As soon as you create a system that hinges on communication\nbetween two or more computer systems, you can be sure that somebody is going to\ntry and hack it sooner or later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s the world we unfortunately live in today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what does this mean for drones and their operating systems? After all, they run on a connected framework that is constantly sending signals between the ground control and the UAV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can your drone be hacked? And if so, how likely are you to fall\nvictim?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We explore these questions and others in this guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is common knowledge among tech heads that any device that transmits data can have that data intercepted. This happens across the board with all sorts of devices, especially with the rise of the internet of things<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connected cars, fridges and printers are just some examples in a long list of devices that are capable of being hacked. And that list also includes drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drones, like other connected devices, can be hacked by malicious actors that are savvy enough to know what they are doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Security researchers have shown that many consumer drones and some commercial drones have software vulnerabilities that make hacking drones less difficult that one might imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a security team at John Hopkins University was able to find multiple ways to gain control of a popular recreational drone<\/a> while it was midflight. This exercise was done as part of a research study on the potential security concerns over the rising popularity of drones among hobbyists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone hacks have even been shown to be possible while the\ndrone is a mile away from the hacker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this is not exactly news<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone hacks have been a thing for years. Not only that, they\nare actually part and parcel of anti-drone tactics used on the battlefield. As\ndrones become more core to modern warfare tactics, drone hacking has become\njust as important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in 2011 the Iranian military was able to successfully take over control of a US drone<\/a> and landed it in Iranian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Iranians accomplished this by jamming the frequency that\nthe drone used to navigate by GPS. As a back-up, the drone searched for\nunencrypted frequencies in order to decide on where to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Iranians capitalized on this by sending a message to the\ndrone instructing it that it was near its home. In reality, it was quite far\naway, deep into hostile territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drone went into land mode and descended into the waiting\narms of Iranian officials, miles from where it should have been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This episode serves to put things into perspective about\njust how possible hacking drones is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If military drones with top of the shelf encryption can be\nhacked and sabotaged, then vulnerabilities are going to be more glaring for the\nrecreational drone you bought at the local store or online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone hacking methods are usually very similar to what\nhappened to the American drone in the Middle East. First the hacker tries to\ndisrupt the signal between the pilot and the drone, and this is sometimes done\nusing malware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the disruption is achieved and the connection between\ndrone and ground control is severed, the hacker can take over the drone in a\nvariety of methods and the hack is complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You as the pilot could potentially lose control of your\ndrone forever, unless you regain control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But not to worry, most drone hacks are mere pranks which people play on each other, rather than any malicious attempt at something sinister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s be realistic here, it would be very tough for someone to hack your drone whilst it’s in your home, then fly it outside and off into the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n James Dale, a UK cyber security expert, thinks we are yet to fully realize the magnitude of the threat posed by drone hackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to him, \u201cEquipment is now available to\nhack drones so they can bypass technology controls\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He goes on to elaborate in an example, saying \u201cthere are now regulatory controls, in some regions, to force drone operators to use geofencing systems<\/a>. Yet, there are examples of online vendors selling software and hardware modifications for drones, which are designed to disable these \u2018No Fly Zone\u2019 limitations.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone operators can even hack their own drones to bypass controls and safeguards that have been put there by manufacturers and regulators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are even companies that cater to this market now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the Russian software company Coptersafe sells the\nsort of software and hardware modifications which James Dale talks about. And\nyou can get it for a few hundred dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anybody can buy a drone from a retailer, purchase the modifications, and then become able to send their drones into no-fly zones and restricted areas such as military bases, airports, and government compounds. Although doing so would be highly illegal and would likely land you with a large fine and jail time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While this might be amusing to some, it highlights a flaw that has resulted from the rapid expansion of the drone market worldwide. Demand for drones is climbing fast, and manufacturers have it all to do in order to keep up the supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In their mad rush, manufacturers tend to think of security\nlast. Cyber security is simply not at the top of the list of priorities when\nthese unmanned aerial vehicles are being assembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so we get machines that come with a few backdoors that\ndrone hackers can exploit. Here are a few ways in which drone hacks can be\nexecuted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hacking drones could easily evolve into a concept that\ninvolves hacked swarms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2016, Samy Kankar, an American security researcher, showed<\/a> how to hijack a drone<\/a><\/font><\/font><\/u> from one mile away by way of using run of the mill radio waves to compromise the drone\u2019s software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He succeeded in making the drone accept that he was the real pilot, allowing him total control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then he took his hacking capabilities further by creating a device called Skyjack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Skyjack is attached to a drone and scanned for nearby drones with MAC addresses, it could hack these devices and grow a swarm of drones under the influence of one sole hacker operating nothing but an affordable Raspberry Pi computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a drone is hacked, it can become a threat to safety,\ndata security, data integrity, and privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Different drone hacks have different effects on drones.\nDepending on what the effect is, a drone hack can be caused to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty much anything that the real owner would be able to\ndo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Criminals and other bad actors may take over a drone to\nanonymously spy and gather intelligence for an operation like a robbery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Compromised drones can be used to invade privacy or breach\nthe secure physical or Wi-Fi perimeters of enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the real risk of terrorists taking control of a\ndrone or multiple drones to carry out an attack must be acknowledged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most manufacturers provide basic security measures to\nminimize the possibility of drone hacks. Towards this end, drone flight and\nmanagement platforms are being developed to control all functions with an\nencrypted, unified interface that is more secure<\/p>\n\n\n\n But weaknesses still exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the hackers know this. There are many websites in the US,\nthe EU, and Russia that list vulnerable drones and possible tools and scripts\nthat would hack them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So we are yet some way away from fully secure drones, as\nlong as these vulnerabilities exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While manufacturers tackle the problem from that end, you\ncan do your own part and improve the security of your drone. Here are a few\nways you can go about this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, make sure that the firmware in your drone is not outdated at any time. You want to also make sure to use a strong password for the ground station app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set a capof one for the number of devices that can connect to the access point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also use a secured remote-storage provided with two-factor authentication and full encryption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, you can use a VPN to secure and make anonymous your digital connection from your laptop or smartphone to your storage server. Ensure your laptop or mobile device has strong anti-virus software and is free from malware. Malware could easily be used to bypass all these precautions to lift login details and extract data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone hacks are often due to people trying to prank each\nother. But not always. The rising number of drones in circulation should be an\nindicator of how quickly the treat of drone hacks is rising as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drones are not only used as recreational tools either. They are\nused in many industries where one rogue drone could cause a lot of damage to\nthe tune of millions if care is not taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, drone operators should take every reasonable precaution that lies available to them. Don\u2019t get paranoid, these threats are minimal and almost no-one has experienced them happening, but remain watchful and secured as you operate your drone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How to Hack Drones<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Swarms of Hijacked Drones<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are the Dangers\nof Hacked Drones?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Prevent Your\nDrone Getting Hacked<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Should I Be Worried About\nMy Drone Getting Hacked?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n