Officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have called GPS “a single point of failure for critical infrastructure.” Thirteen of sixteen critical infrastructure sectors need GPS for proper functioning. GPS — and the positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services it provides — is a hidden, ubiquitous cyber utility.

The problem is that GPS signals are very weak and easy to disrupt. They have been disrupted by solar flares, malfunctioning electrical and electronic equipment, and poorly mounted TV antennas. Small illegal GPS jammers have become popular with privacy seekers and criminals, and U.S. adversaries are known to employ larger jammers that can deny GPS over very large areas.

The RNT Foundation is working to safeguard GPS services by advocating policies and systems to Protect, Toughen, and Augment them.

Here are a few of the many resources we have available on GPS and infrastructure:

GPS Disruption and Critical National Infrastructure

Interpol Sec Gen – Single Points of Failure for Critical Infrastructure

SAE International Developing New Standard for Terrestrial PNT – Support for Drones, Critical Infrastructure