US drones hacked by Iraqi insurgents

• $26 (£16) software let militants view potential targets
• American official says flaw was identified and fixed

nsurgents in Iraq used software such as Skygrabber to hack into American drones. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty

One of America’s most sophisticated weapons in the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the unmanned drone, has been successfully penetrated by insurgents using software available on the internet for $26 (£16).

Insurgents in Iraq intercepted live video feeds from the drones being relayed back to a US controller and revealing potential targets. A US official said the flaw was identified and fixed in the past 12 months.

The problem only came to light after the US found many hours’ worth of videotaped recordings on militant laptops late last year and earlier this year.

The insurgents used software programmes such as Skygrabber, developed by a Russian company and originally intended to download music and videos from the internet.

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