The US Navy wants to protect its drones against hacks
Cyberwarfare is bad enough by itself, but it's especially dangerous when military drones are involved. The last thing you want is a hijacked UAV that can give away your position or, worse, fire on your own troops. To that end, the US Navy is asking private companies for help with developing technology that protects drones, missiles and other airborne weapons against hacks. Whoever has the best proposal will (hopefully) craft systems that not only prevent enemies from getting in, but bounce back quickly if the worst happens.
As you might suspect, this effort faces a few challenges. Besides the inherent optimism behind creating hack-resistant tech -- the odds are that someone will find a way in -- the Navy won't even start reviewing proposals until May 2016. That likely leaves at least a few years before these more resilient robotic warriors are flying over hostile waters. Even so, it's good to see that future connected drones will be built from the start with network security in mind.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Steve Helber]
