Concerns about sensor attacks

PX4 Autopilot
1

Dear everyone,

I have come across two sensor attacks that have been recently discussed in academia. Unlike most others, these specific attack vectors demand my serious attention. I am particularly interested to know if the PX4 software is vulnerable to these sensor attacks. If it is, I would like to understand how we can prevent such attacks at the control software level as well as hardware measures. Details are below.

  1. Intentional sound noise causes resonant on IMUs
    Motivating Example - YouTube
    Details: UnRocker
  2. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) disturbs sensor readings on SPI/I2C buses
    EM injection experiments on a hovering drone - YouTube
    Details: Paralyzing Drones

These two attacks potentially make the drone crash on the ground, as shown in the demo videos. Thus, I would greatly appreciate your insights and opinions on these sensor attacks. Thank you!

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2

I’m not going to suggest mitigations or provide any further comments, but to answer your first question: yes, PX4 is vulnerable to both of those attacks.

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@auturgy Thanks for your feedback. If you don’t mind, could I ask why PX4 does not have the motivation to prevent these attacks?