Royal Navy drones found transmitting data to China
The UK Ministry of Defence has discovered a security vulnerability in the Royal Navy’s fleet of K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessels. Investigations revealed that third-party camera modules installed on the drones were containing Chinese-manufactured hardware that transmitted automated “heartbeat communications” to an IP address located in China.
The K3 Scout drones, manufactured by Kraken Technology Group and used by the Royal Marines since March, are 27-foot-long vessels designed for surveillance and force protection. The breach was identified during routine cybersecurity sweeps. In response, the Ministry of Defence ordered an immediate blackout of all external network connections to the affected camera modules across the entire fleet.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence stated that a thorough investigation found “no evidence” of Ministry of Defence data or systems being accessed, compromised, or transmitted externally. The incident has renewed concerns regarding asymmetric supply chain risks and the potential for foreign intelligence services to monitor Western military infrastructure and personnel through embedded hardware.
Entities
China · Kraken Technology Group · Ministry of Defence · Royal Marines · Royal Navy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Ministry of Defence ordered an immediate blackout of all external network connections to the affected camera modules across the fleet. www.ntd.com · www.washingtonexaminer.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Third-party camera modules on Royal Navy K3 Scout drones were found to be transmitting automated heartbeat communications to an IP address in China. www.ntd.com · freerepublic.com · www.washingtonexaminer.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Royal Marines have been operating the K3 Scout fleet since March. freerepublic.com · www.washingtonexaminer.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The K3 Scout is a 27-foot-long uncrewed surface vessel capable of speeds up to 55 knots. www.washingtonexaminer.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] A thorough investigation found no evidence that Ministry of Defence data or systems were accessed, compromised, or transmitted externally. www.ntd.com · www.washingtonexaminer.com