GPS spoofing and jamming,what's the main difference

　　While they may cause some similar fallout, spoofing and jamming are two very different processes. Spoofing requires the attacker to be able to recreate signals from more than one satellite and transmit them to a specifically targeted receiver. As long as the targeted receiver can't tell the difference between the legitimate signals and the spoofed ones, the attack may go unnoticed.

　　Coordinating and carrying out a spoofing attack is a lot more complicated than jamming GPS, especially in an intentionally covert scenario. If the attacker wants to avoid discontinuity, they must synchronize the false signal with the satellite one at the physical location where they will attack the receiving antenna.

　　If the attacker cannot physically install the spoofer on the vehicle that carries the target receiver unit, they must find another way to determine and track the location of the receiver. There are a few different ways to achieve this, all of which are technically complex. With this wrinkle to consider, it makes perfect sense that there are fewer reports of spoofing than there are of GPS jamming incidents.

　　Jammer is far more widespread than spoofing, partly because it is nearly effortless for almost anyone to perform on purpose, and partly because it can happen by accident. The case of the New Jersey jammer is an excellent example of both coinciding. While the man purposefully purchased a device with the intent to interfere with the GPS tracking his truck, he also managed to interfere with a much more substantial and pivotal GPS receiver in the process.

　　GPS jamming is also typically less subtle than spoofing. While the goal of spoofing is to hide activity so the target receiver doesn't realize anything is amiss, gps jammers causes overt interference. In a military setting, the difference is stark.

　　However, a jammed drone will drop its signal entirely or otherwise appear compromised in a way that indicates jamming has occurred. While spoofing is more likely to be part of a long-term operation,jammer is more frequently a way to sow confusion or chaos before an imminent attack.