Threat in the Sky – Gap's in the Drones Rules 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally been focusing on drone technology to drive growth in all walks of life. In line with this aim, the drone Rules 2021, notified by the Indian Government on August  252021 and seeks to revamp and bring about far-reaching changes in the regulatory regime for drones.

Drones have multiple usages and provide substantial benefits. Hence, they will be extensively valuable and deployed across sectors like defence, agriculture, construction, land and topography mapping, logistics and emergency medical supplies, remote sensing, commercial aerial surveillance, disaster relief, oil-gas-mineral exploration, film-making, fire-management, and a plethora of other potent usages.
 
Threats from Drones

But Drones also pose a critical threat to any country's security, privacy and cyber-security. Covert surveillance, nefarious activities, espionage and armed attacks are real-world threats and problems. Terrorists, militants and insurgents have been quick to understand the potential of drones to bye-pass and evade security and use it to their advantage. It is now possible for them to access or survey hitherto unexplored, inaccessible, and high-security locations.

Then there is the threat of hacking of drones, drone data, mobiles and other devices connected with the drones. Drones create a cyber-security danger like never before. Hackers and terrorists don't necessarily need their drones – they can hack into any drone system, irrespective of ownership, take control of the device, and command it as per their will. They can soup-up or modify these drones even to launch a complicated and sophisticated attack on any installation.

With the proliferation of drone technology and more & more drones entering the airspace, the issues will compound multi-folds. Hackers and terrorists will become more competent in exploiting the weaknesses and security loopholes to disrupt peace and tranquillity.
 
Chinese import of drone parts and sub-systems

In India, drone and drone parts can be easily imported. The items are available in hobby stores, online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart and the electronics markets throughout the country. Anyone can buy these parts and assemble a drone in one day and use it for destructive purposes or intentions.

Most of the drones have a video camera. As a result, hackers can quickly obtain recorded data by hijacking the device. For drones that automatically upload recorded data in real-time for storage to the cloud, these cloud storage platforms must have a high level of firewalls and access control to prevent unauthorized access, monitoring, and usage.

Most of the drones available worldwide are either manufactured in China or have critical components made in China. Therefore, the overall reliability of these drones is a big question mark. There is a global concern around various hardware and software components of Chinese origin.

They have been found to record and transmit data to the manufacturing company clandestinely and without any form of authorization or notification. Given that most security agencies, armed forces and law-enforcing agencies across the globe deploy China-made DJI drones for surveillance applications, the fundamental issue of national security and safety of the drone data becomes paramount.

Most drones are paired with a mobile phone/device. There is a very high probability that Chinese manufacturers could access the GPS waypoints information fed into the mobile app since the mobile phones are connected to the internet. Imagine the plight when the agency entrusted with the safety and security of the country itself unknowingly is transmitting the sensitive information to a hostile entity, making the entire effort counter-productive.

Limitations and Probable Threats in existing Drone Rules 2021

National security cannot be compromised, says Nishkant Ojha, Eminent Expert-Counter Terrorism & Aerospace Security. The freedom to develop UAS(unmanned aircraft systems) without stringent licensing norms cannot and should not be at the cost of national security. Every organization should be wary and proactively prepared to recognize and counter the threat posed by UAS. Accordingly, they need to be prepared with a defence mechanism starting with Geofencing and Drone fencing around their critical installations.

The reality cannot be out-sighted. These are the early days of drone development. Capabilities are bound to expand over the next few years. Society, regulators and law enforcement need to be aware of the threats this could deliver. Devices developed for good reasons can be misappropriated for destructive purposes.

For example, consider the latest developments from China – a solar-powered drone that will soon be capable of permanent flight. Add to this modern high-powered camera technology and facial recognition, and the result is a drone that can fly around indefinitely until it recognizes a pre-programmed target. Then, with a small warhead that wouldn't require a military-quality drone, the specific target could be located and automatically eliminated. It may sound like science fiction, but it is possible today.

The biggest single problem is that drones are not sufficiently regulated. Unfortunately, no single agency has claimed overall authority to deliver the regulation necessary to prevent drones from becoming a severe threat within society. 

By Dr (Prof) Nishakant Ojha, Eminent Expert-Counter Terrorism & Aerospace Security.