The Risk of Jamming and Spoofing
GNSS systems rely on uninterrupted availability of the satellite based navigation tool. However, many of the GNSS systems do not have Electronic Counter Countermeasures (ECCM) systems in place, leaving them exposed to potential disruptions as a result.
The two main types of disruptions are jamming, when the GNSS system is unavailable due to a variety of factors, and spoofing, when false position information targets the GNSS receiver to transmit wrongful information about the location and time recorded.
Until recently, only military cargo had to be protected from jamming and spoofing of GNSS systems, yet the recent increase in cargo theft and the potential value cargo has for black market sellers has made pharmaceutical, automotive, tobacco and other industries equally susceptible to theft (if not more so due to the ease of re-selling consumer goods).
When jamming occurs, valuable information about the cargo whereabouts can be lost, causing delays and increased costs to a company. If the cause for the GNSS system malfunction is spoofing, the transmission of false information can cause precious hours to go by before misconduct is suspected and the true information about the cargo is uncovered. Either way, companies in all industries need to do what they can do to prevent themselves from being at risk to jamming or spoofing malfunctions.
Increased Reliance on Independent Monitoring Solutions
The best way to ensure that your cargo is protected from jamming issues or spoofing attempts is by implementing an advanced cargo monitoring solution utilizes a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
In such an instance, when one monitoring system can easily malfunction, be hacked or transmit false information, having redundancy in place is the only way to ensure that you always know where your cargo is at all times.
Working with an independent and dependable cargo monitoring solution lets companies cross validate information provided by the shipping company with their own external information to ensure the information is correct. When working with the right external cargo monitoring solution provider, companies are also able to easily switch between different frequencies and signals, activating open-access and secure access signals as deemed necessary in order to protect their cargo.
In such a case, the cargo monitoring solution can switch satellites without losing information, cross checking signals for consistency and ignoring those who have a high risk for spoofing or who exhibit a jamming disruption.
How Contguard Can Help
As a cargo monitoring leader, Contguard products offers companies to better protect their cargo in a simple and seamless way.
Until recently, such monitoring redundancy technology has been reserved for military and government applications due to their associated high risk and high cost. Today, Contguard has been able to create a solution that is simple to implement, affordable for companies that care about their cargo, and reliable worldwide.
According to Dan Benkin, the Contguard VP of Security and Loss Prevention, “today redundancy cargo monitoring is a must if you care about your cargo. Leaving your cargo at risk of relaying false information or not relaying information at all will absolutely have an impact on your bottom line – no question about it.”
To ensure maximum efficiency, all Contguard units are automatically equipped with the latest technology to detect jamming and alert companies of potential jamming interruptions in the monitoring service of the selected shipping company.
