DEVELOPMENT AND VERIFICATION OF CYBER SECURITY ARCHITECTURE FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE TELEMETRY BASED ON SIMULATION MODELLING

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37943/25GEVU5826

Keywords:

unmanned aerial vehicles, telemetry channel, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle cyber defence, anomaly detection, Micro Air Vehicle Link, statistical analysis of telemetry, communication channel protection, cyber resilience, telemetry modelling, multi-layered defence architecture

Abstract

The rapid development and widespread adoption of unmanned technologies have led to significant advancements across various fields of human activity. At the same time, the risks associated with the unauthorized use of unmanned aerial systems have increased. This has led to the emergence of a distinct area of research focused on countermeasures and the protection of various components and platforms within unmanned aerial systems. Despite the existence of current methods for detecting attacks and anomalies, their effectiveness is significantly reduced under complex operational scenarios, including dynamically changing environments, interference, small target sizes, and low radar visibility. To address this issue, this study presents the main findings of a comprehensive analysis of contemporary cyber threats and vulnerabilities arising in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems. Based on this analysis, an up-to-date classification of existing types of attacks on the basic architecture of UAVs has been compiled. This enabled an examination of the main protection methods for ensuring the security of UAV systems and components, as well as the classification of methods for detecting cyberattacks on their systems. Based on the data obtained, a multi-level protection architecture was developed, comprising three main levels: a secure communication channel, a secure flight controller, and a secure ground control station.

The software environment developed for simulating telemetry streams in Python 3.12 enabled the generation of packets in Micro Air Vehicle Link (MAVLink)/ User Datagram Protocol (UDP)/ Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) format, as well as the simulation of attacks and the detection of network anomalies in the UAV telemetry system. The results obtained include the processing of 97 MAVLink packets, where the proportion of anomaly injections was 10%, totalling 118 units. The average MAVLink packet delay was 0.037 seconds, which indicates stable operation of the telemetry channel. Experimental verification comprising 100 cycles demonstrated the ability to detect data packet structure violations, false identifiers, coordinate substitution, and delay anomalies.

Author Biographies

Gulzhamal Tursunbayeva, L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University

PhD student, Department of Information Security

Gani Sergazin, ALT University named after M. Tynyshpayev

PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Automation and Control

Dina Satybaldina , L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University

Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor,

Head of Research Institute of Information Security and Cryptology

Nawras Al Bukhari, Almaty Technological University

Master student, Department of Computer Engineering

Arman Uzbekbayev, Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications named after Gumarbek Daukeyev

PhD Student, Department of Aerospace and Electronic Engineering

Abu-Alim Ayazbay, Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications named after Gumarbek Daukeyev

PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Aerospace and Electronic Engineering

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Published

2026-03-30

How to Cite

Tursunbayeva, G., Sergazin, G. ., Satybaldina , D. ., Al Bukhari, N., Uzbekbayev, A., & Ayazbay, A.-A. (2026). DEVELOPMENT AND VERIFICATION OF CYBER SECURITY ARCHITECTURE FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE TELEMETRY BASED ON SIMULATION MODELLING. Scientific Journal of Astana IT University, 25. https://doi.org/10.37943/25GEVU5826

Issue

2026: Volume 25

Section

Information Technologies

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