The error could cause disruption to plane's navigation systems and electric grids
Time counters are predicted to roll back to zero in older GPS devices says expert
Experts raised the alert this week at RSA 2019 San Francisco security meeting
Bill Malik, vice president of Trend Micro, says he will not fly on April 6
Navigation systems on ships and older aircraft may be affected
GPS systems could be brought down next month due to a computer calendar error says information security expert.
An expert at the RSA 2019 security conference in San Francisco this week said he predicts a Y2K like computer error for older GPS systems to take place on April 6, in less than a month's time.
The computers' calendars could fail if GPS devices' with older systems flip back to zero after literally running out of time, reaching the end of their counters.
A similar prediction, nicknamed Y2K, was made in 1999 as the world worried over an impending computer shutdown.
Bill Malik, vice president of Trend Micro, a Taiwanese multinational cyber security and defense company, told Tom's Guide he wouldn't fly on April 6 and compared the prediction to the 1999 Y2K calendar error - but suggests things may be worse this time around.
He said: 'The effects would be more widespread because so many more systems have integrated GPS into their operations.'
'Ports load and unload containers automatically, using GPS to guide the cranes.'
'Public-safety systems incorporate GPS systems, as do traffic-monitoring systems for bridges.
'Twenty years ago these links were primitive. Now they are embedded. So any impact now will be substantially greater.'
Governments have issued warnings to state and private sectors to update technology.
The US government published a memorandum called 'Upcoming Global Positioning System Week Number Rollover Event' in April 2018 warning manufacturers and private technology firms.
There are few parts of our lives that haven't be altered by GPS technology. Financial markets may be affected by the rollover
While navigation systems in older ships and aircraft may be affected mobile phones are expected to be fine.
FalTech GPS, a British company that manufactures GPS signal repeaters for indoor use, wrote: 'Some GPS receivers, or other systems that utilize the date and time function, may not be able to cope.'
'Financial markets, power generating companies, emergency services and industrial control systems may be affected, as well as fixed-line and cellular communications networks.'
The error could cause disruption to plane's navigation systems and electric grids
Time counters are predicted to roll back to zero in older GPS devices says expert
Experts raised the alert this week at RSA 2019 San Francisco security meeting
Bill Malik, vice president of Trend Micro, says he will not fly on April 6
Navigation systems on ships and older aircraft may be affected
GPS systems could be brought down next month due to a computer calendar error says information security expert.
An expert at the RSA 2019 security conference in San Francisco this week said he predicts a Y2K like computer error for older GPS systems to take place on April 6, in less than a month's time.
The computers' calendars could fail if GPS devices' with older systems flip back to zero after literally running out of time, reaching the end of their counters.
A similar prediction, nicknamed Y2K, was made in 1999 as the world worried over an impending computer shutdown.
Bill Malik, vice president of Trend Micro, a Taiwanese multinational cyber security and defense company, told Tom's Guide he wouldn't fly on April 6 and compared the prediction to the 1999 Y2K calendar error - but suggests things may be worse this time around.
He said: 'The effects would be more widespread because so many more systems have integrated GPS into their operations.'
'Ports load and unload containers automatically, using GPS to guide the cranes.'
'Public-safety systems incorporate GPS systems, as do traffic-monitoring systems for bridges.
'Twenty years ago these links were primitive. Now they are embedded. So any impact now will be substantially greater.'
Governments have issued warnings to state and private sectors to update technology.
The US government published a memorandum called 'Upcoming Global Positioning System Week Number Rollover Event' in April 2018 warning manufacturers and private technology firms.
There are few parts of our lives that haven't be altered by GPS technology. Financial markets may be affected by the rollover
While navigation systems in older ships and aircraft may be affected mobile phones are expected to be fine.
FalTech GPS, a British company that manufactures GPS signal repeaters for indoor use, wrote: 'Some GPS receivers, or other systems that utilize the date and time function, may not be able to cope.'
'Financial markets, power generating companies, emergency services and industrial control systems may be affected, as well as fixed-line and cellular communications networks.'
Wow, So this is Like, Mostly older GPS systems right? SO things like Mobile phone and android GPS won't be affected? I assume it's meaning really old GPS systems like those first generation ones like tom tom and such, I could be wrong.
“The GPS Internal Navigation Time Scale “GPS Time” is based on the weighted average of GPS satellites and ground station clocks. GPS Time is used for user navigation solutions. A nanosecond error in GPS Time can equate to one foot of position (ranging) error. The WN parameter is provided via a ten (10) bit parameter – or “counter.” The valid range of values for the WN parameter is 0 to 1023 (or 1024 total values). The WN parameter is incremented by one each week. At the end of the 1024th week, the counter experiences a rollover (resets) to 0. Each WN rollover event defines a new GPS Time Epoch. The WN value is referenced to the start of the current GPS Time Epoch. The last WN rollover was August 21, 1999. GPS Time is currently in the second Epoch. The next WN rollover is April 6, 2019.
GPS Time is adjusted by the U.S. Air Force GPS Directorate to maintain alignment with UTC as provided by the U.S. Naval Observatory. A GPS device that provides UTC time does so by converting GPS Time to UTC using multiple parameters – including WN – conveyed in page 18 of GPS sub-frame.
GPS devices with a poorly implemented GPS Time-to-UTC conversion algorithm may provide incorrect UTC following a WN rollover. Additionally, some GPS devices that calculate the WN value from a device-specific date rather than the start of the current GPS Time Epoch may provide incorrect UTC at some other device-specific date.”
DHS points out that this happened once before on August 22, 1999 and nothing bad happened then. Of course, that could be because most people were still folding paper maps in 1999 when GPS was still a new and much less used innovation.
“The GPS Internal Navigation Time Scale “GPS Time” is based on the weighted average of GPS satellites and ground station clocks. GPS Time is used for user navigation solutions. A nanosecond error in GPS Time can equate to one foot of position (ranging) error. The WN parameter is provided via a ten (10) bit parameter – or “counter.” The valid range of values for the WN parameter is 0 to 1023 (or 1024 total values). The WN parameter is incremented by one each week. At the end of the 1024th week, the counter experiences a rollover (resets) to 0. Each WN rollover event defines a new GPS Time Epoch. The WN value is referenced to the start of the current GPS Time Epoch. The last WN rollover was August 21, 1999. GPS Time is currently in the second Epoch. The next WN rollover is April 6, 2019.
GPS Time is adjusted by the U.S. Air Force GPS Directorate to maintain alignment with UTC as provided by the U.S. Naval Observatory. A GPS device that provides UTC time does so by converting GPS Time to UTC using multiple parameters – including WN – conveyed in page 18 of GPS sub-frame.
GPS devices with a poorly implemented GPS Time-to-UTC conversion algorithm may provide incorrect UTC following a WN rollover. Additionally, some GPS devices that calculate the WN value from a device-specific date rather than the start of the current GPS Time Epoch may provide incorrect UTC at some other device-specific date.”
DHS points out that this happened once before on August 22, 1999 and nothing bad happened then. Of course, that could be because most people were still folding paper maps in 1999 when GPS was still a new and much less used innovation.
This time though it's 2019, Lots of people use GPS, To be fair though, I don't use mine much, But I could see it being a larger scale problem this time though.
