WHEN DRONES GO BAD THE YEAR IN REVIEW
DECEPTION
Canaries. First among these is the use of small drones as canaries, not as robotic replacements for domesticated songbirds, but rather in the sense of being “a canary in a coal mine.” Until the mid-1980s, it was common practice for miners to bring a canary with them underground. Being more sensitive than humans to the buildup of deadly carbon monoxide gas, the bird’s abrupt silence was a signal to the miners that they needed to evacuate immediately.
The drones flown as canaries today serve a similar function: The would-be aerial trespasser sends out a small, cheap drone ahead of a larger aircraft, which will carry contraband. Its mission is to test for the presence counteruncrewed aircraft systems (C-UAS) defenses. If the small drone is jammed, intercepted or exhibits strange behavior, the operator knows not to launch the larger aircraft.
The use of a canary offers another benefit, as well: Someone flying a drone over a restricted area is guilty of a much less serious offense than if the drone is carrying drugs or weapons, for example.
In the instances DroneSec has studied, canary drones have
