Tech Desk
Aug 11, 2024
Imagine being on a commercial flight when suddenly, the plane's clocks start behaving erratically, jumping forward years in a matter of seconds. This isn't science fiction; it's a real-life scenario that's been happening due to a surge in GPS spoofing incidents.
What is GPS spoofing?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) spoofing is a form of digital attack where the ground-based systems start to broadcast incorrect GPS signals, these signals result in confusing the aircraft and potentially sending them off course.
What’s happening?
In the last two years, incidents of GPS spoofing have increased 400% and have hit commercial airliners. Many of these involve illicit ground-based GPS systems, particularly around conflict zones, constructed to confuse incoming drones or missiles.
However, these systems are also affecting commercial airlines, causing unexpected problems.
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During a presentation at the DEF CON hacking convention, Pen Test Partners, a British cybersecurity firm, founder Ken Munro said, "We're starting to see reports of the clocks on board aeroplanes during spoofing events start to do weird things."
In another incident, the onboard clocks of an aircraft operated by one of the largest Western airlines suddenly jumped years into the future time, hence losing access to its digitally encrypted communication systems.
The plane was grounded for weeks while engineers reset its onboard systems manually.
The consequences of GPS spoofing can be severe. "What it does is it just creates a little confusion, and you run the risk of starting what we call a cascade of events, where something minor happens, something else minor happens, and then something serious happens," Munro explained.
In April, Finnair briefly suspended flights to the eastern Estonian city of Tartu because of GPS spoofing, which Tallin blamed on neighbouring Russia.
However, as GPS spoofing incidents become increasingly frequent, this is what airlines and aviation authorities should be taking care of in order not to fall prey to these attacks; otherwise, the consequences can be cataclysmic.
