Securing Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) Communications for Wildfire Management: Mitigating the Effects of Adversarial and Environmental Threats

TL;DR

This paper develops a secure and resilient HetNet framework integrating satellite and aerial platforms for wildfire management, analyzing environmental and adversarial threats' impact on communication security.

Contribution

It introduces a novel security framework for heterogeneous networks supporting wildfire operations, extending protection to RF/FSO links and considering environmental and adversarial factors.

Findings

Atmospheric attenuation degrades secrecy capacity.

High-altitude eavesdroppers face less signal degradation.

Increasing transmit power can reduce overall link confidentiality.

Abstract

In the face of adverse environmental conditions and cyber threats, robust communication systems for critical applications such as wildfire management and detection demand secure and resilient architectures. This paper presents a novel framework that considers both adversarial factors, building resilience into a heterogeneous network (HetNet) integrating Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation with High-Altitude Platform Ground Stations (HAPGS) and Low-Altitude Platforms (LAPS), tailored to support wildfire management operations. Building upon our previous work on secure-by-component approach for link segment security, we extend protection to the communication layer by securing both Radio Frequency (RF)/Free Space Optics (FSO) management and different links. Through a case study, we quantify how environmental stressors impact secrecy capacity and expose the system to passive adversaries. Key findings demonstrate that atmospheric attenuation and beam misalignment can notably degrade secrecy capacity across both short- and long-range communication links, while high-altitude eavesdroppers face less signal degradation, increasing their interception capability. Moreover, increasing transmit power to counter environmental losses can inadvertently improve eavesdropper reception, thereby reducing overall link confidentiality. Our work not only highlights the importance of protecting networks from these dual threats but also aligns with the IEEE P3536 Standard for Space System Cybersecurity Design, ensuring resilience and the prevention of mission failures.