GPS spoofing attacks have resurged in 2025, continuing to disrupt air and maritime navigation following a massive spike in summer 2024. Flights across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and especially Myanmar. Have faced significant disruptions, highlighting growing risks to global transportation networks.
In the latest incident, the Indian military confirmed that flights carrying humanitarian aid to Myanmar after a March 28 earthquake experienced GPS spoofing and were forced to rely on backup navigation systems. At the peak in 2024, over 2,000 daily flights were affected globally, including 1,500 in the Middle East alone. Though the numbers dropped by late 2024, the attacks began increasing again by year-end and have remained steady in 2025.
State-Sponsored Activity Likely Behind GPS Spoofing Attacks
While GPS spoofing can be conducted using affordable tools, experts believe most incidents are state-driven. Benoit Figuet of SkAI Data Services, which tracks spoofing via open-source intelligence, says the scope of these attacks suggests military or government involvement.
“We saw rising spoofing near Myanmar even before the earthquake,” Figuet noted. “Ongoing instability in the region is likely a key factor.”
These electronic countermeasures have become routine in conflict zones like Ukraine and Gaza, used to jam military GPS for missiles and drones. Unfortunately, civilian flights are often caught in the crossfire, revealing weaknesses in ADS-B, the technology used for tracking aircraft.
Middle East No Longer the Epicenter
A 2024 report from SkAI Data Services showed spoofing attacks peaked in Q2 and Q3 last year. By late 2024, daily disruptions dropped sharply but began rising again in December. Co-founder Raphael Monstein said while the Middle East was once the focal point, Russia, Kaliningrad, and the Black Sea now lead the activity.
Today, fewer than one-third of attacks occur in the Middle East. In contrast, spoofing near the India-Pakistan border, Thailand, Cambodia, and other Southeast Asian regions is on the rise. Still, detection gaps exist due to limited monitoring coverage in these areas.
Advanced Navigation Tech Fights Spoofing
Because GPS signals are easily spoofed, pilots in high-risk regions now expect interference and rely on traditional or secondary navigation systems. But new solutions are emerging.
The Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) adds directional sensitivity to GPS receivers and is widely used by the military. Other innovations include quantum-enabled navigation developed by Q-CTRL and Advanced Navigation. These sensors use magnetic landmarks for passive, unspoofable guidance.
“Quantum-assured navigation systems are passive, cannot be jammed, and remain undetectable,” says Michael Biercuk, CEO of Q-CTRL. “They solve critical challenges in both defense and civilian transport.”
