GPS spoofing

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Under GPS spoofing refers to the transmission of spurious signals the NAVSTAR GPS imitate signal.

In contrast to the GPS jammer, formally valid but incorrect position data is generated and transmitted. These jammers are also known as pseudolites , since they are usually put into operation on the ground and simulate the signal from satellites . This affects both civil and military recipients.

The aim is not only to interfere with the reception of GPS signals, as is the case with GPS whining, but to deceive GPS receivers in such a way that incorrect position information is the result. In the ideal case, it is incorrect position data, which cannot be easily recognized by the receiving device without additional and GPS-independent navigation. With GPS whining , which is technically much simpler , the failure of GPS reception is trivially recognizable on the receiving device and the user can then react to the failure.

For this purpose, with spoofing, transmission is carried out on the same frequency as the GPS satellites and their signals are superimposed. Either only the signal from one or several GPS satellites can be overlaid by the forgeries.

General

Since the position determination with GPS is based on a very precise time measurement (runtime measurement), it is not trivial to generate valid, incorrect and plausible position data at the point of the GPS receiver to be influenced. GPS spoofing is technically much more complex than GPS jamming and, in addition to the digital signal processing required to generate the GPS signals, also includes a very precise time base , for example in the form of an atomic clock . It is also necessary to know the distances to the receiving devices to be disturbed, as this is the only way to generate plausible position data.

According to the British BBC, the cost of GPS spoofing equipment will be around $ 1,000 in mid-2012. A year later, an online article on the Fox News Channel put the cost at $ 3,000. Currently (2016), in addition to a standard PC, a software-defined radio worth a few hundred euros is required, as well as the gps-sdr-sim project available in source code. Using the freely available ephemeris, a complete constellation with up to twelve virtual satellites can be generated and transmitted, with freely selectable position and time transmission.

Remedial measures against GPS spoofing and GPS jamming include directionally sensitive receiving antennas , which receive GPS signals only from the GPS satellites, i.e. from above, and strongly suppress interference signals that come from pseudolites and close to the ground.

Known uses

United States

In June 2013, researchers from the University of Texas carried out a successful attack on a 65-meter-long luxury yacht on its way from Monaco to Rhodes . The owner of the ship was informed and allowed the researchers to do this. With a device about the size of a briefcase on board the ship, the two GPS receivers could be fooled. The wrong signals conveyed a slightly shifted position of the yacht to the navigation system . The crew then corrected the direction until the ship was back on the correct course according to the navigation system. However, since the ship was actually still on course, the alleged correction resulted in leaving the course. The same researchers managed to control a civil drone using GPS spoofing back in June 2012.

Russia

The US-registered NGO C4ADS published a report in April 2019, according to which a total of 9,983 spoofing incidents were recorded between February 2016 and November 2018, in which GNSS signals were deliberately disrupted and falsified. The researchers, commissioned by C4ADS, succeeded in proving this with observation from above: By evaluating data that had been recorded on the International Space Station with a special sensor.

According to media reports, the data collection documents that Russia disrupts the GNSS signal sent by satellites with strong land-based transmission systems or deliberately changes the position information for manipulation. In this way, what is the goal of spoofing, position determination using GNSS is made unusable.

According to the NGO source C4ADS, 1,311 ships in Russian waters had to correct their course during the observation period because the satellite-controlled navigation systems were falsified. The phenomenon has been registered particularly frequently in Syria, the Crimea and at Russian airports and ports. In addition, the border with the NATO countries and the position of Russian military facilities are falsified. For example, the forgery of the GNSS signal was clearly revealed in March 2018 in Crimea, when Putin was there to celebrate the referendum . The actual movements and whereabouts were precisely proven by eyewitnesses, aerial reconnaissance and the special sensor of the ISS.

Web links, sources

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nils Ole Tipphauer, Christina Pöpper, Kasper B. Rasmussen, Srdjan Capkun: On the Requirements for Successful GPS Spoofing Attacks. (PDF) Archived from the original on August 25, 2014 ; accessed on January 8, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b Spiegel Online from June 29, 2012: GPS manipulation: Students hijack drone
  3. ↑ BBC News of June 29, 2012: Researchers use spoofing to 'hack' into a flying drone
  4. ↑ GPS flaw could let terrorists hijack ships, planes , foxnews.com . Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  5. ↑ golem from July 31, 2013: Researcher redirects luxury yacht with fake GPS signal
  6. ^ Center For Advanced Defense
  7. ↑ Above Us Only Stars Exposing GPS Spoofing in Russia and Syria C4ADS - Reports, March 26, 2019 (PDF, complete report in English)
    Russia manipulates GPS signals with radio waves , futurezone.at, April 2, 2019
    Study proves massive GPS manipulations by Russia , DerStandard , April 5, 2019