Researchers Warn of Growing Threat from GPS Spoofers Targeting Commercial Airlines

A recent surge in GPS spoofing attacks, a form of digital interference that can potentially send commercial airliners off course, has now evolved to include a new and troubling capability: the manipulation of time. According to cybersecurity experts, this development poses a significant challenge to aviation safety.

Over the past few months, incidents of GPS spoofing affecting commercial airlines have increased by 400%, according to aviation advisory body OPSGROUP. These attacks are particularly prevalent in conflict zones, where illicit ground-based GPS systems broadcast incorrect positional data to confuse incoming drones or missiles. However, the implications of these attacks extend beyond merely altering an aircraft’s location.

“While we often think of GPS as a tool for determining position, it’s also a crucial source of time synchronization,” said Ken Munro, founder of Pen Test Partners, a British cybersecurity firm, during a presentation at the DEF CON hacking convention in Las Vegas. “We’re now seeing reports of aircraft clocks behaving erratically during spoofing events.”

Munro highlighted a recent incident in which an aircraft operated by a major Western airline experienced a significant disruption to its onboard systems. During the GPS spoofing attack, the aircraft’s clocks were inexplicably set forward by several years, causing the plane to lose access to its digitally-encrypted communication systems. The airline had to ground the plane for weeks while engineers manually reset its systems. Munro declined to name the airline or the aircraft involved.

This issue isn’t confined to isolated incidents. In April, Finnair temporarily halted flights to the eastern Estonian city of Tartu due to GPS spoofing, which Estonian authorities attributed to neighboring Russia.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has largely replaced traditional ground-based radio devices for guiding planes during landing. However, GPS signals are relatively easy to block or distort using inexpensive and readily available equipment. This makes GPS spoofing a significant concern for aviation safety.

While Munro emphasized that these attacks are unlikely to directly cause a plane crash, he warned of the potential for creating confusion among pilots and triggering a “cascade of events.” He explained, “What it does is just create a little confusion, and you run the risk of starting a chain reaction where minor issues compound into something more serious.”

As GPS spoofing becomes more sophisticated, the aviation industry faces the challenge of safeguarding against these digital threats to maintain the safety and reliability of air travel.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, reuters.com