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What’s new: A stark example of the things that can go wrong as a result of spoofing.
Why it’s important: Spoofing and jamming can result in all kinds of bad things including ships being hijacked, cargo being stolen, and people being killed.
What else to know:
- GPS/GNSS interference is on the rise around the world.
- There are lots of reasons for malicious actors to interfere, and few disincentives.
- It is only going to get worse until we are able to provide alternative means of timing and navigation so the impact of GPS/GNSS interference is far less.
UPDATE 17 MAY –
Pole Star Confirms GPS Interference Caused MSC ANTONIA Grounding
MSC ship aground off Jeddah, likely victim of GPS spoofing
Three days on from grounding off Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the 7,000 teu MSC Antonia remains stuck in the Red Sea, with vessel tracking showing the ship was likely the victim of GPS jamming.
Analysis from Windward, a maritime analytics firm, has highlighted the spoofing patterns that ended up with the ship aground near the Eliza Shoals west of Jeddah, with vessel tracking from MarineTraffic supporting this theory. GPS jamming in the Red Sea has been commonplace in recent years.
