Securing UAV Flying Base Station for Mobile Networking: A Review

Sang-Yoon Chang (), Kyungmin Park, Jonghyun Kim and Jinoh Kim
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Sang-Yoon Chang: Computer Science Department, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
Kyungmin Park: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Daejeon 34129, Republic of Korea
Jonghyun Kim: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Daejeon 34129, Republic of Korea
Jinoh Kim: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 75428, USA

Future Internet, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: A flying base station based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses its mobility to extend its connectivity coverage and improve its communication channel quality to achieve a greater communication rate and latency performances. While UAV flying base stations have been used in emergency events in 5G networking (sporadic and temporary), their use will significantly increase in 6G networking, as 6G expects reliable connectivity even in rural regions and requires high-performance communication channels and line-of-sight channels for millimeter wave (mmWave) communications. Securing the integrity and availability of the base station operations is critical because of the users’ increasing reliance on the connectivity provided by the base stations, e.g., the mobile user loses connectivity if the base station operation gets disrupted. This paper identifies the security issues and research gaps of flying base stations, focusing on their unique properties, while building on the existing research in wireless communications for stationary ground base stations and embedded control for UAV drones. More specifically, the flying base station’s user-dependent positioning, its battery-constrained power, and the dynamic and distributed operations cause vulnerabilities that are distinct from those in 5G and previous-generation mobile networking with stationary ground base stations. This paper reviews the relevant security research from the perspectives of communications (mobile computing, 5G networking, and distributed computing) and embedded/control systems (UAV vehicular positioning and battery control) and then identifies the security gaps and new issues emerging for flying base stations. Through this review paper, we inform readers of flying base station research, development, and standardization for future mobile and 6G networking.

Keywords: security; telecommunications networking; 5G networking; 6G networking; base station; UAV drone; distributed networking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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