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"DJI’s announcement at Mobile World Congress that they will be equipping their
drones with plane avoidance technology is a step in the right direction to restrict
the use of drones in uncontrolled air space. Falling in to the wrong hands, there’s
currently nothing to stop someone flying a payload laden drone into airspace. This
is the first of many steps that need to be taken to protect against hostile drones.

Despite the obvious benefits of drones, they must be embraced and feared in equal
measures. They might look pretty innocent, but on closer inspection, what you find
can be terrifying. Putting it bluntly, these devices are in fact a flying payload
system with the ability to deliver anything (including incendiary devices or
grenades) in to uncontrolled airspace in the way that only Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAV’s) have been able to do in the past.

Implementing regulation and the standardisation of radio frequencies on which drones
can operate is vital. Ultimately, this makes it easier for security teams to use
jamming devices to stop a suspect drone from entering the space. Ensuring there are
strict regulations in place means that the use of drones can be better controlled.
Alongside putting regulations in place should be security measures. As with any
connected technology, drones are at risk of being hacked by cybercriminals, meaning
software programming needs to be considered more seriously in the development phase.

Implementing the expertise of quality assurance specialists can help to plug any
potential loopholes otherwise exploited by unscrupulous hackers and limit security
risks.

It is time that strict and overarching regulations were put in place to help control
drone use, and that system developers consider security and privacy in the lifecycle
before a disaster happens."