Cybersecurity Veteran Mikko Hypponen Joins Finland's Sensofusion to Build Anti-Drone Systems

Veteran cybersecurity expert Mikko Hypponen has shifted his focus from combating malware to tackling emerging drone threats after more than three decades in the field. The move reflects growing concerns over the role of unmanned aerial systems in modern conflicts and security challenges.

Speaking at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, Hypponen described cybersecurity as an often invisible profession, where success goes unnoticed while failures are highly visible. He noted that when systems function securely, the absence of incidents makes it difficult to measure or recognise achievements.

Hypponen began his career in the late 1980s, a time when cyber threats were largely limited to viruses and trojans spread via floppy disks. Over the years, he has analysed thousands of malware samples and witnessed the transformation of cyber threats into highly organised, financially motivated operations.

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He played a key role in investigating major global cyber incidents, including the ILOVEYOU virus outbreak, as well as the WannaCry ransomware attack and the NotPetya attack. These events marked significant turning points in the evolution of cybersecurity, demonstrating the scale and sophistication of modern digital threats.

In recent years, Hypponen believes traditional malware risks have become more controlled, particularly as modern devices like smartphones are increasingly difficult to exploit. However, he has identified drone technology as a new frontier of vulnerability, especially in the context of warfare and surveillance.

In 2025, Hypponen joined Sensofusion, focusing on developing systems to detect, track, and disrupt drones by analysing radio signals and control frequencies. Drawing from lessons in cybersecurity, he emphasised that the battle between attackers and defenders remains constant, with evolving threats now extending beyond digital networks into the physical domain.

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