GNSS Spoof Detection Using Passive Ranging

Advances in electronics technology have enabled the creation of malicious RF interference of GNSS signals. For example jamming completely denies the GNSS user of position, navigation, and time (PNT) information. While a serious concern when we expect PNT at all times, current generation GNSS receivers often warn the user when PNT is unavailable. A second threat to GNSS integrity is spoofing, the creation of counterfeit GNSS signals with the potential to confuse the receiver into providing incorrect PNT information. This type of attack is considered more dangerous than a jamming attack since erroneous PNT is often worse than no solution at all. A variety of approaches have been proposed in the literature to recognize spoofing and can vary widely based upon the assumed capabilities and a priori knowledge of the spoofer. One method is to compare the GNSS result to data from a non-GNSS sensor. At the January 2016 ION ITM these authors developed and analyzed a spoof detection algorithm based upon measurements from an active ranging system (distances, but no heading). This paper expands the class of signals viable for this spoofing detection approach to passive ranging; equivalently, to range measurements which depend upon knowledge of precise time (effectively pseudoranges)

On the Threat of Systematic Jamming of GNSS

This paper presents a study of the threat of malicious interference to GNSS and examines the special case where the jamming device is incrementally more sophisticated than a typical always-on interference source. The concept of a systematic jamming attack is considered, where the interference signal is intentionally synchronized with the GNSS signals, with the intention of causing maximum disruption with the minimum power expenditure. Various attack methodologies are examined for the case of a civilian L1 receiver. It is shown that, depending on the attack strategy, the target signal and the target receiver, data-recovery, navigation and timing can be denied to a user with some tens of decibels less average power than a traditional jamming attack. It is further shown that some attacks may be capable to effectively deny some receiver functionality in a subtle manner such that presence of the malicious interference goes undetected. Key signal and receiver features that expose a vulnerability are identified and some means of improving receiver robustness are provided

Satellite-Based Communications Security: A Survey of Threats, Solutions, and Research Challenges

Satellite-based Communication systems are gaining renewed momentum in Industry and Academia, thanks to innovative services introduced by leading tech companies and the promising impact they can deliver towards the global connectivity objective tackled by early 6G initiatives. On the one hand, the emergence of new manufacturing processes and radio technologies promises to reduce service costs while guaranteeing outstanding communication latency, available bandwidth, flexibility, and coverage range. On the other hand, cybersecurity techniques and solutions applied in SATCOM links should be updated to reflect the substantial advancements in attacker capabilities characterizing the last two decades. However, business urgency and opportunities are leading operators towards challenging system trade-offs, resulting in an increased attack surface and a general relaxation of the available security services. In this paper, we tackle the cited problems and present a comprehensive survey on the link-layer security threats, solutions, and challenges faced when deploying and operating SATCOM systems.Specifically, we classify the literature on security for SATCOM systems into two main branches, i.e., physical-layer security and cryptography schemes.Then, we further identify specific research domains for each of the identified branches, focusing on dedicated security issues, including, e.g., physical-layer confidentiality, anti-jamming schemes, anti-spoofing strategies, and quantum-based key distribution schemes. For each of the above domains, we highlight the most essential techniques, peculiarities, advantages, disadvantages, lessons learned, and future directions.Finally, we also identify emerging research topics whose additional investigation by Academia and Industry could further attract researchers and investors, ultimately unleashing the full potential behind ubiquitous satellite communications.Comment: 72 page