Intrusion detection system for CubeSats: a survey

The impressive growth in the number of CubeSats projects carried out over the past decade gives rise to a new segment in the space industry. Whether academic, military or commercial, CubeSats missions provide a wide range of low-cost space applications. This is due on the one hand to the evolution in the launch offer and on the other hand to the use of Components-Of-The-Shelf (COTS). Despite their advantages, these components are associated with many cybersecurity risks, making space segments more accessible targets for cyberattacks and intrusions. This paper provides a brief overview of intrusion detection approaches corresponding to cyber threats that may target CubeSats. We classify Intrusion Detection System (IDS) components according to a number of factors, such as data sources, architectures, detection mechanisms and modes, and intrusion forms. Then, we present challenges and potential areas for future research, with the goal of designing a CubeSat Intrusion Detection System that efficiently balances security performance and space missions’ constraints.