Study: Israel is behind GPS spoofing attacks that disrupt air traffic

A study found that an Israeli Air Force base was responsible for the signal disruptions that affected civilian air traffic in the Middle East.

Researchers Todd Humphreys and Zach Clements of the University of Texas were cited by New York Times They are “very confident” that the deception came from the Israeli airport Ein Shemer.

This practice, known as “spoofing,” involves manipulating data so that an aircraft’s GPS receiver thinks it is at a different location.

According to researchers from SkAI Data Services and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, the pilots affected by the attacks mistakenly believed they were flying over airports in Beirut and Cairo.

“Spoofing and GPS jamming have increased sharply over the past three years, particularly near war zones in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, where the military is jamming navigation signals to thwart rocket and drone attacks,” the study said.

According to a separate study by the University of Texas, more than 50,000 flights were rigged in the region by 2024.

The spoofing attacks come as Israel continues its war on Gaza and engages with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel is believed to be using the GPS jamming systems to prevent rocket and drone attacks by the Lebanese paramilitary group.

Drivers in Israel were also reportedly affected by spoofing, with their GPS map apps falsely indicating that they were driving in another country.

Flights over the Baltics were also affected by similar disruptions. Estonia and other countries blame Russia for the attacks. It is believed that Russia is using GPS jammers as part of its war against Ukraine.

The Israeli military declined a request for comment. NYT.