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Texas Students Hijack a U.S. Government Drone in Midair
PopSci ^ | June 28, 2012 | Colin Lecher

Posted on 06/30/2012 3:44:32 AM PDT by 6SJ7

The U.S. government, understandably, doesn't want its drone technology to fall out of the sky and into other peoples' laps. But being able to hijack a drone and control it? That's even worse. And a team of researchers has done it for 1,000 bucks.

The University of Texas at Austin team successfully nabbed the drone on a dare from the Department of Homeland Security. They managed to do it through spoofing, a technique where a signal from hackers pretends to be the same as one sent to the drone's GPS.

(Excerpt) Read more at popsci.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: drone; government; hijack; surveillance
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To: 6SJ7; All
Another version of the story:

http://rt.com/usa/news/texas-1000-us-government-906/

At the end of the story you will see

Correction: this story has been modified to clarify that the drone used in the U of T experiment was not a government drone, but a UAV owned by the university.

They hijacked their own drone.

21 posted on 06/30/2012 5:04:21 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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To: Candor7
America needs a spoof device freely available at Radio Shack, to ensure that the Federal Government leaves the privacy of THE PEOPLE intact.

LMAO!!! Radio Shack? Every sale they make, they want your personal information. Last time I bought a device there, they asked at the register, what I was going to be using it for, plus my name and address. You'd think I was buying cough medicine or something!

22 posted on 06/30/2012 5:04:33 AM PDT by Lady Lucky (If you believe what you're saying, quit making taxable income. Starve the beast.)
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To: 6SJ7

Most disconcerting news. Countermeasures anyone?


23 posted on 06/30/2012 5:08:44 AM PDT by SueRae (See it? Hell, I can TASTE November from my house!)
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To: CodeToad

ping


24 posted on 06/30/2012 5:10:06 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Lady Lucky

Radio Shack? What a joke. It is a cell phone and battery store.

They have very few electronics parts these days. Just a couple little cabinets with randomly chosen parts jammed into drawers that are too small.

When you check out, the first thing they say is, “Need any batteries?”

- No, thank you.

“Can I interest you in a cell phone?”

- No, thanks. I already have five of them.

“How about another?”

At this point I just stop talking.


25 posted on 06/30/2012 5:10:24 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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To: 6SJ7

If drones are so easy to hack...drones will be rendered useless

Which is good for Americans, because drones should not be used to spy on US citizens. They should be used only when a truly national security matter is involved


26 posted on 06/30/2012 5:11:28 AM PDT by SeminoleCounty (Sad....George Zimmerman is in jail for rightfully defending himself...while Eric Holder walks free)
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To: mazda77

Most people don’t realize that ANYTHING the government produces as far as technology is at least 10 years behind the latest technology.

Its due to the huge bureaucratic pile of regulations, paperwork, delays in funding, and all other factors that turn any governmental technical procurement into a “turtle.”

Most importantly, palms must be properly “greased” before any final action is taken.


27 posted on 06/30/2012 5:12:21 AM PDT by DH (Once the tainted finger of government touches anything the rot begins)
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To: Candor7

Now what the feds will do is have Congress pass a law stating that it is illegal to spoof a drone, and think that fixes the problem. This is exactly what they did with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that supposedly “fixed” the problem of people using ordinary scanners from Radio Shack to listen to analog cell phone calls.

The real solution came from technical innovation, and that’s what will eventually happen with drones, too.


28 posted on 06/30/2012 5:20:34 AM PDT by bigbob
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To: DH

You are correct only in so much as the stuff that is known. From my experience as a member of the crypto team at the Electronic Proving Grounds from 74-76, I can tell you that in that time, we were way beyond what was known to the public.


29 posted on 06/30/2012 5:25:45 AM PDT by mazda77 (and I am a Native Texan)
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To: Right Wing Assault
Radio Shack? What a joke. It is a cell phone and battery store.

Then I went to the right place. I was buying cell phones. :)

30 posted on 06/30/2012 5:38:09 AM PDT by Lady Lucky (If you believe what you're saying, quit making taxable income. Starve the beast.)
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To: 6SJ7

Spoofing. It used to be called Meaconing.


31 posted on 06/30/2012 5:40:29 AM PDT by ops33 (Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Retired))
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To: 6SJ7

How long before some techie libtard uses this to swat congress?


32 posted on 06/30/2012 6:12:18 AM PDT by Hardraade (http://junipersec.wordpress.com (nobody gives me warheads anyway))
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To: Eye of Unk

Can the IRS be spoofed and / or hacked?


33 posted on 06/30/2012 6:13:28 AM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000))
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To: Hardraade
How long before some techie libtard uses this to swat congress?

A cross between an ultralight and a radio controlled model airplane...loaded with C4.

34 posted on 06/30/2012 6:17:48 AM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month.)
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To: 6SJ7
I'm waiting for the home version for drone reduction:


35 posted on 06/30/2012 6:18:52 AM PDT by nascarnation
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To: Travis McGee

If the drone is using the non-encrypted GPS signals then the students send a stronger GPS signal to the drone that causes the drone not to be in their command but to think it is someplace else. However, such a stunt is not only illegal as Hell as any aircraft in the area also experienced the errant GPS signals, but this technique doesn’t work on military drones. They don’t use the same GPS signals. I am suprised to hear the DHS uses drones without GPS encryption, which calls into question their actual success.


36 posted on 06/30/2012 6:23:51 AM PDT by CodeToad (Homosexuals are homophobes. They insist on being called 'gay' instead.)
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To: Eye of Unk
"Now if only we had the same smartness across America to bring down Obama caretax.
37 posted on 06/30/2012 6:26:03 AM PDT by varon (The Patriots stand watch!)
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To: Right Wing Assault; Travis McGee

“Correction: this story has been modified to clarify that the drone used in the U of T experiment was not a government drone, but a UAV owned by the university.

They hijacked their own drone. “

And there is your answer.


38 posted on 06/30/2012 6:26:37 AM PDT by CodeToad (Homosexuals are homophobes. They insist on being called 'gay' instead.)
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To: 6SJ7

I’d do it for half that.


39 posted on 06/30/2012 6:51:35 AM PDT by the invisib1e hand (they have no god but caesar)
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To: 6SJ7
Like I said before, with parts from Radio Shack you build a broadband RF white noise transmitter. It'll jam the GPS receiver on the drone.
40 posted on 06/30/2012 7:02:48 AM PDT by Traveler59 ( Truth is a journey, not a destination.)
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