Kaspersky launches Antidrone software, a solution to keep drones away

Kaspersky has launched a new solution, designed to help organizations and property owners defend themselves against the unauthorized entry of civilian drones. With the help of many sensors and a new drone detection approach, developed by the company using laser scanning and automated learning technologies, Kaspersky Antidrone can automatically locate, identify and prohibit unmanned aircraft from entering restricted areas. All this is done without damaging the devices.

In 2018, the global drone market has been estimated at USD 14 billion and is expected to reach USD 43 billion by 2024. Growth is driven by potential opportunities and positive changes like the use of unmanned aerial vehicles that can be used for different tasks, from delivering goods and inspecting potential mining sites or construction sites, to entertainment purposes.

Mass adoption of this groundbreaking technology, however, could be affected by the negative connotations often associated with drones. Specifically, a recent UK study found that only 31 percent of respondents say they have a positive perception of drones. The perception is largely determined by cases of improper or illegal use of unmanned flight devices. They can be used for espionage purposes, injure people, collapse, damage critical infrastructure, including nuclear power plants, or disrupt the normal operations of an airport, such as the runway of the British airport in London, Gatwick, that was shut down by drones.

For these reasons, it is important to build and maintain trust in technology, ensuring that it does not present a risk in terms of confidentiality and security. To help ensure the safe use of unmanned aircraft systems, reduce associated risks and increase operator responsibility, Kaspersky has developed its own anti-drone solution.

Kaspersky Antidrone software coordinates the activity of several hardware modules provided by partners and distinguishes drones from other objects. The main detection module looks for drones using video cameras and radar, LIDAR and audio sensors – depending on the needs of customers and the environment. The use of a laser scanner to determine the position of the drone is unique to the Kaspersky solution and has not been yet used in this field.

When a moving object is detected in the sky, its coordinates are transmitted to a specialized server, which then sends them to a special unit. According to the data in the detection module, this unit rotates to the object, locates it and then the camera locks on it. At the same time, a neural network, trained to identify drones from other moving elements, analyzes the object in the image. If it turns out to be a drone, the server sends the command to the dedicated module to block communication between the device and its controller. As a result, the drone either flies back to where it took off, or lands where it lost its signal to the controller. This means that the device will not be damaged as there is no physical contact or attack on the drone.

“Many members of the Kaspersky Antidrone team, including myself, have a long experience as drone pilots,” says Vladimir Turov, project owner Kaspersky Antidrone. “Unmanned aircraft can sometimes be a real danger. For example, I witnessed some risky situations during public events. Clearly, this raises some doubts about the use of that technology. Unfortunately, as a drone pilot, you often do not know what spaces are forbidden, so when the drone is unexpectedly crushed or physically attacked with hostile protection measures, it is very frustrating. That is why, during the development of our product, we took into account the interests of the drone enthusiasts, as well as the safety requirements and concerns. This has helped us develop a way to ensure that drones do not enter prohibited areas without damaging them. ”

The software can be delivered as a standalone solution within third-party hardware, in the mobile version (for example, for use on the off-road car hood), or integrated with other monitoring systems, including smart home infrastructure.