The central government has confirmed reports that seven major airports across India were targeted by cyber attacks, leading to disruptions at key aviation hubs. The confirmation follows reports of technical anomalies, including the spoofing of navigational systems, at several big airports nationwide. According to a report from Matrubhumi, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu informed the Parliament that flights approaching these airports reported GPS spoofing while using GPS-based landing procedures at Runway 10 of the IGI Airport in Delhi. The government acknowledged that the airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru were among those affected by the cybersecurity incidents. GPS spoofing reported, says government The primary mode of the cyber attack involved the reported spoofing of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, particularly affecting flights approaching the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. GPS spoofing occurs when false GPS signals are broadcast to receivers, misleading aircraft navigation systems about their actual position and altitude. Despite the serious nature of the cyber attack, the government emphasised that no flight operations were disrupted or cancelled due to the GPS spoofing. Contingency measures and continued security protocols ensured that air traffic control systems maintained stability, allowing flights to operate without interruption. Security on high alert While flight operations remained

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spoofing is a cyberattack when someone tries to trick navigation systems by giving false information about a plane’s position, speed, or time. Unlike jamming, which overwhelms the GPS signal with noise, spoofing provides fake but believable data. This can mislead aircraft into thinking they are somewhere they are not. GPS spoofing can seriously endanger flights by causing errors in route or altitude. However, Naidu told the Parliament that these signals did not affect flight movements. This was mainly because India had already deployed conventional navigational aids. He added that similar interference reports had come from Kolkata, Amritsar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai airports. To strengthen safety, Naidu said advanced cybersecurity measures for IT networks and infrastructure were also being implemented. The Union Minister’s remarks follow after over 400 flights at Delhi’s IGIA were delayed last month due to a technical snag in the air traffic control system.