The threat of ``attacks on critical infrastructure'' by drones has now begun to become a reality

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It was July 2020 when a drone attempted to approach a power substation in Pennsylvania. The drone, a DJI Mavic 2, had two four-foot nylon ropes hanging from its rotors, with thick wires taped to the ends with electrical tape. The drone had no camera or memory card, stripped of all possible identifiers for its owner one day when an AI would "operate" the lethal drone. It clearly showed the owner's efforts to keep his identity hidden. According to a security report jointly released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the act was intended to "short-circuit power lines and substations. It is highly likely that it was to interfere with driving. The drone crashed onto the roof of an adjacent building before reaching its "target", the rotors being damaged on impact. The identity of the pilot has not yet been released. The incident was first reported by ABC. According to the report, this is the first time a modified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS) has been used in an offensive operation "clearly targeted" against the U.S. power infrastructure. And this is unlikely to be the last. When asked for comment, a DHS spokesperson said the department's policy "is shared regularly with federal, state, local, indigenous land and territory officials to ensure the safety and security of all communities across the country. We will ensure the

Rising Incidents of Drones

On the potential for commercial drones to cause disaster, the availability and high performance of commercial drones give criminals an opportunity to commit crimes. Experts have been warning us for at least six years. In 2018, drones loaded with explosives were used in an assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Mass-produced drones are also used by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for both reconnaissance and attack purposes. The incident in Pennsylvania highlights the escalation of drone use in the United States to serious levels. Similar incidents have happened in the United States in the past. In addition to the 2015 incident in which a drone crashed onto the lawn of the White House grounds, there has been a recent surge in drone sightings near airports and other critical facilities, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to Being chased by correspondence. Intrusions like this used to be dismissed as accidental events, but that is no longer the case. "I'm surprised it took so long [to become a problem]," says Colin Clarke, director of policy and research at Soufan Group, an information and security consulting firm. “If someone who knows how to use drones even a little bit gets their hands on some crude explosives and crashes them somewhere, it could spell disaster.”