Security

Securing PX4 for a production vehicle is the integrator's responsibility.

TIP

PX4 is open by default: every PX4 control interface is unauthenticated, unsigned and unencrypted, and any peer that can reach a link can command the vehicle. This is intended!

This section provides links to security documentation for integrators and security researchers.

Integrators

• MAVLink Security Hardening — what an unauthenticated link exposes, and the checklist for a production deployment.
• MAVLink Message Signing — authenticating MAVLink frames, and what signing does not cover.
• Bootloader Secure Boot — verifying firmware at boot, and replacing the committed test key.
• Log Encryption — encrypting flight logs at rest.
• Read-Only Parameters — locking down settings that end users should not change.

Securing the link itself sits below PX4. An encrypted radio, a VPN or IPsec uses standard cryptography and protects every interface at once, including the ones MAVLink signing does not cover.

Security Researchers

• Security Policy — supported versions, how to report a vulnerability, and the rules for AI-assisted findings.
• Security Scope — where PX4's security boundary sits, and what is in scope for a report.