A recent spike in GPS spoofing, a digital attack that can mislead commercial airliners, has introduced a new threat: hacking time. According to OPSGROUP, incidents of GPS spoofing affecting airlines have surged by 400%.
These attacks, often originating from illicit ground-based GPS systems in conflict zones, broadcast false positions to disrupt air traffic and confuse incoming drones or missiles.
Ken Munro, Founder of Pen Test Partners, highlighted at DEF CON that GPS is not only being used as a positioning tool but also a time source. Reports have emerged of aircraft clocks being manipulated during spoofing events, leading to issues such as loss of encrypted communication.
Munro cited an incident whereby an aircraft’s clocks were advanced by years, causing the plane to lose communication and be grounded for weeks while systems were manually reset.
While GPS spoofing is unlikely to cause crashes, it can create confusion and trigger a series of events that could lead to serious issues.
