GPS Spoofing

Why in news?

New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport witnessed multiple GPS spoofing incidents, disrupting more than 800 flight operations and causing delays across the Indian airspace.

• GPS spoofing – It is a form of cyber-attack, is very different from GPS jamming, which blocks GPS signals.
• It refers to the practice of manipulating or tricking a GPS receiver by broadcasting false GPS signals.
• It is also known as GPS simulation.
• Working – Unlike jamming, GPS spoofing involves deliberate transmission of fake satellite signals to mislead aircraft navigation systems.

• Impact – It undermines the reliability of GPS data, which is vital for a variety of applications, from navigation to time synchronization and more.
• GPS Spoofing cases -
  • Earlier incidents – Between Nov, 2023 & Feb, 2025, 465 GPS spoofing incidents were reported in the India-Pakistan border region, mostly in Amritsar and Jammu (told by Centre in Lok Sabha).
  • International Air Transport Association (IATA) report – 4.3 lakh cases of GPS jamming and spoofing over conflict zones were recorded in 2024, up by 62% from 2023.
  • GPS jam portal – India's borders with Pakistan & Myanmar as among the top 5 regions where more than 10% of aircraft reported poor navigation accuracy.
• Threats
  • It can mislead aircraft, ships, and autonomous systems, causing navigation errors and safety risks.
  • It poses serious threats to national security, enabling military deception and border violations.
  • Critical infrastructure and financial systems relying on GPS timing are also vulnerable to disruption.
• Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, 2025 report – It warned about the outdated technology risks - operational & safety challenges, particularly at high-density airports like Delhi & Mumbai.
  • It called for a time-bound overhaul of India’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) automation systems.

References

1. Mint | New Delhi's airport, witnessed multiple GPS spoofing incidents
2. India Today | GPS spoofing, common along Pak border