Flight track and imagery info...

[DesertWindAero]

Quick question, and sorry if this has been discussed, but I'm on a time crunch for info and am depending on you experts!

I work for a US government agency that has an active UAS program. We were flying DJI products up until recently when we learned that flight track and imagery info was being sent back to "home country" servers...

Do Yuneec products do the same thing? Or, is all flight/imagery info retained on a "local" basis...?

Thanks in advance for the info!

 

[THoff]

The TH and ST16 don't need a Internet connection. The ST16 can connect to a WiFi network, but that is optional and only necessary if you want to view maps for planning / reviewing flights.

 

[DesertWindAero]

The TH and ST16 don't need a Internet connection. The ST16 can connect to a WiFi network, but that is optional and only necessary if you want to view maps for planning / reviewing flights.

Thanks for the speedy response!!

 

[Rayray]

I am not a current security expert, and you need to direct your question to Yuneec USA for an official answer.

However, the Typhoon H uses its own stand-alone controller, which does not need to be connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi), unlike many drones which use cell phones or tablets as part of their control. Therefore the Typhoon H can be considered a secure system.

 

[DesertWindAero]

I am not a current security expert, and you need to direct your question to Yuneec USA for an official answer.

However, the Typhoon H uses its own stand-alone controller, which does not need to be connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi), unlike many drones which use cell phones or tablets as part of their control. Therefore the Typhoon H can be considered a secure system.

Ray, thanks for your post, caution, and reasonable suggestion.

I do have a call in to Yuneec corporate in CA to validate the info but so far no call back.

 

[Steve Carr]

Ray, thanks for your post, caution, and reasonable suggestion.

I do have a call in to Yuneec corporate in CA to validate the info but so far no call back.

I suggest you call again. They aren't always good about returning calls. You might ask to speak with Ryan Borders considering the nature of your question.
I would add, however, that no information goes to Yuneec unless you download it from the ST16 and send it to them.

 

[DesertWindAero]

I suggest you call again. They aren't always good about returning calls. You might ask to speak with Ryan Borders considering the nature of your question.
I would add, however, that no information goes to Yuneec unless you download it from the ST16 and send it to them.

Thanks. Yeah, I fell for that "Please press 1 if you want someone to call you back" trick rather than hanging on.

I'll try again, thanks.

 

[THoff]

I would add, however, that no information goes to Yuneec unless you download it from the ST16 and send it to them.

That may well be true, but none of us know that. The ST16 is based on Android with customized firmware, and none of us know what it transmits if you allow it to connect to the Internet.

If you want to avoid transmitting any diagnostics or sensitive information, don't allow it to connect to the Internet and perform firmware updates using a SD card instead of OTA (Over The Air). The downside to this is that you won't see map information unless you let Google Maps or Flight Log Viewer cache that information while you have a Internet connection. A possible workaround to that would be doing a Factory Reset to delete all user and flight data, connect to the Internet, browse the area you want to fly in using Google Maps on ST16. You'll also have to rebind the TH and camera afterwards.

 

[DesertWindAero]

That may well be true, but none of us know that. The ST16 is based on Android with customized firmware, and none of us know what it transmits if you allow it to connect to the Internet.

If you want to avoid transmitting any diagnostics or sensitive information, don't allow it to connect to the Internet and perform firmware updates using a SD card instead of OTA (Over The Air). The downside to this is that you won't see map information unless you let Google Maps or Flight Log Viewer cache that information while you have a Internet connection. A possible workaround to that would be doing a Factory Reset to delete all user and flight data, connect to the Internet, browse the area you want to fly in using Google Maps on ST16. You'll also have to rebind the TH and camera afterwards.

THoff, you are coming very close to what some of our tech dudes came up with as a "prophylactic" measure to ensure no data leakage. Good job...

 

[gwhuntoon]

Interesting article from the New York Times on this very subject.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/world/asia/dji-drones-china.html?_r=0
DJI claims they have no way of seeing video or images from drones.

"DJI also sells drones in the United States. Mr. Najberg said DJI did not have a way to see video or images from drones beyond those that users upload themselves via a company social-media app. He also said that the company’s phone app uploads flight data to its servers, though consumers can use third-party apps that do not."

 

[Tuna]

I'd be fairly confident Yuneec transmits no information 'back to base' as they provide no log management or mapping tools 'in the cloud' - and in writing apps for the ST-16 I've not found much evidence of any intent to do so.

However, your device (like any Android or iOS device) is uniquely identifiable, and any map query will identify where you are and where you're looking at. If security is an outright requirement, you can't use any public mapping service at any time, and nor should you connect to the internet. This is not a 'hardened device' and whether or not Yuneec are malicious, it is still possible for it to be compromised if someone was determined to do so. WiFi sniffers, your cell records and so on all reveal what you are doing and where - and when you're flying, the drone (like any other consumer drone) is broadcasting full telemetry and video to any device within a mile or two that cares to listen.

I would be very wary of any 'non professional' attempts at securing a consumer drone. There are numerous ways to compromise them, so unless you really know what you're doing, you're just giving yourself a false sense of security.