Work

Building Trust in Autonomous Aerial Systems: A Review of Hardware-Rooted Trust Mechanisms

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are redefining both civilian and defense operations, with swarm-based architectures unlocking unprecedented scalability and autonomy. However, these advancements introduce critical security challenges, particularly in location verification and authentication. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of hardware security primitives (HSPs)—including Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs), Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs), and blockchain-integrated frameworks—as foundational enablers of trust in UAV ecosystems. We systematically analyze communication architectures, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and deployment constraints, followed by a comparative evaluation of HSP-based techniques in terms of energy efficiency, scalability, and operational resilience. The review further identifies unresolved research gaps and highlights transformative trends such as AI-augmented environmental PUFs, post-quantum secure primitives, and RISC-V-based secure control systems. By bridging current limitations with emerging innovations, this work underscores the pivotal role of hardware-rooted security in shaping the next generation of autonomous aerial networks.

Source: Future Internet

DOI: 10.3390/fi17100466

Authors: Sagir Muhammad Ahmad, Mohammad Samie, Barmak Honarvar Shakibaei Asli

Institution: Cranfield University

Language: English

Topic: Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and Hardware Security

Subfield: Hardware and Architecture

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,930