Corporatizing the damage and theft of drones... we have...



The Fly-Away at Apple Headquarters..
Drones having Walls Custom Enforced upon them  <--- read article

I can see how they do this by  TWO potential means...

1. Overrides User Input - Takes control and flies away.  Spoofs your signal with higher power and takes over.

2. Uploads Waypoint Missions - Uploads waypoints without Pilot permission and flies away...  so your stick won't do anything.  "Fly into San Francisco Bay little drone..."

*** Note:  DJI Needs to incorporate a "No Waypoint Upload Above 20 feet" option... so you could take off and upload with AUTOPILOT or LITCHI... but not during a flight.

Thots?

Yet another company overstating the perceived problem in order to sell their high priced solution. It seems to me that the DJI control structure is more resistant to their control hijacking than they suggest. Note that they only illustrate a P2 in the mene, not a P3 or P4.

But to TheodoreRex, why Point 2? They did not mention being able to do that in the video, and being a P2, it does not have the option of waypoints anyway.

Because personal drones have caused so much trouble and are such a serious threat in the USA.
Of all the real threats there, drones might be somewhere down near the bottom of a 20 page list.
Way down below lightning strikes and bee stings, somewhere lower down than sweaty palms.
And the big case they always quote to prove the threat?
An out of control P1 landed on the White House lawn one night.

Geebax Posted at 2016-8-21 19:52
Yet another company overstating the perceived problem in order to sell their high priced solution. I ...

I use Litchi. . . you have to be in the air to run certain missions (like ORBIT), others can take-off for you and fly.  I ran several Litchi Missions today. . . and did a modification on my plan while it was hovering 98 feet over my head. . . when I tapped "RUN" it said, "UPLOADING WAYPOINTS. . ." and then it was off like an arrow.  DJI lets you upload GPS coordinates directly into the drone so it can fly AUTONOMOUSLY. . . with NO PILOT input. . . and as a result, making it completely hackable to someone who wants to take control and land at their corporate landing pad, police station, or Redwood City Lake. . .  and you won't be able to RTH during those circumstances.

It seems prudent, short of 128bit encrypted communication with the drone, is to prevent uploading of Waypoint Missions while over 20 feet...

TheodoreRex Posted at 2016-8-22 16:04
I use Litchi. . . you have to be in the air to run certain missions (like ORBIT), others can take-o ...

Sorry, but listen to their spiel, it is fanciful BS, nothing more. If DGI wanted to, they could plug the loophole being employed in a matter of minutes. And probably will. The trouble is, with so many of these things, is that they figure out some method they think will work (and they hope to earn millions from), and naively believe that the manufacturer, who has the ability to plug the security breach, will not do so. It is the same as all those netting devicves, they all assume the drone will sit there and wait to be netted.

If the encryption between the P4 remote and P4 itself is 128-bit encrypted, how can ANYONE crack the encryption during the time it takes to complete a flight with one battery? 128-bit is pretty hard to crack from my understanding. That is of course unless DJI is running a different, lower-grade encryption. Can anyone confirm?

Geebax Posted at 2016-8-22 15:15
Sorry, but listen to their spiel, it is fanciful BS, nothing more. If DGI wanted to, they could plu ...

Very well said.

clickclickw00t Posted at 2016-8-22 21:38
If the encryption between the P4 remote and P4 itself is 128-bit encrypted, how can ANYONE crack the ...

I looked at their website.  They are looking for funding as implied.   But they also seem to already be doing quite a bit with advanced communications.

Most of what they say is possible.   With the right equipment, you can analyze a transmission stream and determine a lot about it very quickly.   That much is true.    From the FCC certification websites, I do not see where DJI is utilizing any encryption protocols in their communications stream.   It appears to be the standard FCC approved frequencies and protocols.

That said, I think it's very possible to do what they are saying.   If your Phantom flies away with no explanation....you never know.

PS.  I looked at the P3 specs and the P4.  AFAIK, encrypted comunications must be specifically approved.   I see no such approval for any Phantom

On the Phantom 4, Firmware V1.1.301 improved encryption, which is why so many had problems linking after the update as the RC also needed to be updated to 1.6.

That was back in April 2016.


And the firmware for the P4 is now three builds ahead of that.

Aardvark Posted at 2016-8-22 12:11
On the Phantom 4, Firmware V1.1.301 improved encryption, which is why so many had problems linking a ...

HOW do I upgrade the RC Firmware?  

I can check the version.. upper right of DJI App, the ". . ." menu, then choose the bottom ". . ." then "ABOUT" will show you APP VERSION, Aircraft Firmware, and RC Firmware. . .

How an I upgrade/update the RC Firmware?

TheodoreRex Posted at 2016-8-23 03:20
HOW do I upgrade the RC Firmware?  

I can check the version.. upper right of DJI App, the ". . ." ...

What build versions are currently showing under 'about' ?

I've got the latest. . . 1.6.0. . .. but I don't know how to update it. . . it's done it automatically. . . DURING FLIGHT!!!  It would be nice to be able to control this process. . ..