16. Cyber Threats to Position and Timing Data and Their Impact on Safety and Security

Since the introduction of the Global Positioning System (GPS), many civil and military applications have become dependent on the continuous availability of GPS-derived position and timing information. Examples comprise financial transaction systems, electrical power grids and combat management systems. Both in the communication and navigation domain, security vulnerabilities exist that threaten the information continuity and integrity. This chapter starts with examples of applications of which safety depends on information security, in particular the integrity of the position and/or timing information provided by GPS or comparable satellite-based systems. Based on similarities in the proliferation of threats to information availability and integrity on the Internet, it is illustrated that legislation alone is not enough to mitigate the safety related risk. For the near term, solutions such as the use of existing dissimilar systems as a backup for applications that cannot afford a loss of position and timing information are proposed. For the long-term, potential solutions based on the use of encryption and authentication techniques are discussed.