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IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking

SKYTRA: Traceable Key Encapsulation for Secure Multi-Agent Communications in Embodied UAV Networks

Ming Xie, Mingfei Zeng, Zhede Gu, Hushuang Zeng, Yongguang Yan, Haojun Xuan, Chunhai Li

Published Jan 1, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Agentic AI, particularly in the form of embodied agents such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms, requires secure and efficient communication to enable collaborative decision-making. However, the open wireless links these agents use for coordination are vulnerable to eavesdropping and adversarial attacks. Because each command capsule must reach many recipients simultaneously, classical per-recipient public-key encryption inflates airtime, drains batteries, and complicates key management. Moreover, a captured drone can leak its secret key, so the compromised unit must be identifiable without grounding the entire fleet, and the cryptosystem must remain secure against future quantum adversaries. In this paper, we propose a traceable hybrid multi-recipient key encapsulation mechanism (mKEM) to meet these requirements, called SKYTRA-KEM. Our scheme enables secure group-oriented communication for multi-agent systems, where a single compact ciphertext serves all swarm members that share a group public key while holding distinct, traceable secret keys. The experiment shows that, for a swarm of 100 drones arranged in five groups, the scheme reduces sender CPU time from 1.31 ms to 0.20 ms and cuts broadcast size from 78.1 kB to 4.0 kB. A qualitative comparison with recent mKEM constructions further demonstrates the unique combination of hybrid security, traceability, and bandwidth efficiency provided by SKYTRA-KEM. These results demonstrate an accountable, quantum-resilient, and energy-efficient communication framework designed for the resource-constrained nature of embodied agents.

DOI
10.1109/tccn.2026.3689867

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Agentic AI, particularly in the form of embodied agents such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms, requires secure and efficient communication to enable collaborative decision-making. However, the open wireless links these agents use for coordination are vulnerable to eavesdropping and adversarial attacks. Because each command capsule must reach many recipients simultaneously, classical per-recipient public-key encryption inflates airtime, drains batteries, and complicates key management. Moreover, a captured drone can leak its secret key, so the compromised unit must be identifiable without grounding the entire fleet, and the cryptosystem must remain secure against future quantum adversaries. In this paper, we propose a traceable hybrid multi-recipient key encapsulation mechanism (mKEM) to meet these requirements, called SKYTRA-KEM. Our scheme enables secure group-oriented communication for multi-agent systems, where a single compact ciphertext serves all swarm members that share a group public key while holding distinct, traceable secret keys. The experiment shows that, for a swarm of 100 drones arranged in five groups, the scheme reduces sender CPU time from 1.31 ms to 0.20 ms and cuts broadcast size from 78.1 kB to 4.0 kB. A qualitative comparison with recent mKEM constructions further demonstrates the unique combination of hybrid security, traceability, and bandwidth efficiency provided by SKYTRA-KEM. These results demonstrate an accountable, quantum-resilient, and energy-efficient communication framework designed for the resource-constrained nature of embodied agents.
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ABSTRACT This paper presents a simulation- and model-based study — all results are derived from validated simulation frameworks rather than physical hardware measurements — of the post-quantum migration of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command-and-control links. The advent of cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) fundamentally threatens the security of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), particularly command and control links that rely on classical public-key cryptography. Compounded by "harvest now, decrypt later” strategies, this necessitates a proactive transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). We develop a quantum threat model for UAV communications and evaluates a migration pathway anchored by the NIST-standardized ML-KEM (Kyber) algorithm. We model and benchmark ML-KEM on a simulated ARM Cortex-M4-class flight controller plat-form, analysing computational performance, memory footprint, energy consumption, and real-time scheduling behaviour. Results demonstrate that ML-KEM-768 encapsulation reduces latency by approximately 39% compared to elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman, while a hybrid ECDH+ML-KEM-768 configuration introduces moderate computational and memory overhead. However, the substantial increase in ciphertext size creates critical fragmentation bottlenecks on low-bandwidth telemetry links such as LoRa, motivating a proposed symmetric key derivation architecture for bandwidth-efficient rekeying. Side-channel analysis under an idealised leakage model confirms susceptibility to correlation power analysis, highlighting the necessity for hardened implementations. Furthermore, real-time operating system scheduling simulations under a two-task discrete-event model reveal that naive task co-scheduling induces significant jitter, necessitating strict priority isolation to maintain flight controller determinism. These findings establish simulation-grounded guidance for integrating PQC into resource-constrained UAV platforms without compromising real-time performance or communication reliability.
In unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm networks, a group secret key (GSK) is required to enable secured UAV-UAV communications, multicast, and broadcast transmission. Moreover, it can be used for device authentication. Therefore, this paper proposes an efficient GSK protocol denoted as the sequential secret group key (SSGK) algorithm for distributed UAV swarmsecured communications. The proposed protocol utilizes network coding to generate cooperation information that is transmitted on the channel and is uncorrelated with the generated secret key. The proposed protocol depends on the pairwise key generation (PKG) process between pairs of UAVs. However, not all possible pairwise agreements are performed to minimize the time and signaling overhead, i.e., the pairwise key agreement is performed only between selected UAVs as a compromise between the required overhead transmission resources and the achieved redundancy level. The obtained results show that a redundancy level of 4 is sufficient to provide a reliable GSK generation process. The results also show that the performance of the key generation process highly depends on the channelbit error rate (BER), the number of UAVs, and the key length.
The emergence of sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks introduces unprecedented requirements for ultra-secure, low-latency communication across heterogeneous space–air–ground integrated network (SAGIN). Existing drone communication frameworks including LoRaWAN, Long Term Evolution, and Ad Hoc mesh architectures exhibit critical vulnerabilities to eavesdropping, jamming, and quantum-computational attacks due to their reliance on classical cryptographic primitives. To address these challenges, this work presents the Quantum-Secured Adaptive Routing Algorithm (QSARA), a novel framework designed for 6G-enabled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) networks that integrates Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), and Joint Communication and Sensing (JCAS) to enhance information-theoretic security and real-time performance. The proposed framework employs a quantum-augmented dynamic graph model to represent UAV swarm networking and uses Proximal Policy Optimisation (PPO)-based deep reinforcement learning to optimise routing under adversarial and uncertain conditions. A multi-objective cost function jointly captures classical quality of service metrics, such as latency, bandwidth, and energy consumption alongside with quantum-layer security indicators, including quantum bit error rate, key pool entropy, and key availability. High-fidelity simulations with 500 mobile drones under diverse adversarial threats demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves a key establishment success rate of 96.2%, end-to-end latency of 23.7 milliseconds, energy consumption of 7.8 watt-hours, and a packet delivery ratio of 94.1%, outperforming state-of-the-art classical and quantum-aware baselines. These results position the QSARA as a scalable and quantum-resilient routing solution for mission-critical UAV networking in next-generation 6G smart mobility ecosystems.
The seamless integration of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into public airspace necessitates a robust UAV Traffic Management (UTM) system. Information security in communications plays a pivotal role in ensuring the operational safety of the UTM. Maintaining the integrity and authentication of unicast communications, such as command and video information, is imperative to thwart tampering and impersonation. Encryption emerges as an optimal solution for safeguarding such data. Efficient utilization of symmetrical encryption mandates the imple-mentation of secure key exchange mechanisms. However, intro-ducingAuthenticated Key Exchange (AKE) standards on diminutive Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) encounters problems due to hardware limitations. To surmount this challenge, lightweight cryptographic algorithms tailored for resource-constrained hard-ware have been developed. Nonetheless, both lightweight and conventional cryptographic algorithms are susceptible to quantum computing threats. In response, post-quantum cryptographic primitives are undergoing standardization. This study assesses post-quantumKey Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM) candidates, namely CRYSTALS-Kyber, Hamming Quasi-Cyclic (HQC), and BIKE, on hardware resembling small UAVs. The evaluation of these algorithms focuses on computation time, considering real-time tasks during flights. The findings affirm the viability of employing unmodified standards on resource-constrained hardware concurrently with other priority tasks. Furthermore, quantum-vulnerable standards are also investigated to compare their performance against their more secure counterparts. All three post-quantum KEM candidates demonstrate usability in this environment, with CRYSTALS-Kyber being recommended for its superior performance, even surpassing certain prevailing standards.
The emergence of 6G networks precipitates unprecedented challenges in securing multi-UAV spectrum sharing due to increased connectivity demands and exposure to sophisticated cyber threats. This research proposes a quantum-enabled blockchain protocol tailored for secure, decentralized spectrum management among multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in 6G environments. Leveraging quantum key distribution (QKD) integrated within a blockchain framework, the protocol ensures information-theoretic security while maintaining transparency and immutability of spectrum allocation records. The protocol incorporates consensus mechanisms optimized for low-latency UAV networks, enabling rapid transaction validation and conflict resolution. Simulation results indicate a substantial reduction in communication overhead and vulnerability to malicious spectrum hijacking, achieving over 95% detection accuracy of unauthorized access attempts. This hybrid cryptographic architecture addresses the dual challenges of scalability and security, paving the way for resilient spectrum sharing in UAV swarms under 6G paradigms.