Cyber Security and Law Enforcement Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Abstract

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have created a universal paradigm shift within political, commercial, military, recreational, and emergency response operations. For example, law enforcement departments have started to utilize UAS due to their operational advantages. However, the continuous development and utilization of UAS have resulted in security concerns. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the cyber security vulnerabilities of UAS and their impact on law enforcement use of UAS. This study utilized a survey based on a likert-scale and a literature analysis to collect data and answered the study’s research questions. This study has identified available resources for hackers to successfully collect data from law enforcement UAS. The study revealed that law enforcement do not believe hackers can collect data from law enforcement UAS to pose harm on public safety. However, law enforcement does view cyber hacking on law enforcement UAS as a security risk due to malfunction, inadequate training, unauthorized access, and irresponsible operations.