Seeking Secure Synchronous Tracking of Networked Agent Systems Subject to Antagonistic Interactions and Denial-of-Service Attacks

Inspired by the group phenomenon of biological populations in nature, swarm intelligence has been derived and has further advanced the research of coordinated control of networked agent systems (NASs). With this in mind, this article delves into the problem of secure synchronous tracking control for high-order NASs subject to antagonistic interactions, particularly under the threat of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. First, a novel distributed secure control scheme is crafted to address the complex dynamics of NASs that encompass both cooperative and antagonistic interactions among agents. This scheme is pivotal as it enables follower agents to synchronize their tracking with the leader agent, even amidst the disruptive influence of DoS attacks, transcending the conventional bipartite tracking consensus approach. Subsequently, a dynamic, time-varying closed-loop system is generated, which is intrinsically linked to the intermittent nature of DoS attacks, characterized by periods of dormancy and activity. Based on the infinite matrix product convergence analysis method, some essential algebraic conditions are formulated, which hinge on the parameters of DoS attacks, the underlying network structure, and the gain of the controller. These conditions are critical for guaranteeing the attainment of robust synchronous tracking. Finally, some numerical simulation examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed secure synchronous tracking control scheme for high-order NASs with signed networks. That is, all followers are able to achieve synchronous tracking of the leader when the corresponding topology, as well as control parameter conditions, are satisfied, and the opposite is not possible.