[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] A guideline has been introduced to enhance the cybersecurity of private drones by requiring drones to have unique identification numbers and mandating user authentication when accessing sensitive information.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 1st, through the Korea Internet & Security Agency, the release of the "Cybersecurity Guide for Private Sector Drones" aimed at securing cyber safety in the drone sector. This guide serves as a reference for drone product and service developers, operators, and information security personnel to build and operate a safe drone service environment. Based on this, security standards applicable to future drone safety certifications will also be established.
The government prepared this guideline in response to growing concerns over cyber threats as drones, which initially started for military use, have become popular for leisure and hobbies, leading to rapid market growth. The domestic drone market size grew from 70.4 billion KRW as of December 2016 to 459.5 billion KRW by June 2020. During this period, the number of registered drones increased sixfold, the number of operating companies tripled, and the number of certified pilots increased 25 times.
The published guide includes 17 major security threats and 6 threat scenarios that may occur in drones (including propulsion units, control units, payloads, communication units, etc.) and key systems (drones, ground control stations, information provision devices, etc.) that constitute drone services. It also presents corresponding security items and countermeasures.
Regarding authentication, drones are required to have unique identification numbers, and user authentication must be performed when accessing sensitive information. Mutual authentication must occur first when transmitting critical information or accessing services.
Countermeasures for safe flight include autonomous flight, provision of alternative location tracking methods, prevention of access to specific areas, autonomous collision avoidance, and automatic return, all included in the guideline. Additionally, to ensure secure communication, wireless signal protection functions are applied, jamming signals are detected, and alternative communication channels are secured. When transmitting critical information, data must be encrypted using international standard cryptographic algorithms.
Son Seunghyun, Director of Information Protection Network Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “As information and communication technology (ICT) is applied across industries and expands into various converged services, the importance of cybersecurity in daily life is increasingly emphasized. We will strengthen cooperation with related ministries to ensure that security guides prepared for each industry sector are applied to various ICT convergence products and services, creating a safe ICT convergence environment for citizens and businesses.”
Jung Yongsik, Director of Aviation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “As various policies to foster the drone industry are discussed, cybersecurity is essential for promoting safe drone utilization industries and improving the quality of public services. Based on this guide, if cybersecurity certification standards are established, we will continue to cooperate with the Ministry of Science and ICT to ensure organic linkage with drone-related certification systems such as airframe safety certification.”
The guide will be available for free download starting December 2 on the websites of the Korea Internet & Security Agency (www.kisa.or.kr) and the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (www.kiast.or.kr).
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