GPS Spoofing

GPS Spoofing Latest News

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport faced massive disruptions recently when the flight operations witnessed GPS spoofing.

What is a Spoofing Attack?

• A “spoofing attack” is a broad category of cyberattack where fake data is disguised as originating from a trusted source to deceive systems or users. 
• Kinds of spoofing include GPS Spoofing, IP spoofing—often used to avoid detection while performing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)—as well as SMS spoofing and caller ID spoofing, where messages or calls appear to be from another number or caller ID.

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About GPS Spoofing

• GPS spoofing involves manipulating navigation data with malicious intent. 
• Unlike jamming, which blocks GPS signals, spoofing involves transmitting fake satellite signals to override genuine ones.
• The aircraft’s navigation systems pick up these counterfeit signals and calculate wrong data for position, altitude, time, and speed.
• The aim is for the target to act on false navigation information. 
• The fake signals over-ride the genuine satellite signals using specialised hardware or software.  
• Since GPS satellite signals are weaker, the receiver considers the amplified spoofed signals as authentic.
• Aircraft may end up flying blind, or even worse, dangerously off-course. 
• Spoofing is often reported in:
  • Conflict zones like the Black Sea region
  • West Asia and the Middle East
  • Military action areas or electronic warfare zones
• Globally, spoofing and jamming of GPS signals have become a growing menace for airlines.
• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recorded 4.3 lakh cases of GPS jamming or spoofing over conflict zones in 2024, up 62 percent from 2023.

Source: INDIATV