Forbes: Ukraine’s Trojan horse drones expose Russian operators after capture, escalating the tech war

Ukrainian forces are now embedding malware in their drones as a new tactic in their ongoing war with Russia, Forbes reports. This development adds a cyber warfare dimension to a battlefield already transformed by drone technology.

Russian forces discovered Ukrainian drones carrying malware, evidence of which appeared in a video shared on social media. According to a Reddit post featuring the video, this malware performs various disruptive functions, including “burning out the USB port, preventing reflashing, or hijacking the repurposed FPV and revealing the operator location.”

“This tactic highlights how Ukraine is leveraging its strong pre-war information technology sector to counter Russia’s advanced military technologies and strong defense industrial base,” writes Forbes defense correspondent Vikram Mittal in his analysis.

The malware serves multiple strategic purposes. It prevents Russian forces from studying captured Ukrainian drones to develop countermeasures, stops them from repurposing captured equipment, and potentially allows Ukrainian forces to track the location of Russian drone operators who attempt to use captured devices.

“By embedding malware into their drones, Ukrainian developers have found a way to disrupt Russian counter-drone efforts without requiring additional physical resources, a critical advantage given Ukraine’s logistical constraints,” Mittal notes.

This innovation could have broader implications for the war.

“If successful, Ukraine may begin integrating malware into other electronic systems to limit Russia’s ability to study or reuse them,” Mittal explains.

The report suggests this development will likely trigger a new technological competition between Ukraine and Russia, similar to the ongoing evolution of drone warfare tactics. Both sides may soon implement increasingly sophisticated malware while simultaneously developing countermeasures, creating an ongoing cycle of attack and defense that adds a new dimension to the battle for drone supremacy.