This summer, a radio navigation research team from The University of Texas at Austin set out to discover whether they could subtly coerce a 213-foot yacht off its course, using a custom-made GPS device.
Led by assistant professor Todd Humphreys of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the Cockrell School of Engineering, the team was able to successfully spoof an $80 million private yacht using the world’s first openly acknowledged GPS spoofing device. Spoofing is a technique that creates false civil GPS signals to gain control of a vessel’s GPS receivers. The purpose of the experiment was to measure the difficulty of carrying out a spoofing attack at sea and to determine how easily sensors in the ship’s command room could identify the threat.
The researchers hope their demonstration will shed light on the perils of navigation attacks, serving as evidence that spoofing is a serious threat to marine vessels and other forms of transportation. Last year, Humphreys and a group of students led the first public capture of a GPS-guided unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, using a GPS device created by Humphreys and his students.
“With 90 percent of the world’s freight moving across the seas and a great deal of the world’s human transportation going across the skies, we have to gain a better understanding of the broader implications of GPS spoofing,” Humphreys said. “I didn’t know, until we performed this experiment, just how possible it is to spoof a marine vessel and how difficult it is to detect this attack.”
In June, the team was invited aboard the yacht, called the White Rose of Drachs, while it traveled from Monaco to Rhodes, Greece, on the Mediterranean Sea. The experiment took place about 30 miles off the coast of Italy as the yacht sailed in international waters.
From the White Rose’s upper deck, graduate students Jahshan Bhatti and Ken Pesyna broadcasted a faint ensemble of civil GPS signals from their spoofing device — a blue box about the size of a briefcase — toward the ship’s two GPS antennas. The team’s counterfeit signals slowly overpowered the authentic GPS signals until they ultimately obtained control of the ship’s navigation system.
Unlike GPS signal blocking or jamming, spoofing triggers no alarms on the ship’s navigation equipment. To the ship’s GPS devices, the team’s false signals were indistinguishable from authentic signals, allowing the spoofing attack to happen covertly.
Once control of the ship’s navigation system was gained, the team’s strategy was to coerce the ship onto a new course using subtle maneuvers that positioned the yacht a few degrees off its original course. Once a location discrepancy was reported by the ship’s navigation system, the crew initiated a course correction. In reality, each course correction was setting the ship slightly off its course line. Inside the yacht’s command room, an electronic chart showed its progress along a fixed line, but in its wake there was a pronounced curve showing that the ship had turned.
“The ship actually turned and we could all feel it, but the chart display and the crew saw only a straight line,” Humphreys said.
The Latest Bing News on:
GPS spoofing
- Xona Space Systems closes $19M Series A to build out ultra-accurate GPS alternativeon May 8, 2024 at 10:56 am
For decades, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has maintained a de facto monopoly on positioning, navigation and timing, because it’s cheap and already ...
- Cyber warfare: GPS disruptions in the Baltic challenge global securityon May 6, 2024 at 3:06 am
The escalating incidents of GPS disruptions in the Baltic Sea region, primarily attributed to jamming and spoofing activities originating from Russian territories, represent a significant concern not ...
- Explained: How GPS Interference Affects Aircraft & Why Military Powers Use Iton May 5, 2024 at 1:45 pm
A spike in GPS attacks in the European region boarding Russia has affected flights and could be related to military tensions.
- Rise in laser and GPS spoofing attacks on Swiss aircrafton May 3, 2024 at 2:19 am
GPS malfunctions, in particular, saw a large increase over the previous year, according to flight safety statistics.
- What is GPS jamming, a growing concern for global aviation?on May 1, 2024 at 6:05 am
Estonia has accused its neighbour Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in the airspace above the Baltic states. There have been reports of a surge in such incidents since last year. Here’s why GPS ...
- Explainer: What is GPS jamming and why is it a problem for aviation?on May 1, 2024 at 12:00 am
Estonia has accused neighbouring Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in airspace above the Baltic states, echoing concerns from airlines that say they have been contending with such interference ...
- What is GPS jamming and why it is a problem for aviation?on April 30, 2024 at 9:59 pm
WHAT IS GPS JAMMING AND SPOOFING? GPS, short for Global Positioning System, is a network of satellites and receiving devices used for positioning, navigation and timing on Earth in everything from ...
- Shift5 launches GPS integrity moduleon April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
With real-time access and analysis of onboard data, the module assesses changes in navigational position through multi-faceted anomaly detection methods, which alert operators to GPS spoofing attacks ...
- The Dangerous Rise of GPS Attackson April 30, 2024 at 10:16 am
Thousands of planes and ships are facing GPS jamming and spoofing. Experts warn these attacks could potentially impact critical infrastructure, communication networks, and more.
- Luxair Outlines Measures Taken in Response to GPS Spoofingon April 30, 2024 at 5:41 am
Luxair added that it has responded by " swiftly " implementing flight procedures recommended by the aircraft manufacturers to mitigate any associated risks. These measures include the utilisation of ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
GPS spoofing
[google_news title=”” keyword=”GPS spoofing” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
GPS spoofing device
- How electronic warfare is affecting civilians and aviationon May 4, 2024 at 4:39 am
About 36,000 feet in the air en route from Doha to Madrid, pilot Víctor Alegre heard GPS alert him he was 1,800 feet from the ground. He knew this was an error.
- What is GPS jamming and why it is a problem for aviation?on May 1, 2024 at 7:01 pm
GPS jamming uses a frequency transmitting device to block or interfere with radio communications, usually by broadcasting signals from the ground that are stronger than satellite-based signals.
- Russia accused of meddling in the GPS systems of Baltic Sea countrieson May 1, 2024 at 9:37 am
Russia is being accused of jamming GPS signals across northern Europe, putting airlines on alert to possible flight disruptions. The rising frequency of these incidents is also shining a spotlight ...
- What is GPS jamming, a growing concern for global aviation?on May 1, 2024 at 6:05 am
Estonia has accused its neighbour Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in the airspace above the Baltic states. There have been reports of a surge in such incidents since last year. Here’s why GPS ...
- Explainer: What is GPS jamming and why is it a problem for aviation?on May 1, 2024 at 12:00 am
Estonia has accused neighbouring Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in airspace above the Baltic states, echoing concerns from airlines that say they have been contending with such interference ...
- What is GPS jamming and why is it a problem for aviation?on April 30, 2024 at 8:38 am
WHAT IS GPS JAMMING AND SPOOFING? GPS, short for Global Positioning System, is a network of satellites and receiving devices used for positioning, navigation and timing on Earth in everything from ...
- What Is GPS Jamming and Why Is It a Problem for Aviation?on April 30, 2024 at 4:36 am
Most major airports have a variety of navigation tools available if GPS isn't working, he said. And given the diverse nature of jamming and spoofing devices, it's difficult for the airline sector ...
- Pokemon GO Hacks For iOS 17 & Android – 2024 [NEW]on April 29, 2024 at 2:05 pm
Welcome to the ultimate guide on Pokemon Go hacks for iOS 17 and Android users in 2024. With advancements in mobile technology, the potential for enhancing your gaming experience and gaining an edge ...
- Israel ‘spoofs’ GPS signals amid Gaza onslaughton April 25, 2024 at 7:33 am
GPS users in countries like Jordan ... which blocks signals within a certain range, and spoofing, which broadcasts false signals to deceive the device about its location. The practice, which ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
GPS spoofing device
[google_news title=”” keyword=”GPS spoofing device” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]