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The Latest DHS Alert About Chinese Manufactured Drones: Prudence or Politics?

Miriam McNabb
DJI security issues

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Here we go again.  In August of 2017, the U.S. Army sent around a memo warning of possible “cyber vulnerabilities” with regard to Chinese-manufactured DJI drones.  At the time, DJI responded quickly to the allegations, adding new functionality that allowed for a “privacy mode,” working with U.S. government agencies to address security concerns, and hiring an independent, US-based consulting firm to review their technology and procedures (the consultants found that there was no unauthorized sharing of data gathered by DJI drones, and as the DroneGirl reported in September of 2018, U.S. military branches are still purchasing DJI drones.)

This weekend, CNN broke the news that DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has warned that Chinese-manufactured drones (no particular manufacturer is named) pose a “potential risk to an organization’s information,” (quoted from CNN’s report of the alert).

The article is posted on CNN’s politics page, as the story follows upon news of U.S. President Trump signing an executive order effectively stopping U.S. companies from using telecom equipment provided by Chinese firm Huwei, due to security concerns.  As CNN points out in its story, the executive order was timed in the midst of the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China.

The current alert is as much a stab at the Chinese government as it is at Chinese firms.  “Those concerns apply with equal force to certain Chinese-made (unmanned aircraft systems)-connected devices capable of collecting and transferring potentially revealing data about their operations and the individuals and entities operating them, as China imposes unusually stringent obligations on its citizens to support national intelligence activities,” CNN reports that the alert reads.
The alert does not say that users should refrain from purchasing or using Chinese-manufactured drones.  Instead, it advises that users take a few additional steps for any secure information, such as turning off the internet connection – a list that DJI collaborated with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to develop.
DJI responded to the alert by issuing the following statement:
“At DJI, safety is at the core of everything we do, and the security of our technology has been independently verified by the U.S. government and leading U.S. businesses. DJI is leading the industry on this topic and our technology platform has enabled businesses and government agencies to establish best practices for managing their drone data. We give all customers full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted. For government and critical infrastructure customers that require additional assurances, we provide drones that do not transfer data to DJI or via the internet, and our customers can enable all the precautions DHS recommends. Every day, American businesses, first responders, and U.S. government agencies trust DJI drones to help save lives, promote worker safety, and support vital operations, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We are committed to continuously working with our customers and industry and government stakeholders to ensure our technology adherers to all of their requirements.”

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