GPS spoofing

Incredibly interesting article about GPS spoofing and the theoretical “hijacking” of a truck via Schneier on Security.

Jon Warner of Argonne National Laboratories set out to examine GPS security one Saturday afternoon. Jon is part of the Vulnerability Assessment Team (VAT), a small group whose goal is to uncover flaws in our systems so that they can be fixed. “We try to think like the bad guys,” Jon said, “so that we can plug the holes they might use.”

To test out GPS security, Roger Johnston, head of the VAT, challenged the team to demonstrate how to steal a cargo truck and get away with it. Cargo trucks generally contain a GPS tracking device which relays position and speed information to a central office. This enables freight companies to track their drivers’ locations and ensure that trucks are on course. If a truck veers off course, it sets off an alarm at headquarters. If an attacker could falsify or “spoof” GPS information, he or she could hijack the truck and steal the cargo without being noticed.