Spoof proof CSAC SMACC - a spoofing resilient GPS clock

Background: Timing – in the form accurate and stable reference frequencies and/or accurate time stamps referenced to UTC – is a critical and valuable information asset in industrial control systems and IT infrastructure. Accurate timing is very often generated by GPS disciplined clocks – in which ‘low grade’ or inaccurate clocks are being continuously steered/corrected by GPS signals. A properly operating GPS disciplined clock will have the long term accuracy and stability of the atomic clocks of the GPS time scale, at an insignificant cost. However, since a GPS antenna needs a clear view of the sky and since the civil GPS code structure is known, GPS based timing may be viewed as an unencrypted and physically unsecured port into valuable infrastructure. The methods employed by a time hacker may include jamming - denial of access to GPS corrections by excessive radio noise - or spoofing - injection of malicious code in the form of transmission of GPS signals containing misleading information.

This master project will exploit a number of GPS and clock observables in order to detect and resist a number of different types of GPS hacking attacks.