SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 22 (UPI) -- U.S. security experts say the Global Positioning System is vulnerable to threats affecting both individual devices and the system's basic infrastructure.
GPS is everywhere, used not only for navigation but to land aircraft, guide ships, synchronize data on wireless networks and manage loads on vast power grids, SecurityNewsDaily.com reported Tuesday.
A growing threat, experts say, is the availability of cheap GPS jamming devices, sold online to protect personal privacy and prevent tracking a vehicle's movements. Fleet operators often use onboard GPS receivers, and although the jammers are illegal in the United States and restricted in Europe, some drivers have been using them to prevent their bosses from tracking them, experts say.
The jammers work by disrupting frequencies on one of the commonly used GPS bands. Because GPS signals are weak -- using just 25 watts to send signals from satellites roughly 12,500 miles away -- it's relatively easy for a jammer to interrupt or interfere with GPS receivers such as portable navigation devices.
"We currently lack sufficient capabilities to locate and mitigate GPS jamming," a report issued in November by the National Position, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board said. "It literally took months to locate such a device that was interfering with a new GPS based landing system being installed at Newark Airport, N.J."
"The worry is that factories in China are starting to churn these things out," says Peter Large of Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Trimble, which develops advanced positioning systems. "If they did start to proliferate, it could have devastating consequences."
