Securing UAV Swarm-Based Smart Metering Infrastructure: A Multi-Phased Approach to Threat Mitigation

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) swarms offer a promising solution for revolutionizing Smart Metering Infrastructure (SMI) by enabling efficient, scalable, and cost-effective data collection. However, the deployment of UAV swarms in critical infrastructure applications raises significant security concerns. This paper presents a comprehensive security model designed to protect a UAV swarm-based SMI against various threats throughout its operational phases. We identify key vulnerabilities and propose a multi-layered security framework that incorporates bidirectional entity authentication, secure communication channels using IPSec (Internet Protocol Security), and proactive measures to mitigate specific attacks, such as denial-of-service and man-in-the-middle attacks. We analyze the effectiveness of our proposed solutions in addressing potential threats during different operational phases: DMC (Data Management Center) interaction, in-flight operations, and data collection. We present a comparative analysis highlighting the advantages of our approach over existing security schemes for UAV swarms. Our findings provide valuable insights into securing UAV swarm-based critical infrastructure and contribute towards building more resilient and trustworthy smart city applications.