Army testing facility to screen military drones for Chinese components

The Army has reportedly set up a specialised facility in New Delhi to examine military drones for electronic vulnerabilities and detect potentially risky Chinese components, reports The Tribune. 

The testing facility, named AASHVAST, (Assessment and Analysis of Electronic Systems Hardware for Vulnerabilities and Security Threats) checks unmanned systems for unauthorised modifications, concealed passwords, embedded encryption keys and remote-access mechanisms, says the report. 

It also tests whether drones permit software updates only from approved manufacturers and assesses security controls that determine how the drone responds to GPS spoofing or jamming attempts by a rival.

Another assessment focuses on security controls governing drone behaviour during GPS spoofing and jamming attacks, the report said.