According to recent reports by IOActive, drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), are vulnerable to code injection, which can lead to gaining complete access to the firmware and core functionality of the drone. This discovery has raised concerns about the security of drones, as they are increasingly being used in various industries such as aviation, agriculture, and law enforcement.
The remote operation of drones offers an attack surface for threat actors to exploit and gain control over these devices. If an attacker succeeds in stealing a drone, they can not only gain access to sensitive information but also implant malware on the system, potentially causing serious harm.
The vulnerability identified by IOActive involves injecting a specific Electromagnetic (EM) glitch during a firmware update, which can result in complete control over the drone. DJI drones were chosen for testing purposes due to their security features, including encrypted firmware, Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), and Secure Boot. However, even these drones were found to be susceptible to the EM glitch attack.
The IOActive report also covers various attack surfaces, including the backend, mobile apps, radio-frequency, and physical device. Drones, like any other system with a backend, are vulnerable to attacks such as SQL injections and SSRF. Additionally, the mobile applications used to control drones can also be exploited if they have operating system or application-based vulnerabilities. RF-based attacks, such as interference, jamming, and spoofing, are also possible on UAVs.
Physical access to a drone can provide threat actors with valuable information, such as firmware and other sensitive data. The report highlights three main types of side-channel attacks that can be used to gather technical information from the drone’s physical device: timing attacks, power analysis, and EM analysis. These attacks leverage the timing, voltage, and electromagnetic fields of the drone’s chip to extract sensitive information.
The most concerning vulnerability discovered by IOActive is the EMFI (ElectroMagnetic Fault Injection) attack. This attack disrupts the hardware of the drone while it is processing operations and can lead to a complete takeover of the drone. By manipulating the behavior of the CPU through the EM probe attack, threat actors can gain full control over the drone.
In response to these vulnerabilities, IOActive has published a comprehensive attack report that includes mitigation steps. The report aims to raise awareness about the security risks associated with drones and provide guidance on how to protect against these attacks. It is crucial for drone manufacturers, operators, and users to implement robust security measures to minimize the risk of unauthorized access and control.
As the use of drones continues to expand in various industries, it is essential to address the security vulnerabilities associated with these devices. By staying vigilant and implementing best practices in drone security, we can ensure the safe and responsible use of this technology.