Fake GPS Signals Send Yacht Astray

Well, well, it seems that you might want to upgrade your navigational systems on your multi-million dollar yacht after hearing this news – researchers from the University of Texas claimed to have succeeded in generating fake GPS signals, and this effort was not done through a computer program performing a brute force hacking, but it required several years of work and mistakes before the team managed to spoof GPS (Global Positioning System) signals, and in an experiment, they managed to send a yacht hundreds of meters off course, all the time fooling the crew into thinking that the yacht remained on course without veering to the right or to the left.

Good thing it was a test that was conducted on purpose, and not pulled off as a prank. In this particular test which was conducted off the coast of Italy last month, it proved to be successful and of course, is one of the most sophisticated ever reported against GPS. Part of the process involved generating fake signals which were a wee bit different from the legitimate ones, and in order to fool the yacht, they had to mimic the entire GPS constellation, which was no mean feat. Obviously, this won’t work very well at night since sailors can always refer to the stars in the sky, but during the daytime, it could be a very powerful military weapon.

Edwin Kee
Categories: General
Tags: GPS, Hacking