UAS Hack event focuses on cybersecurity and drone technology

ROME — Rome will host the first-ever UAS Hack this summer, a hands-on event that explores the intersection of cybersecurity and drone technology.

Set for Aug. 19-23 at the ORION at NTROPEE facility in Rome, the event is geared toward university-aged students and industry experts in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) landscape. It will foster collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking while addressing cybersecurity challenges. Assured Information Security (AIS) subject-matter experts will provide instruction and curriculum for the event, the company announced in a press release.

“UAS Hack is designed to put students in front of industry professionals and industry-relevant platforms to give them an opportunity to grow their skills and learn more about what a security-related career would be like,” AIS Chief Engineer Eric Thayer said in the release. “During the event, students will be mentored and trained on how to evaluate the security of UAS, identify potential threats, and provide feedback to vendors and manufacturers.”

The event takes place against the backdrop of New Yor’s 50-mile UAS corridor and will feature hands-on challenges for participants to identify vulnerabilities in drone systems and develop effective countermeasures against potential cyberattacks.

The Open-Architecture Resilient IoT for Operational Networks (ORION) ecosystem, spearheaded by the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, AIS, Quanterion Solutions, Griffiss Institute, NYSTEC, and Cisco, are sponsoring the event.

For more information, including how to register as a participant, visit: uashack.org. Participants should be nominated by a professor and enrolled in a computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer security, or UAS design/maintenance college program.