Adaptive tracking control for multi-agent systems with deception attacks and DoS attacks

Wan Yu; Hui Yu; Wan Yu; Hui Yu

doi:10.3934/era.2026083

Electronic Research Archive

2026, Volume 34, Issue 3: 1857-1884. doi: 10.3934/era.2026083

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Research article

Adaptive tracking control for multi-agent systems with deception attacks and DoS attacks

Wan Yu ^1,2,
Hui Yu ^{1,2
,
,}

1.
Three Gorges Mathematical Research Center, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
2.
College of Mathematics and Physics, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China

Received: 16 December 2025 Revised: 31 January 2026 Accepted: 10 February 2026 Published: 02 March 2026

This paper investigates the adaptive tracking control problem for a class of strict-feedback uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) with input dead zones under the simultaneous presence of deception attacks and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. A distributed leader-state estimator based on sampled data with time delays is proposed to estimate the leader's state under DoS attacks. To overcome the nonexistence of higher-order derivatives of the leader's estimated state, a filter is proposed and implemented. Based on the attacked output signals, a fuzzy state observer is constructed to reconstruct the unmeasurable states of the system. A fuzzy adaptive dead-zone control scheme is designed based on the backstepping method to mitigate the adverse effects of DoS attacks, deception attacks, dead zones, and uncertain nonlinear dynamics, while enabling the system to achieve the tracking control objective. Through Lyapunov stability analysis, the proposed control scheme is proven to guarantee that all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded and the tracking error converges to a neighborhood around the origin. Finally, simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
- deception attack,
- DoS attack,
- multi-agent system,
- adaptive tracking control,
- dead zone
Citation: Wan Yu, Hui Yu. Adaptive tracking control for multi-agent systems with deception attacks and DoS attacks[J]. Electronic Research Archive, 2026, 34(3): 1857-1884. doi: 10.3934/era.2026083

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Abstract

This paper investigates the adaptive tracking control problem for a class of strict-feedback uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) with input dead zones under the simultaneous presence of deception attacks and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. A distributed leader-state estimator based on sampled data with time delays is proposed to estimate the leader's state under DoS attacks. To overcome the nonexistence of higher-order derivatives of the leader's estimated state, a filter is proposed and implemented. Based on the attacked output signals, a fuzzy state observer is constructed to reconstruct the unmeasurable states of the system. A fuzzy adaptive dead-zone control scheme is designed based on the backstepping method to mitigate the adverse effects of DoS attacks, deception attacks, dead zones, and uncertain nonlinear dynamics, while enabling the system to achieve the tracking control objective. Through Lyapunov stability analysis, the proposed control scheme is proven to guarantee that all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded and the tracking error converges to a neighborhood around the origin. Finally, simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

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