Navigation security

Russia uses ‘GPS spoofing technology’ to hide Putin’s location

The Russian Federation used electronic warfare equipment almost 10,000 times to create false GPS signals that sent ships off-grid and hid the location of President Vladimir Putin, according to a new report from the Center for Advanced Defense (C4ADS).

The think tank’s study outlined almost 10,000 instances in which Russian GPS-spoofing technology manipulated satellite-based navigation systems on ships, at airports and in other locations outside of the country’s controlled territories.

The C4ADS, a nonprofit organization that analyzes global conflict and security issues, also reported “a close correlation between movements of the Russian head of state and GNSS spoofing event,” suggesting the technology was used to hide Putin’s location.

GNSS — or global navigation satellite systems — is an umbrella term used to describe all satellite-based navigation systems, including GPS, the Russian GLONASS, Europe’s Galileo and China’s Beidou, Wired explained.

Russia’s spoofing technology manipulates GNSS into believing they are located elsewhere by flooding an area with radio signals, drowning out the actual data sent from space, BBC News reported.