US warns cargo ships of Iranian GPS spoofing threat

© Robert Hale

It’s like the plot of Tomorrow Never Dies: ship GPS systems are being hacked. However, the US Department of Transportation’s maritime administration is warning the hacker is are not a rogue newspaper baron, but Iran, as the stand-off between the Middle Eastern nation and the US and its allies intensifies. Splash 24/7 reports merchant vessels are being warned of “spoofed bridge-to-bridge communications for unknown entities falsely claiming to be US or coalition warships”. And like the James Bond movie, it does appear the spoofing is to lure cargo ships into Iranian waters, presumably so they can then be arrested.