Proceedings Of The Marine

WIN 2015

Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.

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50 Proceedings Winter 2014 – 2015 www.uscg.mil/proceedings This type of attack is insidious, since Global Positioning System data is used to direct traffc through busy water- ways to reduce accidents and avoid hazards. It also helps manage shipping and port facility operations. For example, Global Positioning System information facilitates automated container shipment and tracking from one port to another. At the Coast Guard, GPS is the primary mode of naviga- tion for its cutters and other assets. So, it is critical that loca- tion and positional data from a Global Positioning System- enabled device is accurate, to ensure vessels safely and effciently carry out missions and reach their destinations. Picture yourself driving and following directions from your Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled device to a place you have never visited. Along the way, you realize that you have reached a totally different destination. Now, imagine this same scenario, but instead involving a vessel sailing off course, while at sea. How could this possibly happen? Two words: GPS spoofng. Spoofng GPS spoofng is an electronic attack involving signals being sent to a receiver to control navigation. This act could force any mode of transportation to deviate from its intended route. GPS Spoofng and Jamming A global concern for all vessels. by Ms. BRiTTany M. ThOMPsOn Analyst Former Detailee at U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command Cybersecurity of Maritime Critical Infrastructure Incidents The Disruption at Newark Airport Was Unintentional A truck driver for an engineering company allegedly used a jammer in a company-owned vehicle to hide his where- abouts from his employer. Since his driving route took him past the airport, the jammer not only blocked reception of the company-installed Global Positioning System signal, but also the airport's GPS signal used by air trafc control. The FCC's Enforcement Bureau investigated the incident and used radio monitoring equipment to detect the suspect's jammer in use near the airport. As a result, the suspect surren- dered the jammer and the FCC fned him nearly $32,000 for disrupting Newark airport's GPS signals. 1 North Korean Jamming Attacks Interfering with GPS signals is a capability used against other nations by its adversaries. For example, North Korea perpe- trated three GPS jamming attacks against South Korea from 2010 to 2012. 2 Each jamming attack increased in duration. The frst attack in August 2010 lasted for four days. The last attack in 2012 lasted for 16 days, causing 1,016 aircraft and 254 vessels to experience interruption. 3 Overall, the jamming attacks resulted in major issues associ- ated with navigation and timing in the areas near the North Korean border. Additionally, an attack necessitated an emer- gency landing of a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft, during an annual exercise in South Korea. 4 Endnotes: 1. Strunsky, S. N.J. Man Fined $32K for Illegal GPS Device That Disrupted Newark Airport System. NJ.com. N.p., 8 Aug. 2013. 2. Available at www.economist.com/news/international/21582288-satellite-posi- tioning-data-are-vitalbut-signal-surprisingly-easy-disrupt-out. 3. Ibid. 4. Available at www.insidegnss.com/node/3982.

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