If your organization uses drones to collect proprietary information or map critical infrastructure, you should know about a U.S. government warning.
The Department of Homeland Security has authored a memo warning about the possibility of data security "concerns," but gives no proof that it is happening.
CNN obtained a DHS memo warning against Chinese-made drones and the way they transmit sensitive data, possibly well beyond your networks.
CNN quoted the memo, which says in part:
"The United States government has strong concerns about any technology product that takes American data into the territory of an authoritarian state that permits its intelligence services to have unfettered access to that data or otherwise abuses that access," the alert says.
"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," the alert adds.
Chinese company DJI, which makes about 75% of the drones operating in the U.S. and Canada, responded firmly to the leaked memo:
"In a statement, DJI said that it gives customers "full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted," adding that "customers can enable all the precautions DHS recommends."
"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 said.
Apparently those assurances are not enough for the Department of Homeland Security.
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