A farm-use drone sprays pesticides at wheat fields to control diseases in Mengcheng county, East China"s Anhui Province, on April 29, 2026. Mengcheng county government recently deployed nearly 1,000 plant protection drones to help local farmers control pests and increase harvest. Photo: VCG

　　Chinese police have intensified a nationwide crackdown on the illegal hacking of drone flight control systems, as the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Monday released 10 typical cases involving suspects illegally hacking drone flight control systems to bypass no-fly zones, altitude limits, and other safety restrictions, seriously disrupting airspace order and posing risks to public and national security, with some cases potentially involving the leakage of state secrets.

　　In recent years, unauthorized "black flights" by drones with hacked flight control systems seriously disrupt airspace order and pose potential risks to public and national security, according to a post published on the official WeChat account of the ministry"s cybersecurity department.

　　The MPS said that providing unauthorized services for drone owners to remove no-fly zones, altitude limits, and other restrictions, and evading regulatory oversight, is an illegal and criminal act, per the post.

　　Drones with their altitude limits removed may intrude into civil aviation routes, increasing the risk of collisions and potentially causing serious consequences. Drones with their no-fly zone restrictions hacked may fly into restricted areas such as military management zones, potentially leading to the leakage of state secrets. Drones with their performance parameters such as payload capacity altered are extremely prone to losing control and crashing during flight, directly endangering the safety of the people"s lives and property, according to the MPS.