Facing up to the corporate threat - Drones D
rones are now widely available, but in the wrong
hands, they present a security risk that banks and major corporations need to take seriously.
What strategies can organisations put in place now to strengthen their defences?
How could a drone be used to attack your business operations?
You may already have considered this question and you can rest assured, criminals certainly have.
If your organisation is vulnerable to hacking, to industrial espionage and theft of information, or to reconnaissance ahead of a criminal attack, then drones (or Small Unmanned Arial Systems – sUAS) represent a powerful new tool for hostile actors to use. And they are using them.
It’s with good reason that the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has issued counter-drone guidance and technology assessments (November 2019).
It’s not just a risk that planners at critical sites need to take seriously; institutions and businesses need to as well.
Last year, Dedrone carried out a drone proximity survey for one of the UK’s biggest financial institutions and what we found prompted them to change their security policies.
Malicious intent
Over eight weeks our system detected an average of six drones being flown close to the head office building every day. And while some of these devices were clearly being operated by hobbyists or tourists exploring the Square Mile without malicious intent, others may not have been.
What emerged from the data was a pattern: we discovered that among all those drones, one was returning repeatedly and the times of the flights were synchronising with the times when the security team shifts changed.
Coincidence? Anyone familiar with risk planning will understand the potential significance of this pattern. The possibility that someone was planning a criminal or terrorist attack could not be discounted, knowing as
we do that repeated site reconnaissance is an established risk indicator.
The bank involved took our warning very seriously. So, should you?
Consider that the market for drones has grown rapidly over the last ten years, and particularly over the last three. Applications are now widespread and range from industrial infrastructure maintenance to videography, from urban planning to inspecting telecoms towers.
Range and sophistication
With that market growth, drone capabilities have stepped-up rapidly too. Commercially available devices are increasing in range, agility and sophistication, and they are coming down in price. This means that ever more powerful tools are coming into the hands of ever more people, not all of them well-intentioned.
Once you are aware that somebody is repeatedly flying drones close to your buildings, you start to see things differently, and to ask why. There is a growing realisation that every organisation and every security planner needs to be asking the same question.
Terrorism Studies Leading online course
Individual Modules | 4 Weeks Certificate | 16 Weeks Advanced Certificate | 32 Weeks
Starts: June 2020
Enhance your skills and knowledge critical to countering the growing phenomenon of terrorism.
WWW.TERRORISMSTUDIES.COM/FLR3656EXADCSM
Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 4483 | Email:
security@informaconnect.com Quote VIP code: FLR3656EXADCSM
10 © CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – S PRING 2020 Advertisements
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
