Drones have become indispensable tools in various domains, from surveillance and environmental monitoring to disaster response and communication relay. However, their growing use in critical missions necessitates robust security measures to protect against potential threats and ensure the integrity of operations. This research presents a novel secure architecture for a swarm of drones deployed on surveillance missions. Leveraging a reliable foundation established through Delaunay triangulation for communication among drones, this work introduces advanced security protocols to enhance the protection and integrity of the network. The architecture employs a mesh network topology connecting six drones, each configured for specific surveillance tasks, including perimeter monitoring, area scanning, thermal imaging, traffic observation, communication relay, and incident response. The mesh network design ensures extended coverage, redundancy, load balancing, and self-configuration, significantly improving reliability and resilience. Security validation was conducted using GNS3 and Ettercap, simulating various vulnerability scenarios. Comparative performance analysis between a classic drone network and the proposed secure mesh network demonstrates superior traffic management and robustness against potential attacks. The results underscore the architecture’s suitability for secure and reliable operations in critical surveillance environments.