Cybersecurity of the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)

In recent years, UASs have become more and more popular. There are many reasons for this; one of the most popular is the enhancement of drones' functionalities and improvement in battery life, stabilization, navigation, sensor technology, and much more. The growth is driven by many benefits. However, as the number of drones is expanding and levels of their technological functionalities evolving, the use of drones brings a lot of concerns as well as challenges that should not be underestimated. This refers to issues in the area of cybersecurity, privacy, and public safety. UASs, under the international, regional, and national regime of aviation law, are considered aircraft. Since there is no existing cybersecurity framework for UASs, the civil aviation cybersecurity framework should apply to their operations. This paper will focus on the potential cyber threats against UASs, providing some examples of cyberattacks from the past. Further, the overview of the aviation cybersecurity framework will follow in order to determine the current status of maturity at the international and regional (European Union) levels. The conclusion of the paper will identify the necessary steps to be taken and potential solutions in terms of applying the aviation cybersecurity framework into the operation of UASs.