Security Performance Analysis of LEO Satellite Constellation Networks under DDoS Attack

Area of Science:

• Network Security
• Satellite Communications
• Cybersecurity

Background:

• Low Earth orbit satellite constellation networks (LSCNs) offer low latency and wide coverage, increasing their global significance.
• Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks pose a major threat to internet security and are a growing concern for LSCNs.
• The unique architecture of LSCNs presents novel challenges for traditional network security models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a space-time graph model for identifying critical nodes within LSCNs.
• To analyze the security vulnerabilities of LSCNs against DDoS attacks targeting identified key nodes.
• To evaluate the impact of single and multiple satellite key node attacks on network performance.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a space-time graph model to pinpoint crucial nodes in LSCNs.
• Simulation of DDoS attacks targeting identified key nodes in various attack scenarios (two-satellite and multi-satellite).
• Analysis of network security performance metrics, including end-to-end delay and packet loss.

Main Results:

• The study identified key nodes within LSCNs susceptible to DDoS attacks.
• Simulations demonstrated that attacked key satellite nodes experience rapid changes in transmission paths.
• A linear correlation was observed between the number of key-node attacks and increased average end-to-end delay and packet loss.

Conclusions:

• LSCNs exhibit significant security vulnerabilities to DDoS attacks, particularly when key nodes are targeted.
• The rapid alteration of transmission paths in attacked key nodes highlights network instability.
• This research provides crucial insights into LSCN security under DDoS threats and supports the development of future anti-DDoS strategies.