How secure is my data on Skydio Cloud?

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  1. Skydio
  2. Skydio Cloud
  3. Getting Started Skydio Cloud

Skydio plays a vital role in supporting first responders, law enforcement, civil agencies, and surveying and inspection professionals, organizations that depend on maintaining a high level of cybersecurity. We believe it is important to offer the same high-level data protection as the other systems in your enterprise computing infrastructure. Skydio is dedicated to ensuring that your flight communication link, telemetry data, downlink, and media uplink are secure. The Ground Control System (GCS), comprised of an application on your mobile device or the Enterprise Controller, is paired with your Skydio drone using a secure, WPA2 AES 128-bit data encrypted communication to ensure secure telemetry, payload, video, and audio transmission during the downlink and uplink.

Skydio Cloud utilizes AWS - U.S. Region cloud infrastructure to meet the highest level of security compliance. In addition, your network name Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs) do not identify the specific make and model of the drone or Skydio, ensuring that no identifying information is available. Skydio supports the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol when syncing with Skydio Cloud, as well as a unique six-digit code login authentication. 

SOC (System and Organization Controls) 2 Type II Certification - Skydio Cloud prioritized data security and privacy for our company and our customers. Compliance with SOC 2 requirements indicates that our organization maintains a high level of information security, based on standards set forth by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and an audit conducted by Geels Norton LLC.

Cybersecurity Best Practices

An important part of managing risk when operating your Skydio drone is understanding the steps involved and potential vulnerabilities introduced during the installation and use of software and firmware. Skydio recommends that you consider and evaluate the following cybersecurity best practices when managing the software and firmware associated with your Skydio drone and third-party applications. Properly verify and securely conduct all interactions with Skydio and any third-party applications. Only download software from properly authenticated and secured websites, and ensure app store hosts verify mobile applications:

  • Ensure that the devices used for the download and installation of software and firmware do not access your enterprise network.
  • Access these websites or app stores from a computer not connected to your enterprise network or architecture.
  • Ensure security management for mobile devices that will be directly or wirelessly connected to your Skydio drone.
  • Ensure file integrity monitoring processes are in place before downloading or installing files. Check whether individual downloads or installation files have a hash value or checksum. After downloading an executable file, compare the hash value or checksum of the installation file against the value listed on the download page to ensure they match.
  • Run all downloaded files through an up-to-date antivirus platform before installation and ensure the platform remains enabled throughout the installation.
  • Verify a firewall on the computer or mobile device is enabled to check for potentially malicious inbound and outbound traffic caused by the recently installed software.
  • External network communications could be part of the installation process and potentially expose your system to unknown data privacy risks.
  • During installation, do not follow the default install options. Instead, go through each screen manually and consider installing software on a removable device (external HDD or USB drive).
  • Deselect any additional features or freeware bundled into the default install package.
  • Disable automatic software updates. Necessary updates should follow the same process outlined for download and installation.
  • Thoroughly review any license agreements prior to approval. Consider involving a legal team in the process to ensure organizations do not unknowingly agree to unsafe or hazardous practices on the part of the vendor.

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