When GPS lies at sea: How electronic warfare is threatening ships and their crews

In addition to watching out for missile and drone attacks, mariners in conflict zones need to be on guard for GPS spoofing and other cyberattacks. The stakes are high and mariners are ill-prepared.

By: Anna Raymaker, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 12, 2026

Words: 1,240

Last Updated: 4 months, 3 weeks ago

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By Anna Raymaker, Georgia Institute of Technology

The war in Iran has dominated headlines with reports of airstrikes and escalating military activity. But beyond the immediate devastation, the conflict has also illuminated a quieter and rapidly growing danger: the vulnerability of ships, and the people who operate them, to disruption of their navigation systems.

Modern shipping depends heavily on GPS satellite navigation. When those signals are disrupted or manipulated, ships can suddenly appear to …

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