Towards Resilient Intrusion Detection in CubeSats: Challenges, TinyML Solutions, and Future Directions

View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:CubeSats have revolutionized access to space by providing affordable and accessible platforms for research and education. However, their reliance on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components and open-source software has introduced significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Ensuring the cybersecurity of CubeSats is vital as they play increasingly important roles in space missions. Traditional security measures, such as intrusion detection systems (IDS), are impractical for CubeSats due to resource constraints and unique operational environments. This paper provides an in-depth review of current cybersecurity practices for CubeSats, highlighting limitations and identifying gaps in existing methods. Additionally, it explores non-cyber anomaly detection techniques that offer insights into adaptable algorithms and deployment strategies suitable for CubeSat constraints. Open research problems are identified, including the need for resource-efficient intrusion detection mechanisms, evaluation of IDS solutions under realistic mission scenarios, development of autonomous response systems, and creation of cybersecurity frameworks. The addition of TinyML into CubeSat systems is explored as a promising solution to address these challenges, offering resource-efficient, real-time intrusion detection capabilities. Future research directions are proposed, such as integrating cybersecurity with health monitoring systems, and fostering collaboration between cybersecurity researchers and space domain experts. Comments: Published in IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine Subjects: Cryptography and Security (cs.CR); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI); General Literature (cs.GL); Machine Learning (cs.LG) MSC classes: 68M25, 68T05, 68M15 ACM classes: D.4.6; C.3; I.2.6 Cite as: arXiv:2604.06411 [cs.CR] (or arXiv:2604.06411v1 [cs.CR] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.06411 arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration) Journal reference: IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, Mar. 2026 Related DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MAES.2026.3677755 DOI(s) linking to related resources Submission history From: Li Yang [view email] [v1] Tue, 7 Apr 2026 19:47:51 UTC (1,189 KB)