I was just reading this article on an information security blog, and thought
some of you guys might enjoy it.
"Our global society relies on the civilian GPS for our communications networks,
transportation of goods, power distribution, financial transactions and
emergency response, using precise location information and time
synchronization. Unfortunately, the GPS system was not designed for this
purpose. The civilian GPS has dangerous security vulnerabilities which now
leave our global society at risk of serious disruption at any moment.
Jon Warner of Argonne National Laboratories set out to examine GPS security one
Saturday afternoon. Jon is part of the Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT), a
small group whose goal is to uncover flaws in our systems so that they can be
fixed. “We try to think like the bad guys,” Jon said, “so that we can plug the
holes they might use.”
To test out GPS security, Roger Johnston, head of the VAT, challenged the team
to demonstrate how to steal a cargo truck and get away with it. Cargo trucks
generally contain a GPS tracking device which relays position and speed
information to a central office. This enables freight companies to track their
drivers’ locations and ensure that trucks are on course. If a truck veers off
course, it sets off an alarm at headquarters. If an attacker could falsify or
“spoof” GPS information, he or she could hijack the truck and steal the cargo
without being noticed."
Continues at:
http://philosecurity.org/2008/09/07/gps-spoofing
Jim
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