Russia is allegedly messing with GPS signals. But it’s not just about navigation – it could affect your money or even the power grid. Here’s what you need to know!

Brussels

Reports of GPS jamming have increased since the invasion of Ukraine, with incidents affecting aviation and other critical sectors. One notable case involved the president of the European Commission's plane losing GPS signal, reportedly due to interference suspected to be from Russia. Similar disruptions have occurred elsewhere, such as near Iran, where planes veered off course after navigation failures.

GPS jamming occurs when a stronger signal disrupts satellite communications, making devices unable to determine their location. This can happen accidentally or as a result of deliberate military actions. The consequences extend beyond aviation, impacting services like emergency response, financial transactions, and power grids. While most critical sectors have backup systems, the EU is enhancing its defenses by planning new satellites to counter interference.

Planes under attack: What is GPS jamming?

Imagine you're mid-flight and suddenly your plane doesn't know where it is anymore. That does happen. Like just recently on a flight the president of the European Commission was on. Russia may have interfered with the GPS signal of the plane. And it wasn't the first time. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, reports of GPS jamming have surged. So what happened? What is GPS jamming exactly and why should you care even if you're not on a plane? What happened? EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was flying to Bulgaria when her plane lost the GPS signal. Reportedly, the pilot had to circle for an extra hour and eventually land manually using paper maps. Bulgarian authorities suspect Russia behind the interference. But GPS jamming is happening elsewhere too. In 2023, India issued a warning saying that planes near Iran veered off course after their navigation systems had failed. One aircraft nearly entered Iranian airspace by mistake and without permission. So what is GPS jamming? GPS, short for Global Positioning System, uses satellites to pinpoint your location. Satellites send signals down to Earth. Using at least four of them, your device figures out how far away each satellite is. From these measurements, it then calculates your exact position. Jamming happens when a stronger signal nearby drowns out the satellite signals. Your device can't figure out where it is anymore. Sometimes it's accidental because of a faulty radio tower, for example, but it can also be deliberate as in military cyberattacks. And then there's spoofing. Instead of blocking GPS, attackers send fake signals. Your device thinks it's somewhere else entirely. Attacks like these are becoming increasingly common in modern warfare. So why does this matter to you? Planes don't only rely on GPS, but losing the signal mid-flight increases the risk of accidents. And it's not just aviation. GPS powers many things you use every day. Your food delivery? GPS. Ambulances finding the quickest way to an accident scene? GPS. Plus, GPS satellites carry atomic clocks, super-precise timekeepers. They help machines around the world agree on the exact time. That's crucial for financial systems. If two servers disagree on the time, your payment could look like fraud. And real fraud, often detected by timing patterns, might slip through. Another crucial system that would be affected by a GPS outage is the power grid. Electricity flow is measured with precise timestamps. If those are wrong, protective systems might get triggered unnecessarily or miss real faults. That can destabilize the grid. So what's being done? Well, most critical sectors have backup systems to handle short outages. But the EU is stepping up its defense. It plans to launch new satellites into low-Earth orbit to detect and counter GPS interference. For now, there's not much you can do personally, except maybe keep a paper map handy. But knowing how GPS affects your life helps you understand why these incidents matter. That's all from me today. Take care and see you next time.

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