SoftGNSStrusted - Signal authentication utilizing a dual frequency software-based GNSS receiver for trusted positioning

Today the accurate and safe determination of position and time information using GNSS becomes an essential part in our society. But, how can users be sure the information they receive is authentic? The more a resource becomes valuable to our civil infrastructure, criminal or malicious agents seek to discover and exploit weaknesses in order to disrupt legitimate users or to perpetrate fraud. In the case of disturbing the GNSS signal two main classes of interference are distinguished: the unintentional class and the intentional class. The class of intentional interference can further be split up in jamming, meaconing and spoofing. One of the basic problems is, that a signal authentication, which would be necessary to assure a reliable determination of the users position and time, was not an initial design consideration for the civil use of GPS. The main goal of the proposed SoftGNSSTrusted project is the investigation of new algorithms for signal authentication using a software-based GNSS receiver. Due to higher computation power and flexibility of the receiver the developed methods will allow the detection of intentional interferences like jamming, meaconing and especially the complex spoofing. Within the project SoftGNSS 2, which has been carried out in the course of the 6th call of ASAP, a software-based receiver has been developed. Such a receiver provides more opportunities than ever before to develop and establish further improved and intelligent strategies for signal authentication. Software-based GNSS receivers have the advantage of high flexibility for the adaptation to several applications, and can serve as a development platform investigating new algorithms and techniques. The project SoftGNSSTrusted is an investigation for signal authentication based on the developed software-based GNSS receiver, using the current GPS signals, as a first proof of concept. Of all security threats of the intentional class, spoofing is in the focus primarily.