Cybersecurity of Teleoperated Quadruped Robots: A Systematic Survey of Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Open Defense Gaps

arXiv:2602.23404v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Teleoperated quadruped robots are increasingly deployed in safety-critical missions — industrial inspection, military reconnaissance, and emergency response — yet the security of their communication and control infrastructure remains insufficiently characterized. Quadrupeds present distinct security challenges arising from dynamic stability constraints, gait-dependent vulnerability windows, substantial kinetic energy, and elevated operator cognitive load.
This survey synthesizes peer-reviewed literature and vulnerability disclosures (2019–2025) to provide comprehensive analysis of cybersecurity threats, consequences, and countermeasures for teleoperated quadruped systems. We contribute: (i) a six-layer attack taxonomy spanning perception manipulation, VR/AR operator targeting, communication disruption, control signal attacks, localization spoofing, and network intrusion; (ii) systematic attack-to-consequence mapping with timing characterization; (iii) Technology Readiness Level classification exposing critical maturity gaps between field-deployed communication protections (TRL 7–9) and experimental perception/operator-layer defenses (TRL 3–5); (iv) comparative security analysis of six commercial platforms; (v) pragmatic deployment guidance stratified by implementation timeline; and (vi) eight prioritized research gaps with implementation roadmaps.
Limitations: Platform assessments rely on publicly available information. Attack success rates derive from cited studies under controlled conditions and require domain-specific validation.