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Securing America: Can Terrorists Hack Into Drones? [VIDEO]

A new worry in the War on Terror: a flaw in the technology used by civilian drones that terrorists could take advantage of.

FOX’s John Roberts reports in our ongoing series on national security:

Audio clip:

Securing America.

Privacy concerns have dominated the debate over opening U.S. airspace to unmanned aircraft, but researchers at the University of Texas have uncovered a gaping hole in the security for civilian drones.  Using a so-called “spoofer,” which mimics GPS signals, professor Todd Humphries and his team took control of a drone in flight – making it obey their commands, rather than GPS.

Humphries says if his team can do it, so can terrorists with the right equipment.

(Humphries) “Spoofing a GPS receiver on a UAV really is just another way of hijacking a plane.”

The FAA and Department of Homeland Security are aware of the problem and are trying to address it, but poor funding has left the program in its infancy.  Experts fear DHS brass won’t really pay attention to this until something terrible happens.

John Roberts, FOX News Radio.

Watch the VIDEO below for more on this story:

 

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