Cyber Security Engineer – Drone/UAV

About the role

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is seeking a Cyber Security Engineer specialized in drones and UAVs for a government‑funded research project. You will protect unmanned aerial systems and their ground infrastructure from cyber threats, ensuring safe and reliable operation.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration testing on drone hardware, firmware, software, and ground control stations.
• Identify and exploit weaknesses in physical components, communication links (RF, Wi‑Fi, cellular) and data storage.
• Analyze wireless protocols (MAVLink, MSP) and prevent jamming, interception, or unauthorized control.
• Collaborate with the drone development team to design secure architectures and recommend hardware enhancements.
• Verify compliance with industry standards, government regulations and safety protocols.
• Stay updated on emerging UAV hacking techniques and apply mitigation strategies.

Required profile

• PhD or Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Proven experience in penetration testing, hardware security or IoT security.
• Strong understanding of networking protocols, Linux fundamentals and web‑application security.
• Hands‑on experience with development boards, testing instruments and RF analysis.

Required skills

• Programming: C, C++, Python, Bash.
• Operating systems: Linux.
• Networking and protocol analysis.
• UAV communication protocols: MAVLink, MSP.
• Autopilot frameworks: PX4, ArduPilot.
• Hardware security, secure boot, tamper‑proofing.
• Penetration testing and vulnerability assessment tools.