Dietrich and his colleagues were able to take a drone called a quadricopter (available for less than $400 at gadget stores), load it with off-the-shelf computer hardware and software, and then control the drone with an iPhone or Android over a 3G network. The drone is even equipped with GPS and cameras so that the controller can see where it is when out of physical sight. The total cost of the entire package? 600$. In concept, the controllers can land the drone on an apartment building or corporate office, gain access to computers via wireless networks, and then set up a botnet.
Dietrich explained that "Once we've broken in, as in we've broken the wireless security, we can then proceed to attack the systems that are behind it." Dietrich added that the botmasters who operate the drones are hard to catch because the drone creates a "disconnect between the botmaster and the attacking system." The only way to catch the botmasters is to see them flying the drone or capturing the drone itself; however, a captured drone won't have much incriminating information on it. The drone can also be used to perform a "Café Latte attack", where the drone tricks your smartphone into connecting to it by pretending to be your home network.
The original article can be found here.
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