Latest news with #GNSS
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Iran's missiles reportedly hacked mid-flight over Israel
By Published: Updated: A tech expert has revealed that his firm may have witnessed an 'exotic new' hack that tricked Iranian missiles into plunging into the Mediterranean Sea during the Iran-Israel war. The war between Iran and Israel, which began in mid-June following a series of Israeli strikes on military, nuclear and civilian positions, saw both nations fire salvos of missiles and drones at each other. Like many missile systems found across the world, Iranian missiles rely on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data to find their way to their targets. Sean Gorman, the co-founder and CEO of a tech firm that is working to improve location services on mobile phones, believes that he and his team witnessed a new defensive tactic that involved tricking missiles into flying against their programming. Spoofing normally works by sending a powerful radio signal that is stronger than GNSS signals from satellites, forcing a device to listen to the fake information. This means that devices believe they are at a false location. Ordinarily, spoofed GNSS data looks, to the device, like it has instantly teleported to another location. But Sean believes that what he and his team have seen is a highly sophisticated version of this meant to mimic the arcing flight paths of missiles and send them to safer locations. Sean said: 'Missiles are guided munitions. They all track latitude and longitude and elevation the same way we navigate in our cars or the same way aeroplanes navigate. You're basically providing that same navigation system in ammunition so that it lands in exactly the right place. Jammers and spoofers have been incredibly effective at preventing guided munition from landing where you where they wanted to land and maybe where you instead getting it to go somewhere else or to fail.' Sean said that his team began tracking spoofing and jamming practices while volunteering in Ukraine, and found that phones loaded with their software were good at tracking these types of attacks. Following an American government grant to further this research, phones loaded with Zephyr software were sent across the world to places known for their frequent electronic interference attacks. One mobile phone with Zephyr's app made its way to Haifa in northern Israel, which like many cities in the nation, came under fire from Iranian missiles. It was through this mobile phone that Gorman and his team noticed a peculiar signal that different from spoofing and jamming techniques seen in the past. Sean told MailOnline: 'The phone was in Haifa and the positions that the phones were reporting were off in the ocean. And instead of it being teleported to a fixed location, instead we see this arc. There was a synthetically generated position that went in a curve. It's one measurement from one phone, but it's a new behaviour or pattern that we haven't seen.' He added that while he wasn't 100% sure this was a new 'push spoofer... it's certainly not a pattern that we've seen before in that you know'. This arcing pattern is likely to have been developed to trick the drone into following the fake data. 'If you're teleporting with a big jump and it's fixed, that would be a much different pattern than a guided munition that is on a trajectory. You want that thing to think it's still on the trajectory. It continues on the path that the spoof operator is pushing,' Sean said. 'They don't realise they're being spoofed because they're continuing to go on a trajectory. That would fool a drone.' While it's not clear from Sean's analysis exactly who perpetrated the hack, the signal is believed to have come from the Middle East. Many nations around the world are developing this kind of technology, Sean said, with the invasion of Ukraine being one of the key crucibles. He said: 'There are lots of countries that have sophisticated technical engineers and specialty within GNSS. And each of those countries are constantly trying to evolve their [rivals'] electronic warfare capabilities. We see this with the Russians and Ukrainians, who are constantly iterating and trying to defeat each other's countermeasures in this kind of cat and mouse game. Countries are investing and trying to provide countermeasures and defeats of those countermeasures so they can still operate in a battle situation like we're seeing in the Middle East.' But with the increased competition for these types of techniques comes the risk it will be used outside a military context, even in the Iran-Israel war. Last week, Frontline tanker Front Eagle and dark fleet tanker Adalynn collided last week near the Strait of Hormuz. The two oil tankers were brought to a halt, following a fire on the desk of the Front Eagle which was later extinguished. But in the days leading up to the collision, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations issued a warning that 'increasing electronic interference' was being reported in the STrait of Hormuz. Sean said this event pointed to an increasing willingness for warring parties to use spoofing and jamming techniques that could have wider effects on civilians and commercial routes. 'We're increasingly seeing this happen all over the globe and cause issues with global commerce with supply chains, with aviation. So even outside of the military context, we're seeing this more and more in our daily lives. Jamming and spoofing are both prolific, though we see spoofing less frequently and it's a bit harder to detect than jamming.' 'So while it was interesting to see spoofing activity happening they're both risks to civilian and commercial operations. Collisions could be an issue both from an aviation standpoint, as well as a maritime standpoint', Sean said, adding that the ability to 'detect spoofing will be critical for civilian safety. That'll be a really important area of R&D investment and where what we'll need technological capacity both on a civilian and a defence perspective.'
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Tech expert believes Iran's missiles may have been hacked mid-flight over Israel
The tech expert described both jamming and spoofing as 'prolific', although he explained spoofing is less frequently used and is a bit harder to detect than jamming A tech expert has shared an 'exotic new' hack which he believes could have tricked Iranian missiles into plunging into the Mediterranean Sea during the Iran-Israel war. Israel launched attacks against Iran on June 13, claiming the country was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran then retaliated with its own series of airstrikes. But in recent days the two countries have now agreed on a ceasefire. Just after 5am GMT on Tuesday, June 24 Trump announced that the ceasefire had taken effect. The requirements for either side were slightly different, with Iran told to stop fighting a few hours from the time of the post, while Israel agreed to halt hostilities at 7.10am UK time. However, hours after Israel's side of the agreement, the state accused Iran of deploying missiles towards it - adding that defence systems were working to intercept the threat. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz claims Iran's "violation of the ceasefire" will not go unpunished, adding that he's ordered the Israel Defence Forces to "respond forcefully". He said they will be deploying " intense strikes against regime targets in the heart of Tehran". Now, a tech expert believes that he and his team witnessed a new defensive tactic that involved tricking missiles into flying against their programming during the conflict between Israel and Iran, reports MailOnline. Sean Gorman, the co-founder and CEO of believes he and his team have seen is a highly sophisticated version of spoofing meant to mimic the arcing flight paths of missiles and send them to safer locations. Like many missile systems found across the world, Iranian missiles rely on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data to find their way to their targets. Sean said: "Missiles are guided munitions. They all track latitude and longitude and elevation the same way we navigate in our cars or the same way aeroplanes navigate. "You're basically providing that same navigation system in ammunition so that it lands in exactly the right place. Jammers and spoofers have been incredibly effective at preventing guided munition from landing where you where they wanted to land and maybe where you instead getting it to go somewhere else or to fail." Sean described both jamming and spoofing as 'prolific', although he explained spoofing is less frequently used and is a bit harder to detect than jamming. He also warned they're both risks to civilian and commercial operations. He said: "Collisions could be an issue both from an aviation standpoint, as well as a maritime standpoint', adding that the ability to 'detect spoofing will be critical for civilian safety."
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Expert reveals how Iran's missiles may have been hacked mid-flight over Israel and sent plunging into the Mediterranean Sea
A tech expert has revealed that his firm may have witnessed an 'exotic new' hack that tricked Iranian missiles into plunging into the Mediterranean Sea during the Iran-Israel war. The war between Iran and Israel, which began in mid-June following a series of Israeli strikes on military, nuclear and civilian positions, saw both nations fire salvos of missiles and drones at each other. Like many missile systems found across the world, Iranian missiles rely on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data to find their way to their targets. Sean Gorman, the co-founder and CEO of a tech firm that is working to improve location services on mobile phones, believes that he and his team witnessed a new defensive tactic that involved tricking missiles into flying against their programming. Spoofing normally works by sending a powerful radio signal that is stronger than GNSS signals from satellites, forcing a device to listen to the fake information. This means that devices believe they are at a false location. Ordinarily, spoofed GNSS data looks, to the device, like it has instantly teleported to another location. But Sean believes that what he and his team have seen is a highly sophisticated version of this meant to mimic the arcing flight paths of missiles and send them to safer locations. Sean believes that what he and his team have seen is a highly sophisticated spoof meant to mimic the arcing flight paths of missiles Sean said: 'Missiles are guided munitions. They all track latitude and longitude and elevation the same way we navigate in our cars or the same way aeroplanes navigate. 'You're basically providing that same navigation system in ammunition so that it lands in exactly the right place. Jammers and spoofers have been incredibly effective at preventing guided munition from landing where you where they wanted to land and maybe where you instead getting it to go somewhere else or to fail.' Sean said that his team began tracking spoofing and jamming practices while volunteering in Ukraine, and found that phones loaded with their software were good at tracking these types of attacks. Following an American government grant to further this research, phones loaded with Zephyr software were sent across the world to places known for their frequent electronic interference attacks. One mobile phone with Zephyr's app made its way to Haifa in northern Israel, which like many cities in the nation, came under fire from Iranian missiles. It was through this mobile phone that Gorman and his team noticed a peculiar signal that different from spoofing and jamming techniques seen in the past. Sean told MailOnline: 'The phone was in Haifa and the positions that the phones were reporting were off in the ocean. And instead of it being teleported to a fixed location, instead we see this arc. 'There was a synthetically generated position that went in a curve. It's one measurement from one phone, but it's a new behaviour or pattern that we haven't seen.' He added that while he wasn't 100% sure this was a new 'push spoofer... it's certainly not a pattern that we've seen before in that you know'. This arcing pattern is likely to have been developed to trick the drone into following the fake data. 'If you're teleporting with a big jump and it's fixed, that would be a much different pattern than a guided munition that is on a trajectory. You want that thing to think it's still on the trajectory. It continues on the path that the spoof operator is pushing,' Sean said. 'They don't realise they're being spoofed because they're continuing to go on a trajectory. That would fool a drone.' While it's not clear from Sean's analysis exactly who perpetrated the hack, the signal is believed to have come from the Middle East. Many nations around the world are developing this kind of technology, Sean said, with the invasion of Ukraine being one of the key crucibles. He said: 'There are lots of countries that have sophisticated technical engineers and specialty within GNSS. And each of those countries are constantly trying to evolve their [rivals'] electronic warfare capabilities. 'We see this with the Russians and Ukrainians, who are constantly iterating and trying to defeat each other's countermeasures in this kind of cat and mouse game. 'Countries are investing and trying to provide countermeasures and defeats of those countermeasures so they can still operate in a battle situation like we're seeing in the Middle East.' But with the increased competition for these types of techniques comes the risk it will be used outside a military context, even in the Iran-Israel war. Last week, Frontline tanker Front Eagle and dark fleet tanker Adalynn collided last week near the Strait of Hormuz. The two oil tankers were brought to a halt, following a fire on the desk of the Front Eagle which was later extinguished. But in the days leading up to the collision, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations issued a warning that 'increasing electronic interference' was being reported in the STrait of Hormuz. Sean said this event pointed to an increasing willingness for warring parties to use spoofing and jamming techniques that could have wider effects on civilians and commercial routes. 'We're increasingly seeing this happen all over the globe and cause issues with global commerce with supply chains, with aviation. So even outside of the military context, we're seeing this more and more in our daily lives. 'Jamming and spoofing are both prolific, though we see spoofing less frequently and it's a bit harder to detect than jamming. 'So while it was interesting to see spoofing activity happening they're both risks to civilian and commercial operations.' 'Collisions could be an issue both from an aviation standpoint, as well as a maritime standpoint', Sean said, adding that the ability to 'detect spoofing will be critical for civilian safety. That'll be a really important area of R&D investment and where what we'll need technological capacity both on a civilian and a defence perspective.'
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Time of India
'GPS interference': AI Express flight to Jammu returns to Delhi, ET Infra
Advt An Air India Express Delhi-Jammu flight (IX-2564) returned to Delhi Monday after "suspected GPS interference ". The incidence of GPS spoofing has been on the rise of the past 2-3 years and airlines face the same right from near the India-Pakistan border to upto and even beyond tracking sites show IX 2564 took off from Delhi at 11.05 am and then flew back to Delhi from near the Pakistan border. It landed safely at IGIA just before 1.30 pm."Our Delhi-Jammu flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure, following a suspected GPS interference incident. Subsequently an alternative flight was organised to connect guests to Jammu. We regret the inconvenience caused. Instances of GPS signal interference have been reported by operators while flying over certain sensitive regions," an Air India Express spokesperson interference can be either jamming or spoofing " global navigation satellite system " (GNSS) signals. According to aviation website Skybrary: "Spoofing involves broadcasting counterfeit satellite signals to deceive GNSS receivers, causing them to compute incorrect position, navigation, and timing data."
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Time of India
GPS interference: AI Express Delhi-Jammu flight returns to IGIA
An Air India Express flight from Delhi to Jammu (IX-2564) returned to Delhi due to suspected GPS interference, a growing concern for airlines operating near conflict zones. The flight landed safely, and an alternative flight was arranged for passengers. GPS spoofing, which involves broadcasting counterfeit satellite signals, is difficult to detect and relies on pilot reports. NEW DELHI: An Air India Express Delhi-Jammu flight (IX-2564) returned to Delhi Monday after 'suspected GPS interference'. The incidence of GPS spoofing has been on the rise of the past 2-3 years and airlines face the same right from near the India-Pakistan border to upto and even beyond Turkey. Flight tracking sites show IX 2564 took off from Delhi at 11.05 am and then flew back to Delhi from near the Pakistan border. It landed safely at IGIA just before 1.30 pm. 'Our Delhi–Jammu flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure, following a suspected GPS interference incident. Subsequently an alternative flight was organised to connect guests to Jammu. We regret the inconvenience caused. Instances of GPS signal interference have been reported by operators while flying over certain sensitive regions,' an Air India Express spokesperson said. GPS interference can be either jamming or spoofing 'global navigation satellite system' (GNSS) signals. According to aviation website Skybrary: 'Spoofing involves broadcasting counterfeit satellite signals to deceive GNSS receivers, causing them to compute incorrect position, navigation, and timing data. These issues particularly affect the geographical areas surrounding conflict zones, (like) Black Sea and the Middle East. It is not currently possible to detect affected areas from a distance making pilot reports the main source of information.'
