The Threat to Drones: GPS Jamming Systems, and the Countermeasures Available

infiniDome Highlights Technology Behind GPS Jamming Systems, Countermeasures

infiniDome, an Israeli developer of anti-GPS jamming systems, recently released a white-paper report focusing on various GPS jamming technologies, as well as countermeasures (such as the company’s own GPSdome product). While GPS jamming might not be front-of-mind for many drone operators, both government and civilian clients worldwide are vulnerable to GPS disruption techniques, which can send expensive drones falling from the sky as hackers use easily-acquired tools to attack the GPS access of drone units. Because the satellite-based GPS signal that actually reaches vehicles and drones is fairly weak, using an RF emitter at the same frequencies at which GPS operates can have catastrophic effects, as was seen in Zhengzhou, China, when an attack on a light show saw hundreds of drones fall to the ground.

The paper discusses the different kinds of attacks jammers try in order to bring drones down, as well as technologies to counter them. Typically, the denial of service attacks on GPS networks are made by powerful RF emitters, which can use a variety of methods to try and interfere with the satellite connection between a drone or vehicle and the satellite networks above. To counter this, anti-jamming devices can either try to redirect the high-frequency beams (using beam forming or steering) or to attenuate attacking frequencies and create “null zones”, which are more effective but more difficult to roll out. Infinidome’s own product is a smaller form-factor “null steering” unit, with antenna sensors that can independently fight off attempts at signal jamming, aiding in uninterrupted operation.

 infiniDome’s technology has already seen real-world use, with the case study highlighting the successful use of their product to counter Syrian attempts to jam Israeli drones in the Golan Heights region engaged in both commercial and military tasks. In side-by-side testing, a video provided by infiniDome showed drones protected using the GPSdome system were able to distinguish sophisticated jamming techniques like mimicking real GNSS systems from the actual signal, allowing them to operate continuously while other drones failed to maintain their GPS connection. As awareness of drone security increases worldwide, operators should consider whether to adopt systems to counter GPS jamming and protect their drones from being brought down by bad actors.

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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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