Team 2 Tech TalkGPS Spoofing

Andrew Nolan, Lokesh Gangaramaney

Christopher Micek, Kevin Fortier, Joseph PetittiComputer Science Dept.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Background: GPS

⚫ Developed by the US Military in 1973 as a satellite navigation system

for precision bombing.

⚫ Receivers use a constellation of 31 satellites in orbit with precise

atomic clocks and location data from ground stations to determine

ground position.

⚫ Need a signal from ≥4 satellites

⚫ Nowadays, available for both civilian and

military applications.

Background: GPS Spoofing

⚫ Idea: Use counterfeit GPS information to make a device

think it is located somewhere it isn’t.

⚫ Two types:

⚫ Hardware spoofing

⚫ Requires specialized hardware to transmit a fake

GPS signal, but always getting smaller/cheaper.

⚫ Software (geolocation) spoofing

⚫ Uses software to feed location monitoring services

false information (e.g. a VPN).

Problem to Solve

Hide or modify something's perceived location

Use Cases

⚫ Testing location-aware apps

⚫ Evading censorship/DRM

⚫ Protecting privacy

⚫ Criminal activity

⚫ Increase fare in ridesharing app

⚫ Divert deliveries to unsafe location

⚫ Warfare

⚫ Cheating in Pokémon Go

Real World Examples

⚫ Researchers from Regulus Cyber hijacked a Tesla Model S and convinced the autopilot to drive off the road

⚫ University of Texas at Austin researchers redirected a yacht’s navigation system using spoofing

More Real World Examples

⚫ The Kremlin has allegedly used GPS spoofing to obscure Putin's location.

⚫ GPS Joystick is an Android app that allows players to spoof their location in Pokemon Go

How It Works – Hardware Spoofing

⚫ Nearby radio antenna overpowers satellite signal

⚫ GPS chips usually use most powerful signal

⚫ Need to be physically nearby GPS antenna

How It Works – Software Spoofing

⚫ Requires a developer setting on Android

⚫ Uses Android's Mock Location API

⚫ Provide values including latitude, longitude, altitude, and speed

Sample Code - Permissions

⚫ Based on https://github.com/warren-bank/Android-Mock-Location

Sample Code – Setting a Location

Sample Code – Running the code

Questions ?

References

⚫ Andrew Couts. (2013). "Want to see this $80 million super yacht sink? With GPS spoofing, now you can!". Digital Trends. https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/gps-spoofing/

⚫ Bank, W. Android Mock Location Github, https://github.com/warren-bank/Android-Mock-Location

⚫ GPS JoyStick, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theappninjas.fakegpsjoystick&hl=en_US&gl=US

⚫ Harris, M. (2019). Ghost ships, crop circles, and soft gold: A GPS mystery in Shanghai. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/11/15/131940/ghost-ships-crop-circles-and-soft-gold-a-gps-mystery-in-shanghai/

⚫ Kerns, A. J., Shepard, D. P., Bhatti, J. A., & Humphreys, T. E. (2014). Unmanned aircraft capture and control via GPS spoofing. Journal of Field Robotics, 31(4), 617-636.

⚫ Lied, H (2017). GPS freaking out? Maybe you’re too close to Putin. NrkBeta.

⚫ McAfee. (2020). What is GPS spoofing? McAfee Blogs. https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/consumer/what-is-gps-spoofing/

⚫ Milner, G. (2020). How Vulnerable Is G.P.S.? The New Yorker.

⚫ Nichols, S. (2018). Sad Nav: How a cheap GPS spoofer gizmo can tell drivers to get lost. The Register. https://www.theregister.com/2018/07/16/researchers_hack_gps/

⚫ Regulus Cyber. (2019). Tesla Model S and Model 3 Prove Vulnerable to GPS Spoofing Attacks as Autopilot Navigation Steers Car off Road, Research from Regulus Cyber Shows. PRNewswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/tesla-model-s-and-model-3-prove-vulnerable-to-gps-spoofing-attacks-as-autopilot-navigation-steers-car-off-road-research-from-regulus-cyber-shows-300871146.html