Advancing UAV Cybersecurity: Insights from UAVSec at IEEE Cyber Research Conference Ireland

Iftikhar Umrani, a PhD student in the Programmable Autonomous Systems division at Walton Institute in South East Technological University (SETU) presented his latest research under the UAVSec project at the IEEE Cyber Research Conference Ireland held in SETU’s Carlow campus recently. Funded by the Research Ireland CONNECT research centre, his work analysed the vulnerabilities in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and emphasised the need for advanced security systems.

The conference also provided a valuable platform to connect national and international researchers, opening collaborations and new research opportunities.

Identifying UAV Vulnerabilities and Risks

Iftikhar’s research paper, titled ‘False Data Injection Attacks on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles used for Package Delivery’, supervised by Bernard Butler (SETU), Aisling O’Driscoll (University College Cork), and Steven Davy (Technological University Dublin), examines cybersecurity threats faced by UAVs, especially those used in delivery services, focusing on GPS and LiDAR spoofing attacks that undermine their operational reliability.

The study introduced an experimental testbed that combines PX4 autopilot, Gazebo simulator, and ROS framework to simulate attacks. The experiments demonstrated how attackers could inject false data, leading to navigation errors, failures in obstacle detection, and operational disruptions. These findings highlight the need for proactive defenses to protect UAVs in real-world applications.

Evaluating UAV vulnerabilities Through Simulated Attacks

To validate the identified vulnerabilities, the research simulated attack scenarios that exploited UAV systems using GPS and LiDAR manipulation. The experiments demonstrated how attackers could mislead UAVs into perceiving false surroundings, causing route deviations or collisions. The experiments replicated realistic attack scenarios, showing how attackers could exploit UAV systems using accessible tools. These results emphasise the need for proactive, AI-driven approaches to counter modern cyber threats.

UAVSec future work

The UAVSec project aims to advance beyond identifying vulnerabilities by developing AI-based frameworks capable of detecting and isolating malicious inputs. These frameworks leverage machine learning techniques to monitor sensor data in real time and distinguish legitimate signals from spoofed data.

Future efforts will focus on refining these frameworks to enhance scalability and adaptability, ensuring deployment across diverse UAV applications. Additionally, the research will explore integrating intelligent security mechanisms and data uncertainty management frameworks to enable autonomous detection and response to cyberattacks with minimal human intervention. This is particularly important as UAVs continue to be adopted in areas like delivery services, emergency response, and surveillance.

Building a Resilient Future for UAV Security

Iftikhar’s work under the UAVSec project reflects Walton Institute’s mission to combine rigorous academic research with practical applications. This research lays the foundation for scalable and secure technologies to protect UAV systems against evolving and nuanced threats, and represents a significant step toward building resilient UAV technologies.