IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2015 - 19

Signal Jamming Threats

to transform aviation. However the
unmanned aircraft in the national
hostile takeover threats to these
airspace. She is also a legal scholar
aerial systems are real and immiand writer, and is the editor and lead
nent. All operators must
be cognizant to the hostile
takeover threat and provide
adequate countermeasures
to these threats to not only
In many ways, an unmanned
protect the aircraft, but also
aircraft can be considered as
to protect lives and property that are in the path
a wireless device/node in the
of these innovative aerial
machines. The time to take
sky, open to the same threats
unmanned aerial security
as a wireless network.
seriously is now.

Signal jamming is a major issue
with the cyber-physical aspects
of unmanned aircraft. Signal jamming can be a single or multi-path
endeavor affecting many of the aircraft systems. Jamming signals can
block GPS signals, communication
signals, command and control signals, network signals, as well as signals from various aircraft systems
such as anti-collision systems. The
result is a weakened aircraft system that may face a loss of control,
inaccurate navigation, or incomplete commands resulting in an
unplanned traverse across the sky
or a catastrophic event. Signal jamming is also dangerous as it opens
up the aircraft system to other forms
of exploits, compounding the ability
to defend from the hostile threat.

Author Information
Donna A. Dulo, JD, is a
mathematician, computer scientist,
and systems engineer and has
worked for the U.S. Department of
Defense in military and civilian
capacities for over 27 years. She is
the President and Founder of the
Unmanned Aircraft Safety and
Security Society, Inc. dedicated to
the safe and secure operation of

Hostile Takeover Threats
are Real and Imminent
The operation of unmanned aircraft in the skies has the potential

author of the American Bar Association's book on unmanned aircraft
law and technology, published in
August of 2015.

opinion (continued from page 14)
4) Set your devices not to broadcast their SSID. This step makes
your devices less visible to the
public (but admittedly won't
slow down a dedicated hacker).
The SSID is the device name that
broadcasts, showing that a wireless connection to it is possible.
Note that implementing new
security protections will make your
camera less vulnerable, but there's
still a chance it could be hijacked.
A sophisticated hacker could not
only violate your privacy by turning your webcam on you and your
loved ones, but could also commandeer your network and make

september 2015

your camera a slave bot to carry out
additional exploits.
The very best way to keep your
IP camera from being turned on
you is to not have it turned on
in the first place. Use one if you
must, but think ver y carefully
about the potential damage that
could be done when you click the
"on" button.

Acknowledgement
This article has been adapted from
Katherine Albrecht, Liz McIntyre,
"Privacy Nightmare: When Baby
Monitors Go Bad," Sept. 26, 2014;
http://www.ehow.com/ehow-tech/

∕

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

blog/privacy-nightmare-when-babymonitors-go-bad/.

References
[1] A. Wagner, "FOX19 Investigates: Hacker hijacks
baby monitor," Apr. 25, 2014; http://www.fox19.
com/story/25310628/hacked-baby-monitor.
[2] O.B. Waxman, "Stranger hacks into baby
monitor and screams at child," Apr. 28, 2014;
http://time.com/79170/stranger-hacks-into-babymonitor-and-screams-at-child/
[3] S. Murphy and I. Gallagher, "How 'home
hackers' spy on you and your children," Sept.
20, 2014; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/
ar ticle-2763664/How-home-hackers-spychildren-YOUR-webcam-The-shocking-evidenceshows-private-lives-snooped-streamed-live-web.
html#ixzz3LPZaihaT.
[4] K. Komando, Oct. 17, 2014; https://www.
komando.com/tips/9092/dont-make-thesecommon-mistakes-with-your-passwords.

http://www.fox19 http://www.time.com/79170/stranger-hacks-into-baby http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ https://www http://www.komando.com/tips/9092/dont-make-these http://www.ehow.com/ehow-tech/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2015