Security Precautions and Best Practices

In order to maintain control of personal or mission critical information, there are some precautions and best practices that can be used. This information is being included in our documentation as part of our DIU Blue Certification.

WiFi

WiFi can allow an attacker to remotely access the Alta X. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Downloading Flight Logs

• Collecting live telemetry

• Uploading and Downloading Missions

• Controlling the aircraft.

Consider a user with WiFi access to have physical access to the aircraft.

By default, WiFi is not enabled on Alta X. WiFi is permanently disabled on Alta X Blue.

Alta X ships with a default password for all aircraft. If you must use WiFi, it is imperative to change the password immediately

Even with a secure password, a sophisticated attacker could still bypass the WiFi encryption, so do not leave WiFi enabled for longer than necessary.

FRX Pro

While the radio link is encrypted, anybody with the ground radio can be considered to have physical access to the aircraft, and all of the above precautions apply.

Dataflash Logs

By default, Alta X records flight logs(from arm to disarm) to internal storage. These logs include information such as:

• Flight path

• Time of flight

• Takeoff location

• Automated mission information (waypoints)

These logs can be pulled from the aircraft if you have physical access, without any user authentication.

One option to limit exposure is to frequently back up and remove logs from the aircraft.

Logging can also be completely disabled by setting the following 2 parameters:

• SDLOG_MISSION: 0

• SDLOG_MODE: -1

Note: Freefly Systems uses dataflash logs to diagnose Alta X issues. Disabling logging may increase turnaround time for technical support and in some instances, prevent RMAs from being issued.

System Compromisation

Freefly Systems recommends keeping Alta X physically secure at all times. If you suspect that the aircraft has been compromised, please consult these links to flash the latest firmware and reset the aircraft to factory defaults.

Freefly Systems utilizes signed and encrypted firmware packages. The firmware of the flight controller cannot be modified without erasing all of the firmware, and Freefly firmware cannot be loaded if the flight controller has been tampered with.

If you suspect the aircraft has been compromised, you can also send your aircraft to Freefly Systems for service, although standard service fees apply.