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Security·2 min read

Quantum Systems drones fly again after QBase malware scare

Germany's military grounded its Quantum Systems drones after malware reportedly slipped into an update for the QBase control software. The fleet is now flying again.

A military reconnaissance drone flying over a field at dusk, with a ground operator's control station in the foreground.
Image: theregister
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Germany's armed forces grounded their Quantum Systems drones as a precaution after a cyberattack on the manufacturer. Now the Bundeswehr has let them fly again, the company says.

Quantum Systems says it spotted the attack at the end of October and reported it to the authorities. It has shared very little about the intrusion itself. On Thursday it said its IT and security teams contained the threat, working closely with the authorities, and that there is no risk for end users or operators of its unmanned systems.

What happened with QBase?

According to Der Spiegel, which cited unnamed sources, malware was found in an update to QBase, the company's ground-control software. QBase is what operators use to plan missions, monitor flights and process data from the ground. The malicious update reportedly reached servers belonging to the Bundeswehr and other customers, but did not directly infect the drones.

Quantum Systems told Reuters that the fleet is operating normally worldwide, including in Germany. It also said the Bundeswehr was the only customer to ground its systems as a precaution. A spokesperson for Germany's defence ministry declined to comment on the attack or the reported details.

Why a drone maker is a target

The company, founded in 2015, has supplied drones to Ukraine's war effort for years. It says other players in the European defence industry, and those backing Ukraine's military, have faced persistent cyberattacks for years.

The timing is awkward. Last month Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced funding for "several tens of thousands" of the company's interceptor drones as part of Germany's winter aid package. They are to be built in Ukraine and support interceptor systems already used on the front lines. In July, Quantum Systems announced a $1.2 billion Series D round that values it at around $8 billion.

The company has not said how the malicious update got into its software or who was behind it.

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Tags:quantum systemsbundeswehrdronesqbasemalwarecyberattack

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