ISIS may be using DJI drones for surveillance

Earlier in the week we featured a report by thinktank Oxford Research Group that called for the UK to prepare for terrorist attacks by consumer drones. This article focuses on evidence, cited in the report, that drones made by DJI, the world's largest drone maker, are being used by ISIS for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, with other unidentified drones used to gain situational awareness, and consequently control, of strategic targets. The report calls for regulatory countermeasures which include limiting the capabilities of commercially available drones, GPS coordinates of no-fly zones installed by manufacturers and the licensing of drones capable of carrying payloads; passive countermeasures, including commercial multi-sensor systems to detect and track drones, and the purchase of early warning systems and radio frequency and GPS jammers; and active countermeasures which include the development of less-lethal anti-drone systems for urban environments, such as radio frequency jammers, lasers and malware. While the report states that "drones are game changers in the wrong hands," DJI argues that "it's important to legislate and regulate based on the technology and reality - not fear."

A Phantom drone by DJI. Thomson Reuters

There is evidence that extremist militant group ISIS is using DJI Phantom drones for reconnaissance purposes, according to a report put together by the Remote Control Project, a think tank hosted by the Oxford Research Group.

To be clear, ISIS could be using other hobbyist drones for reconnaissance purposes as well. The report mentions instances where ISIS used unidentified consumer drones for surveillance purposes. But in early 2014, ISIS was spotted using DJI Phantom drones in Fallujah, Iraq.

Chris Abbott, lead author of the study, said in an email to Tech Insider that the use of consumer drones by terrorist and other criminal groups "suggest a very real threat, that while not imminent, is growing rapidly."

The report notes that ISIS used unidentified consumer drones to gain situational awareness prior to the campaign to capture the Tabqa military airfield in northern Syria in August 2014. The airfield ultimately came under the control of the ISIS.

The jihadi group also released a video in April 2015 of operatives using unidentified consumer drones for reconnaissance and battlefield coordination prior to the assault on the Baiji oil refinery complex in Iraq.

The report states that consumer drones pose the greatest risk because of their widespread availability, but that developments with unmanned ground vehicles and unmanned marine vehicles (essentially drones that operate on the ground or out at sea) "are opening up new avenues for hostile groups to exploit" as well.

It's worth noting that DJI drones are arguably the most available, as DJI is the largest consumer drone manufacturer in the world, which could explain why ISIS picked the Phantom model in 2014 and could still be using them today.

"We condemn any misuse and abuse of our technology," Adam Najberg, global director of communications at DJI, told Tech Insider.

Najberg added that learning ISIS has used DJI drones is akin to learning the terrorist group uses Toyota's — manufacturers can only hope consumers will use them the way they are intended.

The report also details other ways non-consumer drones are being used to aid terrorist organizations.

The Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah has the longest history of drone use by a non-state group, the report found.

The report mentions several instances the militant group has used its small fleet of drones to either spy on or attack Israeli military targets. In summer 2006, Hezbollah attempted to use three small Ababil drones carrying explosive payloads with the intention of attack Israeli military targets (the drones were shot down).

Ababil drones used by Al-Qassam Brigades. Screenshot/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEtbjuWuA2k#t=120

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian organization Hamas, is also suspected of having a small fleet of drones. The Israeli forces shot one down, which was potentially armed, in 2014.

The report calls for stricter measures limiting the capabilities of commercially available drones. It also calls for control measures like radio frequency jammers, to take down drones.

Steps have been taken by different authority figures to better track drones and prevent potentially harmful drones from entering vulnerable areas.

Tokyo is using anti-drone squads to capture drones that are flying over crowded residential areas.

The FAA has also made it mandatory that anyone who owns a consumer drone register it with the government.

"At present, ISIS is the only terrorist group known to have used consumer drones for attack and intelligence purposes," Abbott said. "But given that ISIS is the greatest security threat to the UK at present, I think we have to take the scenario that drones will be used as part of or to support a terrorist attack very seriously."

Najberg said there is a fine balance between restricting drone usage and still allowing them to be used in the way they should be.

"It's important to legislate and regulate based on the technology and reality — not fear," he said.