USDOT to host GPS scrambling workshop on December 3

The US Department of Transportation is sponsoring an afternoon workshop on GPS jamming and spoofing in the maritime environment on December 3.

Speakers include Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Assistant Under Secretary for Research and Technology; Maersk Lines ship captains; and representatives of the National Security Council, the Maritime Administration and the United States Coast Guard.

While GPS jammers are a problem in many transportation and critical infrastructure sectors, they are often more visible in the maritime sector. This is because the Automatic Identification System (AIS) used to avoid collisions and the traffic management of major vessels transmits location data based on GPS inputs.

These broadcasts are received by coastal networks and satellite systems. AIS data is often freely accessible to the public or easily accessible.

With ships in Russian waters being usurped at inland airports, ships in Chinese ports reporting inland and circling government buildings, and ships in one part of the world reporting their locations to thousands kilometers and turning in the ocean off northern California the highest provide examples in recent years.

In 2019, the US Coast Guard made interference with GPS signals an "urgent problem" for the International Maritime Organization.

In February, President Trump issued an executive order on the responsible use of positioning, navigation, and timekeeping. This workshop is part of the federal government's efforts, as part of the order, to educate the public about the vulnerabilities associated with excessive dependence on surrogacy.