Cyberattacks and defenses for Autonomous Navigation Systems: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Autonomous Navigation Systems (ANSs) are revolutionizing transportation and logistics by enhancing operational efficiency and reshaping industry standards. However, the absence of human intervention during operational failures makes ANSs more vulnerable to cyberattacks and their consequences. Although prior research has addressed the security challenges of ANSs and proposed various defenses to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks against ANSs, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the ANS attack surface and the effectiveness of both attacks and defenses. To address this gap, we conduct a systematic review of 125 articles on cybersecurity for ANSs, focusing on their domain, characteristics, and the attack and defense strategies studied in the literature. Our analysis reveals notable research trends, open gaps, and areas for future investigation. Security research on navigation functions remains limited, despite their central role and the risks associated with their compromise. Moreover, our analysis reveals a lack of cross-domain research, resulting in threats and defenses analyzed for one domain being overlooked in others. Finally, we identify discrepancies between attacks and defenses studied in the literature, with a disproportionate focus on defense strategies.