Over the past few years commercial airliners have reported a spike in dangerous GPS attacks.
For example, last September, multiple commercial flights flew off their intended path while traveling in the skies above the Middle East.
The plans went off-path because their navigation systems failed.
It started when the plans received fake GPS signals designed to trick the aircraft’s planning systems.
In one incident, a commercial airliner almost flew into Iranian airspace without permission.
According to reports from pilots, the GPS attacks have occurred near Baghdad, Cairo, and Tel Aviv.
It’s estimated there have been over 50 GPS attacks in the region.
While GPS attacks are not new, an aviation expert said it exposes a “fundamental flaw in avionics design.”
The problem is the GPS attacks interfere with the Inertial Reference System.
This is a part of the plane that uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, and other high-tech equipment.
Once the GPS on the aircraft is compromised the pilots are essentially “positionally blind,” and have no idea where they are.
So, they have to ask air traffic controllers for their position.
It’s getting so bad that an expert in GPS signals said that spoofing is the new jamming.
Instead of simply denying a signal, bad actors would rather spoof the signal because it’s more effective and the target often doesn’t even know it’s occurring.
In some cases, the pilots of the planes realized something was amiss.
But the only way they could stay on course was to depend on air traffic controllers to guide them to their destination.
So, who is behind the GPS attacks in the Middle East?
Iran…
Experts used low orbit spacecraft to detect that the GPS attacks were coming from Tehran.
In addition, since the October attack against Israel, the Israelis have used GPS spoofing to prevent further attacks.
But the scary thing is that planes are not the only target of these GPS attacks.
The same could happen to ships and other forms of transportation… and even your smartphone.
You see, smartphones depend on GPS as well.
Meaning they could fall victim to this type of spoofing and hacking.
So, here are a few things to keep in mind if you fall victim to a GPS attack.
Switch to low-battery mode:
If you are concerned about a GPS attack you should switch your device to “low-battery mode.”
When in this mode some devices don’t use GPS for navigation.
Instead, they depend on Wi-Fi networks and cell towers to determine their location.
On one hand, you won’t have a precise location for the device since it’s not using a satellite.
Yet, the location gained from the Wi-Fi and cell towers would be more reliable during a GPS attack.
Track your route and speed:
Most times the victim of a GPS attack doesn’t even know it’s happening.
Yet, one of the easiest ways to tell is if you look at your location and the device is all over the place.
For instance, if you are at work but your smartphone location is bouncing all over it could be a GPS attack.
Watch for sudden changes in your GPS location.
In addition, if you are sitting still and your GPS location is moving at an unrealistic pace it could be a sign of a problem.
Protect antennas:
GPS attacks are often radio-based.
Like in the case of airplanes, GPS attacks can target different navigation systems including radio antennas.
If you use a satellite phone or any device that uses an antenna you want to make sure the antenna is not seen by the public.
In other words, if you have an antenna on your house, it should be placed somewhere that no one can see or access it.
Another thing you can do is to install a blocking antenna.
These are antennas that are designed to block signals that cause interference.
The truth is, these days, Americans use GPS for everything from smartphones to watches.
But it’s a convenience we all should plan and prepare to be without in the event it gets hacked, or the grid goes down.
Because the way things are going, one of those two things will undoubtedly happen.
Which means, you need a “bulletproof plan” for either of those scenarios.
