[12:33 Wed,4.May 2022 by Thomas Richter] |
Drones play an important role in the Ukrainian war - not only military models, but also drones from the semi-professional and hobby sectors, such as those used by filmmakers - be it specially modified hexacopters, which can also drop small bombs, or camera drones such as DJI&s Mini or Mavic models, which are used for reconnaissance. ![]()
After it happened several times that Ukrainian pilots of DJI drones were directly attacked by Russian artillery or missiles, it was suspected that their location data was obtained using DJI&s ![]() DJI&s AeroScope drone surveillance system.AeroScope (formerly ![]() ![]() DJI&s AeroScope. This information cannot be turned off and is embedded in the data stream that is constantly exchanged between the drone and pilot for control purposes. To prevent misuse, DJI&s AeroScope systems are sold only to government agencies. A stationary AeroScope system is said to be capable of receiving signals from drones up to 50 km away (the mobile version only 5 km) under optimal conditions. Position data - encrypted or not?However, using the AeroScope system in a war to locate drone pilots was not on DJI&s mind when it developed the system. Previously, DJI had explicitly assured that drone information was sent in encrypted form and could only be read via per AeroScope. On the following picture, a ![]() ![]() I.e. every DJI drone since 2017 sends out its detection signal unencrypted and this can be read not only with a special ![]() This information is also interesting for normal drone pilots, as it means that anyone with an appropriate receiver (and not just DJI&s Aeroscope) can see where each drone and its pilot are in the entire radius. As of next year, the transmission of this position data will even be mandatory for all drones by law. ![]() However, there are already hacks with the help of which either the determination of the GPS signal can be deactivated or the transmitted position data of the pilot can be spoofed, i.e. falsified. Nico Schiller was able to do this with the simple ![]() In case of war, drone pilots are thus endangered by their own drone giving away their location. DJI has now stopped selling its products in Russia and Ukraine www.dji.com/newsroom/news/dji-statement-on-sales-compliance-efforts. ![]() deutsche Version dieser Seite: Ukraine: Unverschlüsselte Daten verraten Standort der Piloten von DJI Drohnen |
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