How Secure are Drones? : A security analysis of a drone system

Abstract: Drones are a crucial part of our future society. They are a part of the recent autonomous revolution that has been initiated by AI. Drone adoption in the commercial sector is ever-growing. If we are to make these devices a part of our critical infrastructure, then we should ensure that they are secure from malicious actors who seek to exploit them. By performing a thorough investigation of the security of a specific popular drone model, the DJI Mini 2, we have established a general security analysis of its system and identified probable threats. Our research has mapped out and analyzed the internal workings of the drone to understand how the system works and to identify what security precautions DJI have taken as they developed this drone. Our research and analysis of the DJI Mini 2 did not reveal any major vulnerabilities. This research focused on examining and trying to intercept the wireless communication between the ground control and drone, which is an in-house transmission technology named Ocusync. The analysis revealed that Ocusync is a robust technology that is difficult for attackers to listen to and to tamper with.