Drones are now critical assets across digital construction, demanding robust cybersecurity to ensure operational safety and data integrity.
Researchers at University of Adelaide have initiated the development of a cybersecurity system designed to protect drones from evolving cyber threats. The study, led by the Industrial AI Research Centre and published in Computers and Industrial Engineering, focuses on improving resilience across unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
In digital construction workflows, drones support infrastructure inspections, site monitoring, surveying, and asset management. However, their reliance on continuous data exchange introduces vulnerabilities. Senior author Javaan Chahl explains: “Today’s drones are used in warfare, for emergency response, infrastructure inspections, agriculture, environmental monitoring, logistics and even medical deliveries.”
He adds: “They collect large amounts of data, process it onboard, and communicate continuously with operators or cloud-based systems. While this makes drones powerful and versatile, it also makes them vulnerable.”
SD-WAN architecture for secure drone communications
The research introduces a Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) architecture tailored for drone cybersecurity. This approach enables drones to maintain secure, multi-channel communication using mobile networks, Wi-Fi, and radio links.
Rather than relying on a single connection, SD-WAN dynamically routes data across multiple pathways. If one channel is compromised by hacking or signal disruption, the system automatically switches to an alternative route. This capability is critical for construction drone operations where uptime, data accuracy, and connectivity are essential.
Onboard cybersecurity: firewalls and malware sandboxing
A key innovation is the integration of an onboard next-generation firewall. Unlike traditional approaches that depend on remote infrastructure, this firewall operates directly within the drone, monitoring and filtering data traffic in real time.
The system also incorporates malware sandboxing, a cybersecurity technique widely used in enterprise IT environments. Suspicious files are isolated and analysed in a controlled environment, preventing malicious code from affecting core systems.
First author Tom Scully highlights the real-world risks: “A cyber-attack can interfere with flight controls, disrupt communications, expose sensitive data, and even cause a physical accident.”
Implications for digital construction and infrastructure projects
As construction firms expand their use of drones for digital twins, site analytics, and automated inspections, cybersecurity becomes a project-critical requirement. Many existing drone platforms still rely on unencrypted communication protocols, leaving them exposed to interception, data manipulation, and denial-of-service attacks.
This new system addresses these gaps by combining secure communication protocols, real-time threat detection, and resilient network architecture. The researchers have already demonstrated the solution on a drone platform using onboard computing and cloud-based control systems, indicating readiness for real-world deployment.
Future of secure drone operations
Further trials are planned to validate the system under operational conditions, with potential adoption across commercial construction, emergency response, and government sectors.
“Our goal is simple,” Scully says. “As drones become part of everyday life, we need to ensure they are not only smart and autonomous, but also secure, resilient and trustworthy.”
Secure drone systems will underpin reliable digital construction workflows, enabling safer data-driven decisions, protecting infrastructure assets, and ensuring resilient unmanned aerial operations across increasingly complex built environment projects.
Read next: Cyber–physical resilience – Build in Digital
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