Management of Surveillance Drones in an IoT Environment

Abstract

This Ph.D. dissertation focuses on addressing the challenges encountered in static coverage path planning (CPP) and security in the context of the Internet of Drones (IoD).The dissertation provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of CPP and IoDsecurity, covering topics such as drone simulators, security solutions, emerging technologies, and potential future research directions. The primary objective of this dissertationis to address two fundamental aspects. The frst aspect is to propose a novel strategy for UAV path planning that reduces energy consumption, minimizes the number of turns,and provides equal importance to the entire area. This novel strategy aims to optimizethe performance of UAVs while achieving maximum efficiency in their operation. Theproposed solution has been evaluated, and it has outperformed existing paths, resultingin significant improvements in mission completion time, distance travelled, and energyconsumption. The second aspect of this dissertation concerns security, which is becoming increasingly critical in UAV technology.Indeed, the use of drones in the Internet of Things (IoT) environment poses severalchallenges, as they collect and transmit sensitive data in real time. A secure and efcient authentication scheme is crucial to ensure dependable and safe communication between the drone and external users, especially considering the limited battery and memory capacity of drones. Failure to implement an efficient authentication scheme can lead to thecompromise of sensitive data through unauthorized access, interception, manipulation,and control. This dissertation also proposes a lightweight authentication and key agreement (AKA) scheme called HCALA to secure user-drone communication in IoD. Theproposed scheme utilizes a hash function, Exclusive-OR operation, and a Hyperelliptic Curve Cryptography (HECC), and is supported by blockchain. HCALA provides an efficient solution to the revocation and reissue phases, as well as password updates. Theprotocol considers the Dolev–Yao (DY) threat model and Canetti and Krawczyk (CK)adversary, which provides the most capability to an opponent attempting to compromisethe proposed scheme’s security. To assess the practicality and effectiveness of HCALA, we utilize the Random OracleModel (ROM) and formal security verification through a software tool named AVISPA,which is commonly utilized to verify internet security protocols. In addition, we evaluate HCALA using informal security analysis methods, demonstrating its ability to resistvarious adversary attacks, both active and passive. Furthermore, performance comparison indicates that HCALA is more efficient in terms of different parameters. Comparedto similar schemes in recent years, HCALA shows improved security and functionality,while reducing computation, communication costs, and energy consumption. This researchcontributes to the advancement of drone technology and its applications in the development of secure and efficientIoD networks.