GPS Spoofing, Jamming Attacks in the Air Are Increasing, Experts Say

Mario Paniccia, CEO of Anello Photonics, said the fate of Flight 8243, shot down by mistake in an area of GPS jamming, highlighted the ’reality.'

Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, 2024. Emergencies Ministry/via Reuters

There has been a big increase in the number of GPS spoofing and jamming attacks aimed at interfering with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data, which are standard on all international airliners, according to a U.N. aviation agency.

Stanford University, which keeps a database of incidents, reported that 25 planes were affected by GPS jamming over Utah on the night of Oct. 29.