Open Access

ARTICLE

Cascading Failure Dynamics and Edge-Intelligent Defense in Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks for Internet of Things

Peiying Zhang^1,2, Yihong Yu^1,2, Lizhuang Tan^3,4,*, Shuqing He⁵, Jian Wang⁶, Ameer El-Sayed⁷

1 Qingdao Institute of Software, College of Computer Science and Technology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
2 Shandong Key Laboratory of Intelligent Oil & Gas Industrial Software, Qingdao, China
3 Key Laboratory of Computing Power Network and Information Security, Ministry of Education, Shandong Computer Science Center (National Supercomputer Center in Jinan), Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, China
4 Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Computing Power Internet and Service Computing, Shandong Fundamental Research Center for Computer Science, Jinan, China
5 School of Information Science and Engineering, Linyi University, Linyi, China
6 College of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
7 Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Computers and Informatics, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

* Corresponding Author: Lizhuang Tan. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advanced Edge Computing and Artificial Intelligence in Smart Environment)

Computers, Materials & Continua 2026, 88(2), 33 https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2026.081224

Received 26 February 2026; Accepted 21 April 2026; Issue published 15 June 2026

Abstract

As a core information infrastructure in the 6G era, the Space-Air-Ground Integrated Network (SAGIN) integrates space-based, air-based, and ground-based network resources to achieve seamless communication across all domains. However, its characteristics such as heterogeneous node coupling and dynamic topology changes make it prone to cascading failures, severely threatening critical business continuity in Internet of Things (IoT) applications spanning smart cities, healthcare, transportation, and industrial automation. This paper conducts systematic research addressing challenges including modeling difficulties in SAGIN cascading failure propagation, insufficient coordination of defense strategies, and poor resource adaptability. First, a multi-factor coupled dynamic model of cascading failure propagation is established to quantify the synergistic effects of node heterogeneity, link dynamics, and load redistribution. Second, a closed-loop collaborative defense system integrating “early warning-isolation-self-healing” is designed. The system incorporates a lightweight greedy-based self-healing algorithm and uses multi-criteria decision-making (Analytic Hierarchy Process) for resource optimization. These approaches ensure real-time performance and energy efficiency on resource-constrained edge nodes. Third, a joint simulation platform combining NS-3 and MATLAB is built to validate the model and strategies across diverse IoT application scenarios. Experimental results show that the proposed propagation model maintains prediction error within 10%, the defense strategies increase failure recovery rates to 85%–90%, reduce communication interruption duration by over 60%, and lower resource overhead by 20%–25%, providing theoretical support and technical guarantees for stable SAGIN operation in security and resiliency-critical environments.

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Keywords

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