December 2019, ScientificAmerican.com 39GPS
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|||||||||||||||||||||||||||Illustration by Harry CampbellIN BRIEFSuspected hackers have jammed GPS signals that
guide air liners. Electric grids, the stock market and
other systems also rely on GPS to time operations.
Bad actors can jam or spoof GPS signals without
complicated or expensive technology and without
the need for deep training.Many countries have a ground-based backup
system based on eLoran technology that is difficult
to jam or spoof, but the U.S. has never built one.Hacking the system
we all rely on is not
difficult, and
the U.S. has no
defense in place
By Paul Tullis
S E C U R I T Y© 2019 Scientific American