We all know our personal computers and other online devices can be hacked if we don't take precautions, and news stories have also described how recent-model computer-controlled cars can be taken over, but have you heard about how GPS spoofing can fool with your boat's GPS navigation?
Boaters are increasingly using smart device GPS navigation apps or chartplotters to guide their boats, and most of us generally trust GPS localization because these are the same satellites used by commercial ships and airlines - but who would imagine a malicious person could broadcast fake GPS signals to fool our systems and guide our boats somewhere other than where we want to go, without us even knowing it? University researchers have just demonstrated how it can be done by remotely taking over the autopilot of a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean and moving the ship in a different direction while all instruments indicated it was still safely on its original course.
One more thing for paranoids to worry about! Fortunately, the odds of someone doing that to a small, private boat are likely about the same as winning the lottery. Still, it's spooky to know it can be done!
