India-Pakistan Border Witnesses Surge In GPS Interference, Including Spoofing (Image: X/MGonigle)
Instances of GPS interference on passenger aircraft, including ‘spoofing’ with false signals are increasing over conflict zones globally, a per a report from The Hindu.
India’s borders with Pakistan are among the top sites for such occurrences, according to OPSGROUP, a voluntary group of 8,000 aviation personnel.
GPS spoofing is a form of cyber attack that involves sending false GPS signals to mislead navigation equipment.
This is often seen in conflict zones and is used to attack drones. Interference with GPS was recently reported on the Embraer jet involved in the Azerbaijan Airlines crash on December 25, which killed 38 people onboard.
‘I can’t execute, control is lost!’ Doomed pilot’s last message before Azerbaijan Airlines crash that killed 38 – as evidence piles up that Putin ally Kadyrov shot it down ..one picture sent by a passenger shows masks dropping down shortly before it crashed .. pic.twitter.com/yO9sNuB3Dx
— Martha (@MGonigle) December 26, 2024
Cell phone footage from inside Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 before going down and not a bird strike
Looks like it was shot down. Shrapnel holes alongside and throughout the body and blood visible pic.twitter.com/7evum3WnSC
— Zhong autism in a box (@d0ubletalk) December 26, 2024
According to a report by OPSGROUP, the first series of GPS spoofing was identified in September 2023 in northern Iraq. New spoofing locations were identified in 2024, including the Black Sea region, western Russia and the India-Pakistan border.
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The report also noted that there has been “daily spoofing” since May 2024 in the Delhi Flight Information Region. This area ranked ninth among the top 20 Flight Information Regions, with 316 aircraft impacted by spoofing between July 15 and August 15.
Globally, instances of spoofing have increased from 300 flights impacted daily in January to 1,500 flights impacted daily by August. Pilots have reported experiencing interference or spoofing on flights to Amritsar, Dubai, Doha and other destinations.
Also, read| Russian Missile Caused The Deadly Plane Crash, Says Azerbaijan; Black Box Recovered
The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation has expressed strong concerns over the recent escalation of GPS interference and recommended that states notify aviation authorities about their intentional interference activities.
