Law enforcement agencies are in an (unofficial) fight with drone operators. And it’s clear why. While some drone pilots are very careful, some have caused quite some trouble. The fire fighting delays in California and gas leak in New York are two such examples.  Up until now, the police either tried to jam the radio for the drone, or try to take it down. (Taking drones down includess eagles, nets, and other shenanigans).

Now, a tiny device lets anyone seize control over drones flying over their heads. Meet Icarus the brainchild of Jonathan Andersson, a researcher at Trend Micro’s TippingPoint DVLab. The device works by hijacking the control packet of the DSMx protocol, so the drone “thinks” that the attacker is the rightful remote. Once the drone is hijacked, the operator gains full control, while leaving the original pilot disconnected from the drone.

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