GPS spoofing

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Researchers have put together a kit that masquerades as a GPS satellite in order to lure receptors into sending drivers in the wrong direction. The team, made up of researchers from Microsoft and Virginia Tech in the U.S. and China’s University of Electronic Sciences and Technology, explained in an article published this month that by sending packets of fake satellite data, they could deceive smartphones and onboard GPS systems, remotely changing routes with a 95% rate of accuracy. The device is based on the Raspberry Pi and is made up of just US$223’s worth of components. “According to our calculations, the effective spoofing range is 40 to 50 meters”, wrote the researchers. Should we be worried?

⇨ Ars Technica, “A $225 GPS spoofer can send sat-nav-guided vehicles into oncoming traffic.”