What are GPS jamming and spoofing?

Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, ships and aircraft linked to United States, Israel, and Iran have reported navigation systems malfunctioning, with vessels appearing to be located at airports, on land, or even near nuclear facilities. Experts say these disruptions are likely due to electronic interference such as GPS jamming and spoofing.

Dependence on GNSS

Modern ships and aircraft rely on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) information. The most widely used system is the Global Positioning System (GPS) developed by the United States.

Other GNSS systems include:

• Galileo – Europe
• GLONASS – Russia
• BeiDou – China
• NavIC – India

Jamming vs Spoofing

Although often used interchangeably, GPS jamming and GPS spoofing are distinct forms of cyber interference:

• GPS Jamming: Involves the use of a jammer device that transmits strong signals or “noise” on the same frequency as GNSS signals. This overpowers the weak satellite signals, preventing receivers from determining their location.
• GPS Spoofing: Involves mimicking legitimate GPS signals and sending false positioning data to receivers. As a result, a ship or aircraft may believe it is located somewhere completely different from its actual position.

Source: IE