FCSec: An Open-source Testbed for Security Evaluation on UAV Communications

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are becoming increasingly prevalent in various fields, necessitating robust data security measures to safeguard sensitive information. While numerous studies have focused on securing data through advanced encryption schemes, they often overlook physical capture attacks, where the physical seizure of a UAV can result in the leakage of secret keys, rendering the encryption ineffective. To address this vulnerability, Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) have emerged as a promising solution, though their real-time integration into UAV networks remains under-explored. This article presents a comprehensive testbed that leverages hybrid FPGA-based SoC to evaluate the physical security of aerial communications. The setup integrates a Xilinx Zynq APSoC with a Raspberry Pi, that manages data flow and interfaces in the UAV system. Data exchange occurs through a client-server architecture between the devices. Autonomous flight control of the UAV is achieved using MAVROS, enabling communication between the host computer and the Pixhawk flight controller. A case study with modified Ring Oscillator PUF implemented on the FPGA is presented to enhance security. The PUF design is evaluated for its uniqueness and reliability, and the overall system performance is analysed in terms of end-to-end delay and resource utilization. The results are compared with state-of-the-art approaches to emphasize the improved performance and efficiency achieved.