Amazon delivery drones could be hacked and turned into KILLING MACHINES, security guru claims
Tech expert says flying machines would be perfect way to hit civilians with firebombs or grenades
Amazon delivery drones could be be hacked and turned into heavily armed killing machines, it has been claimed.
Colin Bull, a consultant at Software Quality Systems, said delivery drones should be “embraced and feared in equal measure".
He that Westminster needed to step in to make sure there's a way of jamming drones if they appear to have been hijacked.
"They might look pretty innocent, but on closer inspection, what you find can be terrifying. Combined with 3D printing these can be easily configured and adapted into support any kind of use case," .
"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 have been able to do in the past."
He said the best way to make sure drones were totally safe is for the government to make sure they all use the same radio frequencies, which means cops could simply take control of a flying machine if it looked as if hackers had hijacked it.
“Alongside putting regulations in place should be security measures,” he continued. “As with any connected technology, drones are at risk of being hacked by cyber-criminals, meaning software programming needs to be considered more seriously in the development phase."
The technology giant has been developing drones that can deliver its parcels to private addresses over a short distance as part of its Prime Air initiative.
It will now work with the Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to develop better safety regulations and improve drone technology.
The firm is understood to have applied for permission to test their drones - which will be at least a metre long - on farmland on the outskirts of Cambridge.
But the site is next to a Roman road and its ten miles of hedges which are home to some of the rarest birds in the country.
Buzzards, hawks and red kites all fly in the same skies that will be used by Amazon. Long-eared owls and turtle doves - now threatened with extinction - also nest in the countryside near Balsham.
The Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke claim it is an important archaeological site with protected wildlife which would be severely impacted by the noisy low-flying machines.
Julia Napier, the group's secretary, said yesterday (MON): "We are absolutely horrified at the idea. There are dozens of protected species of flora and fauna and birds that will be severely affected by the noise and disturbance of drones."
Amazon are refusing to confirm or deny the land bordering the Roman road south east of Cambridge, between the A11 and Balsham, is being used to test drones, but it is understood that the necessary permission has already been granted by the Civil Aviation Authority.
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Current regulations do not permit drone operators to lose line of sight of their device or operate over densely populated areas unless they have CAA permission.
Technology to overcome these restrictions will be explored in the new programme, which will also test sensor performance to help drones detect and avoid obstacles.
Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global innovation policy and communications said: "The UK is a leader in enabling drone innovation - we've been investing in Prime Air research and development here for quite some time.
"This announcement strengthens our partnership with the UK and brings Amazon closer to our goal of using drones to safely deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
"Using small drones for the delivery of parcels will improve customer experience, create new jobs in a rapidly-growing industry, and pioneer new sustainable delivery methods to meet future demand," Mr Misener added.
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