Protecting Broadcast Infrastructure from GPS Jamming and Spoofing Attacks

Allan Armstrong, Leigh Whitcomb, Douglas Arnold, Steve Kolta, Geshan Wrosinghert, Matt Silver, Mathias Kleinsorge, Daniel Boldt, Heiko Gerstung

Global Positioning System (GPS) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives and widely used and trusted for navigation and other services. GPS is also the fundamental source of time for most broadcast networks. As such, broadcast networks depend on GPS for reliable operation. GPS is vulnerable to a long list of threats, including jamming and spoofing attacks. Jamming and spoofing are on the rise, and a variety of technologies exist to protect broadcast infrastructure. This paper explains how jamming and spoofing attacks are executed, shares global surveys of jamming and spoofing occurrences, contrasts accidental vs. military or state-sponsored attacks, introduces technologies and tools to mitigate these problems, discusses the effectiveness of mitigation techniques, and explains testing methods, including in-lab testing and live-sky events. Tools discussed include RF & IF filters, holdover oscillators, redundant receivers, remote antennas, anti-jamming antennas, terrestrial time transport, multi-constellation and multiband receivers, GNSS consistency checks, cryptographic authentication, and alternative PNT sources. The paper will close by explaining how testing is conducted, sharing experience from lab and field testing, and recommending an approach to protecting infrastructure.

Print ISSN
Electronic ISSN
2160-2492
Published
2026-05
Content type
Original Research
Keywords
gps, gnss, galileo, osnma, jamming, spoofing, resilience, st 2110, holdover oscillator
DOI
10.5594/JMI.2026/CKZU8948