Israel behind GPS spoofing attacks affecting air travel: study

An Israeli Air Force base was behind signal interference that caused disruption to civilian air traffic in the Middle East, a study has revealed.

University of Texas researchers Todd Humphreys and Zach Clements were quoted by the New York Times as saying they were “highly confident” that the spoofing came from Israel’s Ein Shemer Airfield.

The practice, known as ‘spoofing’, manipulates data to make a plane’s GPS receiver think it is in a different location.

Pilots affected by the attacks have falsely believed they were flying above airports in Beirut and Cairo, according to researchers at SkAI Data Services and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

“Spoofing, along with GPS jamming, has sharply risen over the last three years, particularly near war zones in Ukraine and Gaza, where militaries interfere with navigation signals to thwart missile and drone attacks,” the study said.

More than 50,000 flights in the region have been spoofed in 2024, according to a separate study from the University of Texas.

The spoofing attacks come as Israel continues its war on Gaza and trades fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is believed that Israel uses the GPS jamming systems in a bid to prevent rocket and drone attacks from the Lebanese paramilitary group.

Spoofing has also reportedly affected drivers in Israel, whose GPS map apps have incorrectly displayed that they are driving in different countries.

Flights going over the Baltic region have experienced similar interference, with Estonia and other states blaming Russia for the attacks. Russia is believed to be using GPS jamming as it wages its war on Ukraine.

The Israeli military declined to a request for comment from the NYT.