How easy would it be to remotely take over a drone? Annual hacker conference DEF CON has just proved that all you need is a Wi-Fi connection and a bit of ingenuity.
A demonstration by Ryan Satterfield, from information security company Planet Zuda, sees him hack a Parrot AR drone -- one of the most popular versions currently on the market -- by using Wi-Fi to connect to an unsecured network port on the craft. Using a straightforward text command, he then sends the drone hurtling to the ground, making it all look disconcertingly easy.
In another attack, security researcher Michael Robinson uses the free Parrot app to hijack the drone, gaining control from the original pilot and transferring it to a different app user.
Although these strategic attacks on civilian drones aren't cause for too much concern right now, they highlight security flaws which need to be solved before drones are put to more serious use.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
