Aviation Safety Threat: Aircraft Hours Can Be Hacked And Cause Serious Damage!

Illustration of GPS fraud incidents affecting commercial aircraft (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - A new wave of GPS fraud, a form of digital attack that can divert the path of commercial aircraft, has entered an interesting dimension. This was said by cybersecurity researchers.

According to OPSGROUP, aviation advisory agency, there has been a 400% spike in GPS fraud incidents affecting commercial aircraft in recent months. Many of these incidents involve illegal ground-based GPS systems, particularly around conflict zones, which broadcast incorrect positions to confuse drones or incoming missiles.

"We think of GPS too often as a source of position, but actually also a time source," said Ken Munro, founder of Pen Test Partners, a British cybersecurity firm, in a presentation at the DEF CON hacking convention in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 10.

Munro noted a recent incident in which hours on board operated by major Western airlines suddenly advanced for years, causing aircraft to lose access to its digital encrypted communication system. The aircraft must be deployed for several weeks while technicians reset its onboard system manually. Munro declined to identify the airline or the aircraft in question.

In April, Finnair temporarily suspended flights to the city of Tartu in eastern Estonia due to GPS fraud alleged by Tallinn by Russia.

GPS, abbreviating from the Global Positioning System, has replaced many expensive land officials who sent radio signals to guide the aircraft towards landing. However, it is quite easy to block or distort GPS signals using relatively cheap and easy-to-get components, as well as limited technology knowledge.

"Will this make the plane crash? No," Munro was quoted as saying by VOI from Reuters. What happens is just creating a bit of confusion. And you risk starting what we call a series of events, where something minor happens, something else minor happens, and then something serious happens."