By Aviva Hope Rutkin, Technology Review
Millions of cars, computer networks, and devices rely on GPS. Lurking trouble: A console on the yacht that was taken over by University of Texas researchers who made bogus GPS signals seem legitimate. University of Texas researchers recently tricked the navigation system of an $80 million yacht and sent the ship off course in an experiment that showed how any device with civilian GPS technology is vulnerable to a practice called spoofing. Led by GPS expert Todd Humphreys, the researchers used a handheld device they built for about $2,000. It generates a fake GPS signal that appears identical to those sent out by the real GPS. The two signals reach the targeted system in perfect alignment. The strength of the fake signal slowly ratchets up and overtakes the real one.
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