California scientists 'FlyTrap attack' on DJI drones demonstrated — patterned umbrellas lure autonomous drones close enough to be captured or even induced to crash

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have developed the FlyTrap attack, a method to capture or induce crashes in DJI drones using patterned umbrellas. The attack exploits deficiencies in Autonomous Target Tracking systems and can be easily deployed by anyone. The FlyTrap patterns lure autonomous drones closer by manipulating their neural network tracking systems. This attack was demonstrated in a field test and has shown to be more effective than previous adversarial-ML techniques. The researchers emphasize the need for security improvements in autonomous target-tracking systems to prevent potential risks in critical infrastructure.