GPS spoofing incidents rise by 400% as pilots warn of dangers: Report

[JACK AYLMER]

PILOTS ARE WARNING ABOUT A GROWING INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES, G-P-S SPOOFING, A WARFARE TACTIC TO THROW OFF THE POSITION OF THE ENEMY…

BUT NOW COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS ARE BEING INCREASINGLY IMPACTED… WITH G-P-S SPOOFING INCIDENTS RISING BY 400 PERCENT IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS.

SPOOFING TYPICALLY USES RADIO TRANSMITTERS TO DISRUPT G-P-S SIGNALS AND DISPLAYS FAKE COORDINATES ON DEVICES. 

SPOOFING CASES HAVE GONE FROM DOZENS A DAY IN FEBRUARY TO MORE THAN 11 HUNDRED PER DAY IN AUGUST. 

AND THE CYBERATTACKS ARE SPREADING BEYOND WARZONES NEAR UKRAINE AND THE MIDDLE EAST LIKE CYPRUS AND ESTONIA – CAUSING GLITCHES IN COMMERCIAL AIRPLANES HEAVILY RELIANT ON G-P-S.

PILOTS SAY IT’S LED TO FALSE WARNINGS OF INCOMING COLLISIONS TO MISDIRECTED FLIGHT PATHS.

WHILE PILOTS ARE TRAINED TO DEAL WITH THESE SITUATIONS– BY USING NON-G-P-S SYSTEMS AS BACKUP… AIRLINES AND AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS ARE SCRAMBLING TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION… INCLUDING NEW EQUIPMENT STANDARDS TO HARDEN COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT DEFENSE AGAINST SPOOFING… SOMETHING INDUSTRY EXPERTS ARE PLEADING TO BE FAST-TRACKED… BUT THOSE CHANGES AREN’T LIKELY TO COME UNTIL NEXT YEAR AT THE EARLIEST.

EXPERTS CITE DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS, LIKE A PRIVATE JET FLYING INTO HOSTILE IRANIAN AIRSPACE BY MISTAKE BECAUSE OF A SPOOFED SIGNAL IN SEPTEMBER 2023… AND A BOEING 787 FORCED TO ABORT TWO LANDINGS AFTER LOSING ITS G-P-S SIGNAL THE SAME MONTH. 

IN THE SHORT-TERM INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE IN TALKS ABOUT NEW PROCEDURES ALLOWING PILOTS TO RESET COCKPIT CIRCUIT BREAKERS WHEN THEY GET “SPOOFED.”

SO FAR, INDUSTRY EXPERTS NOTE NO WIDESPREAD INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE U-S

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