Following the news that changes in Air Traffic control regulations might make drone deliveries a reality as early as 2019. Christiaan Beek, Lead Scientist and Senior Principal Engineer at McAfee commented below.
Christiaan Beek, Lead Scientist and Senior Principal Engineer at McAfee:
“Drones will potentially make it cheaper and easier for us to get deliveries from companies such as Amazon and UPS so for many, this news from Nats will be a welcome step. However, as always, we have to consider the security implications.
“Drones are often manufactured in a way that makes them relatively easy for criminals to hack. As they are designed to have a quick and easy setup, drones often use unencrypted communication and open ports. Unless there is a major overhaul of the existing cybersecurity measures employed in drones, we will begin to see a massive increase in drone-related incidents once they begin to be used for more mainstream purposes. Criminals could hijack deliveries, gather personal data on customers, or potentially cause public damage by deliberately altering a drone’s flight path.
“Delivery companies must place strict requirements on drone manufacturers to ensure that at least the basic security measures are in place. This industry collaboration should include providing an easy way to make security updates to the technology.”
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