Enhanced Cybersecurity Framework for Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Comprehensive STRIDE-Model Analysis and Emerging Defense Strategies

Recent advancements in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology have facilitated its widespread adoption across a spectrum of sectors, such as commercial logistics, agricultural surveillance, industrial diagnostics, and military maneuvers. However, the widespread adoption has also engendered a burgeoning array of security concerns. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) networks are characterized by high node mobility, unstable links, open communication environments, and limited platform resources, which in turn exhibit typical vulnerabilities in terms of cybersecurity. Most current studies on UAV cybersecurity issues tend to focus on individual UAVs, often neglecting the holistic cybersecurity of UAS. This paper outlines the composition of UAS network architecture. It summarizes the main cybersecurity challenges UAS faces within six categories—spoofing, tampering, information disclosure, denial of service (DoS), service refusal, and privilege escalation—based on the STRIDE threat model. Corresponding methods for risk mitigation and security protection strategies are proposed. Ultimately, the paper provides a perspective on the future development directions of UAS cybersecurity, aiming to offer a reference for addressing related issues in subsequent research and practice.