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GPS Jamming and Spoofing:
Protect Your PNT Systems from Emerging Threats
GPS jamming and spoofing attacks are a growing concern as the accessibility of software-defined radios (SDRs) has made these threats more widespread than ever before. In order to safeguard PNT systems from potential disruptions, it is crucial to conduct proactive testing against real-world interference.
Understanding the Threats of GPS Jamming and Spoofing Attacks
Interference in GPS systems, such as jamming and spoofing attacks, can pose serious threats to the reliability and security of navigation systems that rely on global navigation satellite systems. Spoofers can generate false signals that can mislead GPS receivers about their position, potentially leading to dangerous consequences. As these evolving threats continue to grow in sophistication, it is crucial for organizations to implement effective detection and mitigation strategies to protect their PNT systems and ensure the integrity of their GPS data. By understanding the potential impact of GPS jamming and spoofing, governments can better protect their critical infrastructure and uphold the reliability of accurate position data.
What is the difference between GPS Jamming & Spoofing?
Jamming involves the intentional interference with GPS signals, disrupting communication between satellites and receivers. This can result in inaccurate positioning data or a complete loss of signal.
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Spoofing involves the manipulation of GPS signals to deceive receivers into believing they are in a different location.​
Testing Against Real-World Interference
Testing against real-world interference is crucial in ensuring the reliability and accuracy of GPS and GNSS systems. With the increasing threat of jamming and spoofing attacks, it is essential to detect and mitigate these interferences effectively. By replicating real-world environments and simulating simultaneous generation of jamming and GNSS signals, this mitigation technique can accurately assess the system's ability to withstand interference and ensure genuine signals are being received. This proactive testing approach is key to ensuring accurate position data and the uninterrupted functionality of PNT systems in the face of growing security challenges.
Challenges & Limitations with Traditional Jamming Testing
When it comes to traditional jamming testing for PNT systems, there are various challenges and limitations that organizations face. One of the main challenges is that traditional testing methods may be limited in their ability to accurately replicate real-world jamming scenarios, leading to potential gaps in assessing the resilience of GNSS signals. This highlights the need for more advanced technology to effectively protect PNT systems from the increasing threats of jamming and spoofing attacks.
Users required to attach a separate signal generator for each interference waveform to be generated
The number of interference sources is limited to the number of signal generators available
Signal generators would need to be integrated into software or be operated real-time by an engineer
Jamming power levels were determined based on what signal level was to be received at the receiver front end independent of the location of the simulated jammer or transmit power
BroadSim: The Ultimate GNSS Jamming & Spoofing Simulator
BroadSim is transforming GNSS testing by allowing simultaneous generation of jamming and GNSS signals— all within a single system, making easier than ever to replicate complex real-world environments. With BroadSim, generate high-fidelity interference signals across multiple types, including jamming, spoofing, repeating, and meaconing. Featuring intuitive Skydel software control and 4 RF outputs, BroadSim supports multiple simultaneous constellations.
Unlimited number of interference signals can be generated with 1 RF output
Each interference signal within 1 RF output can have different power levels, modulations, and locations
Jamming can be turned on and off through the SDX GUI and API
Users can specify the location and power of jamming transmitters and BroadSim will calculate the received power at the receiver based on the location to the transmitted and user-selected loss model
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Enables users to create real-world threat laydowns to better support the warfighter.
A Look Inside BroadSim Jamming Scenario
Jamming Scenario
Our team developed a plugin to showcase BroadSim’s hardware-in-the-loop (HILT) and advanced jamming capabilities via the Kerbal Space Program (KSP) computer game.
BroadSim generates and transmits the corresponding RF signals to a GNSS receiver and a spectrum analyzer, whose data is collected and plotted on the same screen.
6 red spheres appear in the flight space, each representing a jammer with a unique frequency, power level, and modulation. The aircraft nears a jammer made up of CW tones offset by 1MHz with varying power levels.
The aircraft in the video is controlled through a joystick. The path of the actual flight is shown by the red trail. As the airplane is maneuvered, its real
-time location is sent to BroadSim.
The reported location of the receiver is shown by the green trace and the spectrum from the spectrum analyzer is shown in the lower right-hand corner (center at GPS L1).
When the aircraft flies directly through the jammer, the receiver is jammed to the point that it cannot track the GNSS signals and begins to drift in a straight line away from the jamming source.
Simultaneous simulation of GNSS signals across multiple constellations can be achieved leveraging the Skydel Simulation Engine, including advanced jamming and spoofing.​
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Securing Your PNT Systems from GPS Jamming and Spoofing Attacks
Protecting your PNT systems from the evolving threats of GPS jamming and spoofing requires advanced testing capabilities against real-world interference. Testing is particularly important for critical applications such as aircraft navigation, where false location information could have disastrous consequences. By utilizing signal generators such as BroadSim, warfighters can simulate different types of GPS interference, including jamming and spoofing, to ensure that PNT systems remain secure in the face of evolving threats. Leveraging the use of M-code for classified testing environments can further provide a secure platform for assessing the capabilities of PNT systems under various threat scenarios. By staying proactive and implementing comprehensive strategies, warfighters can better understand the vulnerabilities of their systems to defending against GPS spoofing and jamming to maintain the integrity of their operations.