Technology

Remote-Controlled Army Drone Modified to Hack Your Wi-Fi

Two self-proclaimed hackers — former information technology employees for the U.S. Air Force — have modified an army drone that can “discreetly break into Wi-Fi networks, emit jamming signals and even pose as a cellphone tower to intercept communications from the ground,” according to Popular Science.

Richard Perkins and Mike Tassey spent two years and $6,000 to create this Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform — pet named Vespid, which is Latin for wasp — that they envision use for in surveillance applications.

Vespid Created as Modified Hacker Drone

Vespid operated by Richard Perkins. (Photo: John Fedele via Popular Science)

Here’s what it takes according to Popular Science:

  • FQM-117B Army target drone
  • High-powered radio antenna
  • 32-gigabyte USB drive
  • 4G USB dongle
  • Two lithium-polymer batteries

Perkins and Tassey removed the drone’s original radio system, which they replaced with some of the above components for hacking capabilities. The drone can fly for about a half hour on its battery power and has soared up to 22,000 feet.

Popular Science reports that then men showcased Vespid to prove a point at an August security conference:

If they could construct a spy drone from legal, off-the-shelf components for a few thousand dollars, then despite its complexity, others could do the same — including those with nefarious motives.

Other than being capable of hacking, the modified drone also could have some more honorable applications such as providing Wi-Fi and cell service in disaster zones.

Watch this test flight of Vespid earlier this year:

Comments (46)

  • RightThinking1
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 3:11pm

    If you are indeed a ham, then you should know that these days RC thingies are controlled by frequency-hopping transmitters/receivers, which are immune (to a practical degree) to interfering signals. Go to an RC event, and you will find that no one cares what frequency is in use by anyone else, it doesn’t matter. Moreover, why would someone use a popular, published, band to control something for nefarious purposes? Much better (and very easy) to use some innocuous frequency.

    Report Post »  
  • vtech61
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 2:07pm

    EMP will knock out ALL these electronic gadgets, including many military type
    and/or private based type surveillance gear.
    (Even some sunspot activity could effectively kill most this gear)…

    Ha, even those way cool lasers sights on all the Mall Ninja’s weapons will be INOP.
    Hope you know how to use your iron sights and old school stuff better than they do.
    (IF they even have iron sights on their ‘toys’)…

    Bottom line:
    The more ‘they’ rely on tech, the more vulnerable they and their new ‘toys’ actually become.

    See yall @ the cyborg wars. LOL

    Report Post »  
  • CulperGang
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 1:12pm

    in windows 7. control panel – windows vault – remove “general credential”….you have to do it every day………i can’t find the reg key to remove altogether……disabling windows live does nothing.

    go to bing.au…find proxys

    better yet….get involved……run for office…when their start removing “gov power”…..the first thing I am doing is removing some laws….and dismantling eyes in the sky……we have to take them over …like they took us over………America must stay libertarian.

    Report Post » CulperGang  
  • Beerbear
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 11:04am

    Any network can be cracked. And wi-fi has never been 100% crack-proof.

    Report Post »  
  • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:17am

    http://hackaday.com/2010/08/18/drone-cracks-wifi-from-on-high/

    Wow. Way to be on the ball, Blaze. This “news” is only 15.5 months old.

    Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Postolic
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 1:59pm

      You mean this test flight the article is reporting on took place over a year ago? Wow! That is slow!

      Report Post »  
  • robstoddard
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:00am

    Make your own. Check out http://www.diydrones.com. I am currently working on some new technology to add to the DIYdrone field. If you’re good with RC and computers, making a UAV is not so hard.

    Report Post » robstoddard  
  • Survivor101
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:12am

    Everytime I drive the interstates, whether it be in PA where concrete separates traffic or in Iowa where the “neat” cable and post system separates the traffic…you gotta wonder? Is it the insurance companies that lobbied to cause more damage to your vehicle? Is it really about snow and ice (saw them last week driving from Corpus Christi to San Antonio) or is it about the ultimate control of people when the time comes and populations are forced to move????

    Report Post »  
    • Survivor101
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:14am

      and imagine the “neat little drones” hovering overhead with the capabilities to listen, hack, fire on command….

      Report Post »  
    • 1654American
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:41am

      Don’t fear your government. Get involved and change it. Vote, and take some friends with you.

      Report Post »  
    • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:23am

      The cable rail system to which you refer is the epitome of Government doing its job. The purpose of government is not to protect us from ourselves. It’s to protect us from our fellows. A traditional concrete barricade or steel guard rail liked to take your out of control vehicle and throw it back out into the path of travel of everyone behind you to “spread the carnage around” more equally. The cable rail system likes to grab your vehicle and prevent it from reentering the path of travel while slowing it to a stop at a rate that won’t snap your spine.

      I think you need to stop tilting at every conspiracy theory windmill that crosses your field of vision.

      Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • jado1981
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 8:49am

      I think ***** has it right. Maybe they are doing it to stop you from traveling at highway speeds into oncoming traffic, who is also traveling at highway speeds, effectively doubling your speed of impact. I don’t really think the government is really out to get you… OR ARE THEY?!? Those cables are designed to stop the sheeple, you know, the ones that drive the prius’ or “pregnant roller-skates”. I have never tried it, but I’m pretty sure I could snap a pole and drive over the cabling with a full size pickup. Now the concrete barriers, I’m just screwed, but I’ll follow somebody driving an 18-wheeler that wants to mow them down.
      Take the tin-foil hat off every once and a while, give the head a breath of fresh air.

      Report Post »  
    • @leftfighter
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 9:35am

      Wow. *That* has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

      Nice.

      Report Post » @leftfighter  
  • ares338
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:10am

    1984 isn‘t here yet but it’s moving closer day by day. There is almost no privacy any longer.

    Report Post » ares338  
  • grudgywoof
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 7:00am

    I watched the rise of the Nazi empire last night on the military channel and its eerie how similar things are here as they were then. They were reading every ones mail (email and wifi in our time) tapping every bodies phones, checking every ones national ID cards (I know not yet but soon my friends). They all thought “I have nothing to hide” but if you didn’t fit their idea of a “good physical specimen” you would be sterilized. If you didn’t fit their idea of pure Arian blood lines then off to the concentration camp (FEMA Camp). I know none of this will ever happen here. Sleep America Sleeeeeeeeeep.

    Report Post » grudgywoof  
  • scout n ambush
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 4:03am

    Wow good thing our gov’t (big sis) is trust worthy and honest and never repeat never would do anything dishonest like spying on the american population and making list’s of people to watch like russia china or north korea would .I couldn’t even type that with a straight face.

    Report Post » scout n ambush  
    • loriann12
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 6:38am

      Yea, good thing they would never make an enemies list (whether they are Democrat or establishment Republican) to deal with later, like through the IRS.

      Report Post »  
    • CatholiConservative
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 6:50am

      Good thing they don’t have a clear, provable history of corruption- & good the ones with the most power dont have any marxist leanings

      Report Post »  
    • Ok-Sure
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 9:21am

      It is also a good thing that they are keeping the borders in Iraq and Afghanistan safe because they have the great experience with our southern border. No body gets murdered down there i hear. Think I will vacation in Tijuana. You think if i asked them they would give me directions and an escort with one of there toy planes?! Gosh that would be neat.

      Report Post »  
  • scout n ambush
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 4:01am

    Wow good thing our gov’t (big sis) is trust worthy and honest and never repeat never would do anything dishonest like spying on the american population like russia china or north korea would .I couldn’t even type that with a straight face.

    Report Post » scout n ambush  
  • Airgun
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 2:55am

    If you think for one moment that the eggheads in govt tech haven’t already created workarounds for the 500 rf and slingshot solutions, then you’re falling into the complacency trap that most of Americans who vote lefty dem did in the last presidential election.
    However, the 30.06 fix seems to me to be pretty hard to cope with. ;-)

    Report Post » Airgun  
  • scrapadapolis
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 2:33am

    Nock em out with 500 watts of rf

    Report Post » scrapadapolis  
  • scrapadapolis
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 2:29am

    Im an amateur radio operator..and have the frequencys for radio controlled cars planes boat,so key a mike or send a key tone with over 500 watts of RF thats plenty to upset the flight plan and send it crashing to the ground.Big brother kiss my ass.

    Report Post » scrapadapolis  
  • MeMadMax
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 1:59am

    Good luck hacking my wireless net….

    Report Post » MeMadMax  
  • Mil Mom
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 1:27am

    @knighttemplar999
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:31am
    By good people do you mean J Edgar Hoover types?
    ****
    Sure wouldn’t mean wh technology czar, or eric holder’s justice dept!

    Report Post » Mil Mom  
  • libertytreecaretaker
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 1:01am

    I wonder if these guys can hack into the flight path of a .338lm bullet before it can sever their head from their spine?
    Enemies foreign and domestic!

    Report Post »  
  • Gripes
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:44am

    This is the sort of thing that ethics classes cover as “bad” even if it’s for the government. People just like these guys created a program called “System Administrator’s Tool for Administrating Networks” aka SATAN (look it up). That was meant as a sysadmin’s toolkit but became very popular with hackers. When people do not consider how their product can be misused, they produce a product that is doomed to be used for evil.

    Report Post »  
  • knighttemplar999
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:28am

    I already have human drones hacking my connections. They go by the names; bookemdanel, NETGEAR, sanchez, danel, smalldeer, gatecam, cisco36789 and various other names. I suppose they are making $100,000+ and will retire with full pensions in their mid-fifties so that they can collect their pensions and still work some sort of $100,000 extra job on top of their pensions.

    Report Post »  
  • Pigpen
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:22am

    First off, if the Air Force hired them to build such a sneaky device, YTF are they telling the world about it? Must be another couple of well-connected, over-educated, hippie spawn who “hate the system” even though Daddy the Air Force General and Mommy the Senator’s aid landed them a 2-year dream job. Anyone else here sick of the technocrats covering for their brat kids? How many of you have any illusions about what would happen to YOU if you revealed classified projects to the public? How many of you here still think that when the Wall Street Tycoons looked out of their offices and down onto the Occupy Wall Street camp they saw anything less than their own children, grandchildren, family members, and classmates? And if these two “hackers” are so smart, why can’t they remove the computer VIRUS from the drones the military already had?http://www.theblaze.com/stories/another-drone-heading-to-help-patrol-texas-border/

    Report Post » Pigpen  
  • V-MAN MACE
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:17am

    Oh, I’m sorry. Did my sarcasm offend some New World Order affiliate?

    I’m sorry, let me just say that..the drones… the little spy drones…it’s all for your safety.

    Now, is that clean enough for you, you power-tripping troglodyte?

    Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
  • BubbaSC
    Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:08am

    Shoot‘em down if they violate my property’s airspace! Either via a rifle or a RC plane fitted with a .22, yeah its possible.

    Report Post » BubbaSC  
    • V-MAN MACE
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:35am

      You don’t have “airspace”.

      They can hover a tiny bug drone outside your window and watch you and your wife have “quality time”, with a laser-vibration detection system aimed at your window to listen to the SOUNDS.

      hee heee

      Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
    • TSUNAMI-22
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 1:44am

      There are much easier ways to defeat these things. What the military won’t disclose to the public is how hard it is to keep these things from being defeated in the first place.

      Report Post »  
  • GhostOfJefferson
    Posted on November 15, 2011 at 11:50pm

    I wish they’d stop calling conventional, buy it off the shelf, remote controlled aircraft “drones”. Buzzwords tick me off sometimes, they’re so mindless and conformist. Look into real RC aircraft, amateur, and walk away amazed at what normal people can do.

    If they want to play this game, I can ‘configure a frequency jamming radio intercept drone’ from parts in my basement and the hobby store. Crike.

    Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
  • COFemale
    Posted on November 15, 2011 at 11:49pm

    I was wondering why my wireless connections got dropped occasionally; I was going to blame my provider now I know who the culprits are.

    Report Post » COFemale  
  • Cold War Vet
    Posted on November 15, 2011 at 11:36pm

    This is another dilemma of advanced technology that can be good and/or bad depending on whose hands it falls into. I can imagine what those criminal goons in the Obama administration would do with it. On the other hand, setting up temporary WiFi and cellphone service in a disaster zone is a great idea. We could sure use some GOOD people (eg. not progressives/deomcrats) to write some very strict laws on the fair and acceptable use of this technology. I imagine they won’t.

    Report Post » Cold War Vet  
    • V-MAN MACE
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 11:44pm

      Nooo…no…you’ve got it all wrong!

      This is for your SAFETY. Don’t you feel SAFE?

      Aren’t you still scared of the big bad muslim boogeyman and the abominable urban minority?
      What about the Great White Tea Party? They have guns, ya know… aren’t you SCARED of them?

      BOO! Are you scared enough yet?

      Now just give me your guns and get on that pretty military-green bus, my friend! We’re going to take good care of you. And don’t be scared when the nice man comes around and injects you, it’s just a vaccine. Don’t resist.

      -sarcasm end.

      Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
    • ICRedifURBlue
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 11:56pm

      Coupling the equipment with a tethered balloon or blimp would be great in a disaster area or emergency service in remote locations………..

      Report Post »  
    • TheGreyPiper
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:16am

      Not so much a dilemma, vet,just a fact of life. I’m sure that a lot the same arguments were made when Grog the Caveman first brought fire indoors.
      (Full disclosure – I admit reading a sci-fi short story about exactly that. Quite funny! Poor guy had no answers to the hysterical questions about What if it gets loose? Who on earth is gona want to stick their food in that? etc. In fact everything about this new phenomenon was “unclear”: and no one wanted the danger of this “unclear energy” in THEIR caves!)

      (“Unclear energy” – get it?)

      Report Post » TheGreyPiper  
    • knighttemplar999
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 12:31am

      By good people do you mean J Edgar Hoover types?

      Report Post »  

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