GPS Spoofing

22.03.2025

GPS Spoofing

Why in the news?   

           As many as 465 GPS interference and spoofing incidents have been reported in the border region, mostly in the Amritsar and Jammu areas, between November 2023 and February 2025, the government said recently.

What is a Spoofing Attack?

• A “spoofing attack” is a broad category of cyberattack where fake data is disguised as originating from a trusted source to deceive systems or users.
• Kinds of spoofing include GPS Spoofing, IP spoofing—often used to avoid detection while performing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)—as well as SMS spoofing and caller ID spoofing, where messages or calls appear to be from another number or caller ID.

About GPS Spoofing:

• GPS spoofing uses bogus radio signals to imitate legitimate Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, misdirecting GPS-receiving devices about their actual location.
• This can result in incorrect navigation data and potentially life-threatening situations, especially in systems that rely heavily on precise location information.

How GPS Spoofing Works?

• GPS spoofing exploits the inherent vulnerabilities in the GPS infrastructure – the weak signal strength of GPS satellites.
• The GPS functions by sending signals from satellites to GPS receivers on Earth.
• These receivers then calculate their position based on the time it takes for these signals to arrive.
• However, due to the weak signal strength of the GPS satellites, these signals can be easily overwhelmed by fake signals, resulting in inaccurate location data on the receiving device.
• Typically, a GPS spoofer begins by acquiring a basic understanding of the victim’s GPS setup, including the types of signals it uses and how they are processed.
• With that information, the attacker then sends counterfeit GPS signals that mimic the real ones.
• These fake signals are stronger, causing the receiver to recognize them as authentic
• As a result, the victim’s GPS receiver ends up processing these counterfeit signals, leading to erroneous location information.

                                     Source: The Hindu

Why are fake GPS signals able to deceive GPS receivers in GPS Spoofing?

A.They are faster than real GPS signals.

B.They are stronger than real GPS signals.

C.They are encrypted to prevent detection.

D.They are transmitted at the same frequency as real GPS signals.

Answer B