FIU cybersecurity researchers develop midflight defense against drone hijacking

MIAMI, Oct. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As drones become increasingly common in U.S. skies – delivering packages, inspecting bridges, even monitoring crops – the danger of cyberattacks has grown too. A drone hijacked by hackers could suddenly veer off course, speed up, stall in midair, or crash. Once compromised, the machine is useless, often left as little more than expensive junk.

Florida International University researchers have found a way to fight back. At the IEEE International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks, FIU computer scientists unveiled SHIELD, a defensive system that can detect and neutralize cyberattacks on drones in real time and, crucially, allow the drone to finish its mission.

"Without robust recovery mechanisms, a drone cannot complete its mission under attacks, because even if it is possible to detect the attacks, the mission often gets terminated as a fail-safe move," said Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman, lead researcher and associate professor in FIU's Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences. "What's important about our framework is that it helps the system recover, so the mission can be completed."

Safeguarding the security of drones may soon become more important than ever before. This summer, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed expanding commercial drone use across industries. From Amazon to agriculture, the FAA expects more businesses to deploy unmanned aircraft, raising urgent questions about safety in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

Traditionally, attack detection has revolved around sensors that help the drone perceive its surroundings and fly safely but can be easily manipulated. SHIELD goes further, monitoring the drone's entire control system. It detects abnormalities not just in sensors but also in hardware, where hackers often try to hide their tracks. A sudden battery surge or overheating processor, for instance, may signal an attack underway.

The system then uses machine learning to diagnose the type of assault, much like a doctor identifying an illness. Each attack leaves behind a unique signature, and SHIELD responds with a tailored recovery protocol. In lab simulations, the FIU team's approach identified attacks in an average of 0.21 seconds and restored normal flight in 0.36.

Next, Rahman's research group at FIU will scale up testing, preparing SHIELD for real-world deployment. With drones poised to reshape commerce, infrastructure monitoring, and disaster response, FIU researchers say securing them is no longer optional.

"Reliable and secure drones are the key to unlocking future advancements," Rahman said. "It's our hope this work can play a role in moving the industry forward."

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For more information about this study, please visit https://go.fiu.edu/droneresearch

About FIU:
Florida International University is a Top 50, preeminent public research university with 55,000 students from all 50 states and more than 140 countries, as well as an alumni network of more than 340,000. Located in the global city of Miami, the university offers more than 200 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, including medicine and law. FIU faculty are leaders in their fields and include National Academy members, Fulbright Scholars, and MacArthur Genius Fellows. A Carnegie R1 institution, FIU drives impactful research in environmental resilience, health, and technology and innovation. Home to the Wall of Wind and Institute of Environment, FIU stands at the forefront of discovery and innovation. With a focus on student success, economic mobility and community engagement, FIU is redefining what it means to be a public research university.

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SOURCE Florida International University