CISA sought to conduct cybersecurity assessment on Chinese consumer drones

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has been urged by a bipartisan group of 16 senators led by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to reevaluate the cybersecurity risks of consumer drones manufactured by Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Such a review is crucial as DJI, which held nearly 90% of the North American consumer drone market and almost 70% of the industrial drone segment in 2021, has been alleged of having a deep connection with the Chinese Communist Party and could present a risk to U.S. critical infrastructure, the senators wrote in a letter to CISA Director Jen Easterly. "[T]he widespread use of DJI drones to inspect critical infrastructure allows the CCP to develop a richly detailed, regularly updated picture of our nations pipelines, railways, power generation facilities, and waterways. This sensitive information on the layout, operation, and maintenance of U.S. critical infrastructure could better enable targeting efforts in the event of conflict," wrote the senators.