team of researchers used a custom-built GPS device to send counterfeit signals to a 213-foot yacht, forcing the US$80 million vessel off its course without triggering any alarms.
The spoofed yacht was part of the experiment, so no harm was inflicted on the vehicle or its passengers. However, the test highlights the need for a broader understanding of navigational attacks, said University of Texas at Austin researchers.
The team conducted its experiment about 30 miles off the coast of Italy in June. Researchers boarded the yacht, and two students sat atop the upper deck posing as the attackers. Armed with a briefcase-sized GPS spoofing device, the students began to send faint civil GPS signals toward the ship's two GPS antennas. They slowly increased the signals until their counterfeit waves overtook the authentic GPS signals, gaining control of the yacht's navigational system
