System and method for detection of RF signal spoofing

• US 8,934,859 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Dickman, Jeff, Ahmadi, Reza, Cosgrove, Mathew A., Gunawardena, Sanjeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US13/713,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20130157605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 455/1, 455/501, 455/63.1, 455/67.11, 455/130, 455/226.1, 455/278.1, 455/296
• US Class Current: 455/296
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/215 issues related to spoofing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/22 including jamming detection and monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/65 using deceptive jamming or spoofing, e.g. transmission of false signals for premature triggering of RCIED, for forced connection or disconnection to/from a network or for generation of dummy target signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/90 related to allowing or preventing navigation or positioning, e.g. GPS

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention includes a radio frequency (RF) receiver system. The system includes an antenna configured to receive an RF input signal and an RF signal front-end system configured to process the RF input signal to generate an equivalent digital signal. The system also includes a spoof detection system configured to analyze a power spectral density (PSD) of the equivalent digital signal and to compare the PSD of the equivalent digital signal with a predetermined baseline PSD to detect the presence of a spoofing signal component in the RF input signal.

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) receiver system comprising:

an antenna configured to receive an RF input signal;

an RF signal front-end system configured to process the RF input signal to generate an equivalent digital signal; and

a spoof detection system comprising;

a memory configured to store a predetermined baseline power spectral density (PSD) corresponding to a baseline RF signal in which the spoofing signal component is known to be absent;

a PSD processor configured to generate a time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal; and

a PSD comparator configured to implement a statistical difference algorithm across the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal relative to the predetermined baseline PSD to detect a spoofing signal component in the RF input signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the spoof detection system further comprises a normalization component configured to normalize the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and the baseline PSD, wherein the PSD comparator is further configured to compare the normalized time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and the normalized baseline PSD based on the statistical difference algorithm.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the PSD comparator is further configured to substantially filter a data component associated with the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and with the predetermined baseline PSD before implementing the statistical difference algorithm, wherein the PSD comparator is further configured to compare the filtered time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and the filtered baseline PSD based on the statistical difference algorithm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the statistical difference algorithm comprises a standard deviation of a difference between the PSD of the equivalent digital signal relative to the predetermined baseline PSD, wherein the PSD comparator is configured to detect the spoofing signal component in the RF input signal in response to the standard deviation of the difference exceeding a threshold.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the RF input signal is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal, and wherein the data component is a course acquisition code.

6. A radio frequency (RF) receiver system comprising:

an antenna configured to receive an RF input signal;

an RF signal front-end system configured to process the RF input signal to generate an equivalent digital signal; and

a spoof detection system comprising;

a memory configured to store a predetermined baseline power spectral density (PSD) corresponding to a baseline RF signal in which the spoofing signal component is known to be absent;

a PSD processor configured to generate a time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal; and

a PSD comparator configured to substantially filter a data component associated with the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and with the predetermined baseline PSD and to compare the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal with the predetermined baseline PSD to detect the presence of a spoofing signal component in the RF input signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the spoof detection system further comprises a normalization component configured to normalize the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and the baseline PSD, wherein the PSD comparator is further configured to compare the normalized filtered time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and the normalized filtered baseline PSD to detect the presence of a spoofing signal component in the RF input signal.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the PSD comparator is configured to compare the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal with the predetermined baseline PSD based on determining a standard deviation of a difference between the PSD of the equivalent digital signal relative to the predetermined baseline PSD, and is further configured to detect the spoofing signal component in the RF input signal in response to the standard deviation of the difference exceeding a threshold.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the RF input signal is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal, and wherein the data component is a course acquisition code.

10. A radio frequency (RF) receiver system comprising:

an antenna configured to receive an RF input signal;

an RF signal front-end system configured to process the RF input signal to generate an equivalent digital signal; and

a spoof detection system comprising;

a memory configured to store a predetermined baseline power spectral density (PSD) corresponding to a baseline RF signal in which the spoofing signal component is known to be absent;

a PSD processor configured to generate a time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal;

a normalization component configured to normalize the time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and the baseline PSD; and

a PSD comparator configured to compare the normalized time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal with the normalized predetermined baseline PSD to detect the presence of a spoofing signal component in the RF input signal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the PSD comparator is configured to compare the normalized time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal with the normalized predetermined baseline PSD based on determining a standard deviation of a difference between the normalized PSD of the equivalent digital signal relative to the normalized predetermined baseline PSD, and is further configured to detect the spoofing signal component in the RF input signal in response to the standard deviation of the difference exceeding a threshold.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the PSD comparator is further configured to substantially filter a data component associated with the normalized time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and with the normalized predetermined baseline PSD, wherein the PSD comparator is further configured to compare the filtered normalized time-averaged PSD of the equivalent digital signal and the filtered normalized baseline PSD to detect the presence of a spoofing signal component in the RF input signal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the RF input signal is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal, and wherein the data component is a course acquisition code.