Abstract
Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more prevalent in distant and inaccessible areas for monitoring and evacuation purposes. Yet, in such circumstances, UAVs face severe security threats, such as illegal access, breaches of information, and cyber-attacks. Conventional security mechanisms built for local networks (also known as WLAN) are ineffective for UAVs because of their low processing capability, memory, capacity, and the longevity of batteries. Although cryptography with public keys provides strong security, its computing requirements and extensive handling of keys make it unsuitable for UAV communication. Conversely, using symmetrical keys provides an efficient resource and scalable method for private information transfer. This paper offers a multifaceted security architecture for UAV networks based on the standards defined by IEEE 802.11. The structure has four important levels. The initial layer uses a GA (genetic algorithm) to improve cluster head (CH) selection. This increases energy-efficient networking by optimizing intra-cluster communications, CH separation from the central station, and overall nodal energy. The following layer incorporates Hashed Messaging Authentication Coding (HAC) to provide safe data accumulation, reduce overhead, and mitigate security concerns. The next layer uses bilateral key management via single-direction hashing to ensure secure communication across UAV nodes, reducing the effect of stolen nodes. Finally, the final layer employs Broadcasting Tree Construction to reduce the cost of communication, uncover wayward nodes, and enhance network connection by optimizing path choosing. The proposed architecture tackles UAV-specific difficulties by providing an expandable, trustworthy, green solution that enhances performance and resistance to emerging threats.
Keywords: Broadcast Tree Construction, Energy Consumption, Lightweight Encryption, Packet Drop Rate, UAV.