Throughout several days in the end of June, over 20 ships reported problems with GPS reception in the Black Sea. According to experts, the problems were probably a result of an attack on the GPS infrastructure.

Logs from ships affected by the GPS spoofing have been recovered and the evidence appears conclusive that it was specifically a spoofing attack. One can clearly see the ships' GPS position being manipulated as the ships jump around the sea and a nearby Russian airport.

"The evidence points strongly to a spoofing attack. The captain’s account and the pictures he sent are quite convincing. And according to my sources it’s still ongoing, but at a lower signal strength", reports Dr. Humpreys. 

Read the full article featuring Dr Humphreys.

The US Navy is still investigating the causes behind the two US Navy collisions in the past two months. Many theories have been put forth, including GPS spoofing or jamming. Experts suggest that it is highly unlikely, but not impossible. 

GPS spoofing and jamming attacks are possible and have been demonstrated. GPS attacks likely caused ship navigation malfunctions in the Black Sea this summer where many ships suddenly reported that they were located inland Russia. Professor Todd Humphreys of the University of Texas successfully demonstrated such an attack in 2013 when he and his group of graduate students hijacked the navigation of a state-of-the-art yacht.

With regard to the US Navy ships, Professor Humphreys believes that the evidence is not indicative of GPS spoofing. Read the full article featuring Professor Humphreys.

An oil tanker collided with the USS John S. McCain near Singapore this week, injuring five sailors, starting a search for ten more missing sailors, and sparking concerns about potential GPS foul-play. 

"There's something more than just human error going on," says Jeff Stutzman, a chief intelligence officer. "Statistically, it looks very suspicious," Dr. Humphreys chimes in. GPS spoofing has been on the rise lately, affecting ships in the Black Sea last month.

As fully autonomous ships come online and our reliance on global shipping trade increases, concerns regarding the security of onboard electronic systems are on the rise. "It would be mayhem if the right team came in [the English Channel] and decided to do a spoofing attack."

Read the full McClatchy article featuring Dr. Humphreys.