You Know What They Say About Plugging in a Captured Drone ...  Russians Capture Ukrainian Drones Which Infect Their Systems With Malware

Ukrainian Drone-Embedded Malware
The malware threats mentioned in the video are relatively minor, as they primarily affect the drone itself or the computer it connects to rather than targeting an entire network. Tthe variants of malware on the Ukrainian drones are "burning out the USB port, preventing reflashing, or hijacking the repurposed FPV and revealing the operator location."

The inclusion of malware is significant, as both sides are rapidly competing for an edge in drone domain. The emerging threat of Ukrainian drone-borne malware infecting Russian computers could force Russia to implement new safety precautions to protect their systems. These measures would hinder Russian updates to their counter-drone technology which requires extensively studying the internal working of an enemy drone to find its vulnerabilities. As such, this would extend the timeframe that Ukrainian forces could effectively use a drone before it becomes obsolete due to Russian counter-drone technology.

The malware also appears to be designed to prevent Russia from repurposing captured drones, as one reported variant blocks the drone’s hard drive from being reimaged. Even if reimaging is possible, another reported variant allows Ukrainian forces to hijack the repurposed drone and potentially locate its new operator.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vikrammittal/2025/04/02/russians-capture-ukrainian-drones-which-infect-their-systems-with-malware/