Navigation systems vulnerable to attack

Vessels that use GPS systems in navigation could be vulnerable to terrorists attacks by spoofing according to GPS expert Todd Humphreys.

In network security, spoofing is a situation in which one program masquerades as another by falsifying data to fool the system and take control.

According to Fox News, Humphreys and a team from UT fed counterfeit radio signals to a yacht and took control of the navigation to steer the ship off course while the ship’s GPS system reported the vessel was continuing on original course.

Humphreys is director of the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Radionavigation Laboratory where he works as an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.

Read full article from Fox news and watch video of test onboard.

And to hear Humphreys explain more visit Todd Humphreys talk at TED.com.