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As drone technology becomes integral to industries like logistics, surveillance, and agriculture, it also opens new avenues for cyber-physical crimes. HIVE Consult’s Drone Forensics program equips professionals with the skills to investigate drone-related incidents, extract evidence, and secure airspace.
Why Drone Forensics Matters
Drones are now tools for malicious activities, including unauthorized surveillance, payload drops, and data interception. Forensic experts must analyze:
– Drone logs (flight paths, timestamps)
– Data links between drones and controllers
– Ground control station artifacts
You Should Know: Key Drone Forensics Techniques
1. Extracting Drone Data
- Tools: Use DJI Forensic Analyzer, Parrot Anafi Forensic Tool, or Autopsy for drone media extraction.
- Command:
dji_dump.py -i /dev/sdc1 -o ~/drone_evidence
Extracts flight logs from DJI drones.
2. Analyzing Flight Logs
- Tool: CSVView or Log2Timeline for parsing `.DAT` or `.TXT` flight logs.
- Command:
log2timeline.py drone_log.csv /path/to/drone_log.dat
3. Reverse Engineering Drone Firmware
- Tool: Binwalk, Ghidra.
- Command:
binwalk -e drone_firmware.bin
Extracts firmware partitions for analysis.
4. Network Traffic Analysis
- Tool: Wireshark, TShark to intercept drone-GCS (Ground Control Station) communication.
- Filter:
tshark -i wlan0 -Y "wlan.fc.type_subtype == 0x08" -w drone.pcap
5. GPS Spoofing Detection
- Tool: GPSD, Kismet to identify manipulated coordinates.
- Command:
gpsd -n /dev/ttyUSB0
Hands-On Lab: Simulating a Drone Incident
1. Capture Drone Traffic:
airodump-ng wlan0 --channel 6 --write drone_capture
2. Extract Media:
exiftool -r /media/sdcard/DCIM/ >> drone_metadata.txt
3. Timeline Analysis:
plaso-psort.py drone_log.plaso -w timeline.csv
What Undercode Say
Drone forensics merges cyber-physical investigations with traditional DFIR (Digital Forensics and Incident Response). Key takeaways:
– Linux Commands: Use `ddrescue` for damaged storage, `volatility` for RAM analysis.
– Windows: `FTK Imager` for drone controller disk imaging.
– Scripting: Automate log parsing with Python (Pandas, PyShark).
– Emerging Threats: Watch for Wi-Fi deauthentication attacks (e.g., mdk4 wlan0 d).
Expected Output:
- Structured drone evidence (logs, network traces).
- Forensic report with timelines.
- Mitigation strategies (e.g., RF jamming detection).
Relevant URL: HIVE Consult (for course details).
References:
Reported By: Daniel Anyemedu – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
