GPS Spoofing

[Martyboy]

I'm the first to admit I love my GPS and ECDIS, I was once reffered to by the old man as a "red line specialist"........ but this is a great video and food for thought

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctw9ECgJ8L0

[CharlieDelta]

GPS Spoofing

This was on here a good while back. I really think it's a non issue. Any significant shift in position would produce incorrect COG and SOG output from GPS which should be quickly apparent to watchkeepers monitoring speed against expected currents/engine revs and course against expected currents/ship's head. Any instantaneous large shift will be apparent on ECDIS track history or paper chart.

More of an issue for the aviation industry I think, where there is an increasing reliance on GPS and a gradual decline in the radio navigation systems previously used.

[YoungMariner]

Agree with CD, a good OOW will discover pretty quickly if something is going wrong. There have been a massive amount of studies into this, it seems that almost every week in the RIN Journal or NI Seaways there is yet another study into the effects.

[Clanky]

a good OOW

What about the not so good ones? How easy would it be for someone who relied on GPS too much to be fooled by the GPS going wrong, what are the warning signs that someone not paying close attention would notice? Particularly thinking of deep sea navigation with no land to reference, I guess even a pretty lax OOW would notice if a headland isn't where it's supposed to be.

[Steve]

I guess even a pretty lax OOW would notice if a headland isn't where it's supposed to be.

No, he'd assume the GPS is correct over his own lying eyes. Faith in electronic systems is absolute! :-)

[GuinnessMan]

Wasn't this extremely difficult to do anyways? I vaguely remember reading that they had to actually be within line of sight or something to spoof it?

(Disclaimer, I've not watched the video and I'm going off an article I read several months back)

[Martyboy]

I think if land was near you then yeah, it would be very easy to spot, but deep sea, with nothing else around, even doing you cel nav and Sun/Run/Sun's, I think now a days, most OOW's would think they had mad an error in the bodies altitude and the GPS signal was correct. I can only usually get an intercept with a sextant to within a couple of miles anyway (lack of practice I guess) but I would be inclined deep sea to rely on my GPS more than my sextant. Obviously near coastal I wouldn't, I'm a particular lover of a running fix.... Not sure why, it just amazes me that it works every time still :P

[Silvertop]

If you are paying attention and doing your watch properly with checking equipment etc you should notice when something goes awry but that is down to the team on board and how they are managed/guided.

I once took over a watch from the 3/O going up the channel, 1 GPS had lost its lock fro some reason so the radar map had drifted, he was taking radar positions off the map symbol (not the actual buoys) and we were off course, past our alteration and heading for a sandbank!!! When you looked at the GPS tracker past positions you could clearly see when the position had jumped. This wasn't spoofing but showed the over reliance on GPS data and this was late 90's.

I have also been heading into Daesan in South Korea as first trip Captain when the North was playing games and both our GPS went out, plus it was foggy and there were fishing buoys everywhere!! Not fun, but good for the Deck Officers to prove their worth, which they did.

[Steve]

he was taking radar positions off the map symbol (not the actual buoys)

[YoungMariner]

With the not so competent and professional navigators, then there is little you can do to protect them from themselves. I feel one of the most dangerous features of integrated bridges are the 'track' mode, because it does breed a level of complacency. If you are on autopilot in heading mode, you are more likely to have a greater situation awareness, particularly in relation to the difference between the gyro and course over ground which is something you need to be aware of constantly and understand why.

[Silvertop]

It's in my standing orders that track mode is not to be used, for the very reason that people rely on it, or don't monitor the course. If you want to be bang on the line you should be in hand steering!!! It's not like you are driving down a marked road!!

[johnsonscott]

great video mate.......Thanks for sharing...

[donaldspark]

I believe that the translation of "GPS spoofing" is "spoofing GPS", and "GPS jamming" is "brouillage GPS"