Damn Vulnerable Drone is a deliberately vulnerable drone hacking simulator based on the popular ArduPilot/MAVLink architecture, providing a realistic environment for practical drone hacking.
Damn Vulnerable Drone is a virtual simulation environment designed for offensive security professionals to safely learn and practice drone hacking techniques. It simulates real-world ArduPilot and MAVLink drone architectures and vulnerabilities , providing hands-on experience in exploiting drone systems.
Damn Vulnerable Drone is designed to enhance offensive security skills in a controlled environment, making it a valuable tool for mid-level security professionals, penetration testers, and hacking enthusiasts.
Similar to how pilots utilize flight simulators for training, we can use the Damn Vulnerable Drone simulator to gain insight into real-world drone systems, understand their vulnerabilities, and learn effective methods to exploit them.
The Damn Vulnerable Drone platform is open source, freely available, and specifically designed to address the significant expenses typically associated with drone hardware, hacking tools, and maintenance. Its free nature enables users to fully commit to drone hacking without worrying about financial issues. This accessibility makes Damn Vulnerable Drone a great resource for those in the information security and penetration testing fields, promoting the development of offensive cybersecurity skills in a secure environment.
The Damn Vulnerable Drone platform operates on the principle of Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) , a simulation technology that allows users to run drone software as if it were executed on an actual drone, replicating real drone behavior and responses.
ArduPilot’s SITL allows the execution of drone firmware in a virtual environment, emulating the behavior of a real drone without the need for physical hardware. This simulation is further enhanced by Gazebo, a dynamic 3D robotics simulator that provides a realistic environment and physics engine for the drone. Together, ArduPilot’s SITL and Gazebo lay the foundation for a sophisticated and realistic drone simulation experience.
While the current “Damn Vulnerable Drone” setup does not reflect every drone architecture or configuration, the integrated strategies, techniques, and scenarios are broadly applicable to a wide variety of drone systems, models, and communication protocols.
- Docker-based environment : Runs in a fully virtualized docker-based setup, making it accessible and safe for drone hacking experiments.
- Simulated Wireless Network : Simulates Wifi (802.11) interfaces for practicing wireless drone attacks.
- Airborne Camera Streaming and Gimbal : Simulate RTSP drone airborne camera streaming through gimbal and companion computer integration.
- Companion Computer Web Interface : Companion computer configuration management via a web interface and simulated serial connection to the flight controller.
- QGroundControl/MAVProxy integration : One-click launch of QGroundControl UI (only supports x86 architecture) and integration of MAVProxy GCS.
- MAVLink Router Integration : Telemetry forwarding via a MAVLink router on the companion computer web interface.
- Dynamic Flight Logging : Fully dynamic Ardupilot flight case logs are stored on an emulated SD card.
- Management Web Console : Easy-to-use simulator management web console for triggering scenarios and drone flight states.
- Comprehensive hacking scenarios : Great for practicing a variety of drone hacking techniques, from basic reconnaissance to advanced exploitation.
- Detailed Walkthroughs : If you need help with hacking a specific scenario, you can take advantage of the detailed walkthrough document as a spoiler.
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