British Navy Drone Cameras Secretly Sent Data to China

The UK Ministry of Defence has discovered that cameras fitted to Royal Marines reconnaissance drones were secretly transmitting data to an IP address in China. The fleet of drones, worth a total of £12 million (roughly 340.7 million CZK), has been in service with the British military since March, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Once the issue came to light, the ministry was forced to cut the cameras off from the internet entirely. The drones were supplied by Kraken Technology Group, a major British defence contractor, which had sourced the cameras from a third party and had previously assured the ministry they were fully secure.

What the investigation found

The inquiry revealed that the cameras were sending data to China confirming that the devices were online and functioning normally. However, the Ministry of Defence stresses that no evidence has been found of sensitive data being leaked abroad or of any access to classified systems.

Kraken has taken the same line. "Following a thorough audit conducted by our company and the Royal Navy, we are confident that no confidential information was ever transmitted outside approved channels, and that all potential vulnerabilities have been identified and resolved," the company said.

Concerns over sensitive facilities

Sources cited by the newspaper claim, however, that the reconnaissance drones were operating in close proximity to closed-door meetings of special forces commanders, and that the cameras remained active even when the drones themselves were switched off. According to the report, this could have posed a security risk to personnel with security clearance at the base in Poole, Dorset.

The K3 drones were also part of a defence support package the UK was preparing to help ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. A source within the Ministry of Defence described the episode as "a serious failure in vetting the origin of components" and admitted that trust in the system has been lost.

The US uses the drone too

The K3 Scout is designed to carry payloads of up to 600 kilograms and operate continuously for 30 days. Similar drones have also been purchased by US Special Operations Command, and the aircraft has taken part in NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea.

Source: novinky.cz