BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION MODULE TO ENHANCE CUBESAT SECURITY

Abstract

CubeSats suffer from limitations in power and processing capacity, often leading developers with limited options in implementing data security measures thereby increasing the vulnerability to data breaches and unauthorized access. These attacks negatively affected CubeSat operations or caused losing control over CubeSats in orbit; therefore, recent missions have prioritized the implementation of security measures, with data encryption being the most common method to defend against eavesdropping, and authentication protocols to prevent unauthorized access. This study presents an application of a Fuzzy Logic-based Authentication module to enhance CubeSats' security with minimal strain on the processing power of the Command and Data Handling System (CDHS) and without the need of additional hardware, targeting missions with constrained budgets relying solely on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware. The module addresses cyber-attacks by analyzing the typing pattern transmitted during the initial communication, in addition to the username and password, such that authenticated users are granted access to the CubeSat. The success criteria defined in this study were based on two primary elements: (1) granting access to authenticated users with accurate credentials and (2) denying access for any user attempting impersonation, regardless of providing correct credentials. During initial testing, the algorithm achieved a 97% success rate in authenticating legitimate users, while maintaining an average 95% success rate in detecting impersonation attempts. These results will be verified after the launch of the CubeSat, where the algorithm will undergo further testing in real-time operations, as its performance is influenced by operators’ behavior, which can vary significantly during actual use.