HYDRA: Quantifying Botnet Resource Thresholds for Efficient Link-Flooding Attacks on LEO Satellite Networks
HYDRA models link-flooding attacks on LEO satellite constellations as botnet minimization, matching prior disruption with 34% fewer bots and 23% less traffic.
HYDRA formulates link-flooding attack variants against LEO constellations such as Starlink and Kuiper as botnet minimization problems, quantifying the smallest bot subset and traffic allocation needed to disrupt communications between targeted geographic areas. Under matched stealth constraints it matches the ICARUS attack's disruption using 34% fewer bots and 23% less aggregate traffic, sustaining over 97% attack success as topology evolves. The framework also evaluates five mitigations, including routing diversification, ingress policing, distance-based constraints, source throttling, and botnet attrition.