As cyber threats increasingly target drones in Ukraine, British company Periphery is stepping in with specialized software to safeguard these vital military devices. Known for its expertise in military-grade threat management for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Periphery is offering both its technological expertise and cutting-edge software to defend Ukrainian drones against evolving cyber threats.
The software powering drones is continuously updated, with the latest version, “Firmware 1001,” allowing DJI quadcopters to operate effectively in the warzone. In just two years, the firmware has undergone over 40 versions, with each update potentially introducing malware that could compromise the drones. However, Periphery’s advanced technology is designed to protect against such vulnerabilities.
Toby Wilmington, the co-founder and CEO of Periphery, explained the company’s solution: “We provide an easy-to-install, military-grade, lightweight software agent that can be embedded either during or after production.” This software is capable of monitoring, understanding, and adapting to new and emerging threats in real time by communicating with central servers.
Periphery’s proprietary machine learning models are key to the software’s effectiveness. According to Wilmington, the technology “detects suspicious or confirmed malicious activity within a device” by comparing its behavior to established patterns of normal activity. If anomalies are detected, such as changes in the system like a new payload, they could signal the presence of malware. In such cases, the drone might exhibit unexpected behavior or, in the worst case, crash.
With this technology, Periphery aims to provide a crucial layer of defense, helping Ukrainian drones remain operational and secure in the face of growing cyber warfare threats.
