Twenty unmanned vessels purchased by the Royal Marines were urgently disconnected from the internet after cameras were found transmitting operational information to Chinese servers
Britain's Ministry of Defence has uncovered a significant security breach involving its newest fleet of surveillance drones, according to recent investigation by The Telegraph.
The fleet of 20 unmanned vessels, which has been operated by the Royal Marines since March, was found to be covertly transmitting data from its primary camera systems to servers located in China.
China's Candid Camera
The vessels in question are K3 Scout models, 27-foot multi-purpose surface craft manufactured by British company Kraken Technology as part of the Behave project, valued at approximately £12 million.
While the camera components were purchased from a third-party supplier that provided security guarantees, they were actually manufactured in China and secretly transmitted data to devices in that country.
Cut Transmission
Investigation of the drones revealed that the cameras were sending "heartbeat" communications, data packets confirming connection and operational status, to an IP address in China.
Following the exposure of this serious security vulnerability, the British Ministry of Defence was forced to take immediate action, completely disconnecting all internet connectivity for the cameras across the entire fleet.
Join our newsletter to receive updates on new articles and exclusive content.
We respect your privacy and will never share your information.
