GPS devices are extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks and while there currently aren’t any backups for the technology, Americans still heavily rely on it. Electromagnetic storms, military attacks, and hackers have the potential to easily compromise satellites and leave millions of people and companies without GPS systems. Even an unintentional compromise of GPS satellites can be extremely harmful to transportation systems. So far, there have been three laws that require the Transportation Department to provide a backup technology for GPS systems, however Congress has yet to allocate the funds for this project. In the meantime, the DOT has tested about 11 technologies that could be used in place of GPS like terrestrial radio, cell, or WiFi signals.
Currently, there are 900 million GPS receivers utilized in America for transportation and business purposes. For example, farmers use GPS systems to efficiently care for crops and electric power plants use the technology to properly distribute energy. A reliable GPS backup is needed soon before it’s too late.
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