https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Business|drives|Sensors|Service|Services|Systems|Technology|Solutions|Operations
Business|drives|Sensors|Service|Services|Systems|Technology|Solutions|Operations
business|drives|sensors|service|services|systems|technology|solutions|operations

Drones a corporate espionage threat

CALLIE VAN VUUREN
Smartphone applications can also be used to detect and locate nearby routers that may have been flown in by a drone

CALLIE VAN VUUREN Smartphone applications can also be used to detect and locate nearby routers that may have been flown in by a drone

20th March 2020

By: Khutso Maphatsoe

journalist

     

Font size: - +

Although drones have been a positive business decision for various industries, such as agriculture, where drones are used for automated farming, drones can also pose a threat to companies when they are used for corporate espionage, says information and communications technology systems integrator NEC XON cybersecurity division GM Callie van Vuuren.

He explains that drones carry video or still cameras, microphones, routers, loaded USB flash drives, smartphones and other recording devices that can be dropped out of sight nearby sensitive areas.

“The aim is to steal data or inject data into a business, such as listening to conversations between businesspeople or injecting malware for greater exploitation at a later stage.”

Van Vuuren adds that these operations can ruin business deals and companies by negatively impacting on supply chains, corrupting service agreements, redirecting sensitive information, creating unnecessary costs and enforcing additional operational activities.

To prevent such espionage, he highlights that techniques, such as using cameras linked to artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms and acoustic sensors, can be used.

Monitoring radio frequencies is also possible and is the most cost-effective and least resource-intensive method, Van Vuuren points out.

He explains that smartphone applications can also be used to detect and locate nearby routers that may have been flown in by a drone. “Finding and shutting down these unsecured routers stops the so-called ‘man-in-the-middle’ attacks, malware injections and other forms of attack.”

He explains that leaving a USB flash drive with malware at a company’s premises is one of the oldest hacker tricks in the book, and sometimes people use drones to drop these pre-infected and harmful drives that carry potential sniffing or keylogging software.

Van Vuuren says the solutions are largely an information technology (IT) fix, which means that most companies must either already have the IT skills or must be able to afford the outsourcing of an IT specialist to help combat these challenges.

He suggests that police and other intelligence services need to be able to better track as well as apprehend the illegal or dangerous use of drones. Reform in the drone sector, such as enforcing existing policies and regulations, can help to promote these goals.

Edited by Zandile Mavuso
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

Comments

Showroom

M and J Mining
M and J Mining

M and J Mining are leading suppliers of physical support systems as used by the underground mining industry. Our selection of products are not...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Flameblock
Flameblock

FlameBlock is a proudly South African company that engineers, manufactures and supplies fire intumescent and retardant products to the fire...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.082 0.137s - 174pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now