Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites Role in Shaping 6G Networks Amidst Emerging Threats

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites play a pivotal role in ensuring service continuity, ubiquity, and scalability towards the realization of 6G networks. Despite their significance, satellite networks have not been subject to deep security assessments to define their vulnerabilities and associated posted threats. This is a security concern given the rapid proliferation of LEO satellites in the space industry. This paper examines emerging threats and vulnerabilities within LEO satellite networks with a focus on Replay, Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM) and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. We present a comprehensive classification of the network attack surface across the full protocol stack. The paper has scenarios of these attacks and some countermeasures. Overall, this research analyses the emerging threat scenario of LEO satellites, with 6G network advancement integration and determines the imperative of full-scope vulnerability classification.