We are convinced that this was an act of pure, unadulterated charity, uninfluenced by self-interest. Cellphone jammer maker CellAntenna Corp. is calling on U.S. lawmakers to change federal law to allow law enforcement officers to use cellphone jammers more broadly. We bet you can guess why too – and yes, it’s helpful in the fight against terrorism. Because as we all know, there are a lot of cell phone terrorists out there (in fact, for us, anyone we see with a cell phone is automatically suspect). CellAntenna said in a statement that adding cell phone jamming is "the first step in increasing profits to prevent IED attacks in the United States." How refreshing - a company with a social conscience.

 

The company is challenging FCC rules on cell phone jamming devices

 

A small Florida company is asking the Federal Communications Commission to change a rule that bans the sale of cell phone signal encryption equipment to local and state governments.

 

CellAntenna filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta on Nov. 22 challenging the Communications Act of 1934, which is enforced by the FCC. The 1934 Act and related FCC regulations prohibit the use of cellular and radio frequency jamming devices except by federal agencies. That means local and state officials are prohibited from using such devices, which could be used to prevent terrorist attacks.

 

CellAntenna contends that the Communications Act and the FCC's interpretation of the law's provisions are unconstitutional because they conflict with the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which Congress passed in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

 

It is well known in intelligence and law enforcement circles that cell phones can be used to remotely detonate certain types of bombs. The electrical properties of most batteries used in today's cell phones provide enough energy to produce the necessary spark or energy to ignite detonators or modified electric matches typically used for plastic explosives. In addition, even low-end mobile phones can use built-in alarm and timing mechanisms, and even the simplest and cheapest mobile devices can be used as bomb detonation tools.

 

Mobile phones are believed to have been used in the 2004 Madrid train bombings. Insurgents have used them effectively to trigger street bombings in Iraq in recent years. U.S. troops in Iraq are using devices made by companies like CellAntenna that jam or block cellphone signals to protect convoys traveling through known trouble spots.

 

But in the United States, only federal agencies are allowed to use phone encryption devices. The law prohibits local and state law enforcement agencies from obtaining such devices as first responders to domestic terrorist attacks.

 

"It simply doesn't make sense that the FBI can use these devices but local and state governments, which are considered an important part of counterterrorism under the Homeland Security Act, cannot," said Howard Melamed, CEO of CellAntenna. That makes sense." "We provide weapons and other equipment to local police to protect the public, but we can't trust them to have cell phone wifi jammers devices? It doesn't make sense."

 

This point is a key element of CellAntenna's case against the FCC

 

"Whereas the FCC prohibits the sale of radio frequency and cellular jammers to state and local police departments, the Homeland Security Act consistently and repeatedly directs the Department of Homeland Security to take whatever measures are necessary to empower local law enforcement agencies and first responders in the fight against global terrorism."

The DroneGun interferes with robotic aircraft at a very safe distance

There are a number of systems that can be used to shoot down wayward or dangerous drones, but they tend to have one big problem: You need to be relatively close to the drone, which can be scary if the robotic plane is packing explosives. DroneGun, a jammer gps that disables drone signals (including GPS and GLONASS positioning) from up to 1.2 miles away. Like most of its competitors, it doesn't destroy the target drone - it simply forces the vehicle to land or return to its starting point. Counter-drone teams can not only eliminate threats from a safe distance, but also locate their pilots.

It's not the lightest machine, but it's portable enough for one person to use. You also don't need technical training, so it's easy for security personnel to use.

Whether you see DroneGun running or not is another matter. It's not yet FCC certified, so you can't legally operate it in the United States unless you work for the government. If approved, though, it could help shoot down drones at airports, protect soldiers from drone bombs and help in situations where they simply can't get close.

Drones can use anti-laser jammers to protect themselves

There have been many efforts to build lasers that destroy drones. But how to protect these drones? Adsys Controls thinks it can help. It's making Helios, a passive jammer that confuses laser weapons. If it detects an incoming laser beam, it detects the characteristics of that beam (such as its pulse and wavelength) and interferes with it to prevent the laser from locking on and baking the drone. The company did not specify how the jamming works, although it could be an anti-laser. The only certainty is that it's reliable - it's "permanent protection" against subsequent lock attempts, not just a brief interruption.

You may have to wait a while to see Helios in action, as there is currently no mention of a contract. Moreover, it is uncertain how effective it will be. Can a laser be aimed at part of a drone without being caught by a jammer? Is the system fast enough to stop the highest power laser from burning up the drone in seconds? Still, drones do not yet have true anti-laser defense capabilities. Any protection is bound to help, and if Adsys' solution lives up to its hype, it could be very effective.

The FCC is pursuing cell phone jammer that could leave users in the lurch

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has put a bounty on the head of any vigilante who hates cell phones. These GPS and signal jammers are especially popular in theaters, quiet restaurants and many school systems that struggle with sexting in the classroom. The FCC is calling on people to stop using the devices and report them to neighbors because they pose a serious health and safety risk by interfering with 911 calls and other emergencies nearby. Therefore, if you recognize a so-called "jammer," don't hesitate to file a complaint with the FCC, information can be found in the source link below.

Twenty years after the worst attack to ever occur on U.S. soil, it's not just large, populated passenger planes that keep officials and experts up at night, but also the threat of smaller, readily available unmanned aerial systems capable of carrying deadly payloads through the skies of an unsuspecting nation.

 

Drones are not tomorrow's weapons of mass destruction. They're here today, and the technology required to fashion such a device is only getting cheaper, smarter and more accessible.

 

One U.S. military official who requested anonymity paints a potential nightmare scenario involving small drones, referred to as unmanned aerial systems, unmanned aircraft systems, or simply, UAS.

"I kind of wonder what could you do if you had a couple of small UAS and you flew into a crowded stadium," the U.S. military official told Newsweek. "That could cause a lot of damage and it's a scenario that could potentially be in play."

 

While "no specific knowledge" of an active threat was discussed, the U.S. military official said that "there is concern given the proliferation of small, portable drones, that explosive drones could cause a mass casualty event."

 

It wouldn't be the first time the nation had been caught off guard by a possible danger looming right in front of authorities.

 

"It's just like I had no specific knowledge before 9/11 that people could hijack planes and crash into buildings, but Tom Clancy wrote a book about it," the U.S. military official said.

 

When the political thriller "Debt of Honor" was released in 1994 depicting a hijacked airliner targeting the U.S. Capitol, the concept of an aerial suicide raid had largely been confined in the national consciousness to the experience of Japanese kamikaze pilots in World War II. It wasn't until nearly 3,000 were killed on September 11, 2001 that what had been an eventuality became a reality.

 

But when it comes to UAS, the age of tactical drone warfare is already upon us. Shortly after 9/11, the United States became the first country to truly weaponize drones, fitting them with precision missiles that became a staple of the "War on Terror."

 

In the years since, drones have evolved from a high-end military technology to a commercial hobby flown by enthusiasts across the globe and sold by a multitude of companies on the civilian market. With the explosion of this seemingly innocent innovation has come a rise in nefarious usage that the U.S. military official with whom Newsweek spoke described as "an emergent threat" already demonstrated in several high-profile events.

 

One such event came just last weekend when three explosive-laden UAS, believed to be simple quadcopter models, targeted the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in an assassination attempt. Kadhimi lived, but photos released of his home revealed the destructive capabilities of such devices.

 

Kadhimi was not the first world leader to be preyed upon by bomb-rigged UAS. In August 2018, two drones carrying explosives detonated in an apparent failed attempt to take out Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a military parade in Caracas. He also escaped with his life.

 

Prior to these incidents, militants and militias had already managed to utilize such technology, giving non-state actors a sort of rudimentary yet deadly air force to take on better-equipped foes. In Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops have been targeted from above by both the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and Iran-aligned paramilitary forces.

 

Even more destructive platforms have seen action on the battlefield in the form of what's known as loitering munitions, or suicide drones. Last year, Azerbaijani forces demonstrated a deadly edge over Armenian rivals during a brief but bloody war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory through their use.

 

"They're relatively small, inexpensive drones, but they kind of cross that boundary between a drone and guided missile," the U.S. military official said.

 

This point was echoed by a security official from Israel, a country that produced some of the loitering munitions employed by Azerbaijani forces with substantial effect and now prove a potential concern for Iran as tensions simmer between the neighbors.

 

"This tool today is so easy, and small drones, you just really order them in and you've got yourself like a guided precision missile," the Israeli security official told Newsweek.

 

The Israeli security official noted that even with their current destructive potential, the munitions attached to such UAS today are in their relative infancy, not yet on a scale that any one of them alone could replicate a 9/11-style attack.

 

But their potential is already rapidly growing

 

"They are becoming much more accurate in their capabilities of navigation," the Israeli security official said. "I think where we will be seeing things is that the amount of explosives will get bigger now."

 

Smaller commercial UAS have another unique advantage over traditional aircraft and missile platforms: They have no launch signature, making them far more difficult to detect. Used in greater numbers, known as a swarm, they're also harder to intercept.

"If you need to intercept a dozen, an F-16 payload, if it's only doing air-to-air would be about six different air-to-air missiles, or similar to an F-35," the Israeli security official said. "So that already means that you need a few airplanes, and you need the time if you're looking at interception."

 

Israel was among the first nations to refine wartime drone technology, and it continues to field various platforms for covert missions. But its rivals have also demonstrated an early prowess for such technology, as proven by the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Palestinian Hamas, and their supporter, Iran.

 

Iran has developed an extensive arsenal of drones, including suicide drones capable of flying beyond 2,000 kilometers, exceeding 1,240 miles. Israel and the U.S. have both accused Iran of directly supplying UAS technology to partnered militias across the region, an allegation denied by the Islamic Republic.

 

"I think Tehran has its own independent defense program based on its defense needs and can define its efforts to counter the threats by strengthening its defense capabilities," an Iranian official told Newsweek.

 

China has also excelled in UAS technology, and Russia has developed high-end systems of its own as well.

 

The Israeli security official noted another trend that could prove deeply problematic to the safety of the region and beyond, a trend linked to Israel's ally, the U.S., and the withdrawal from a 20-year war in Afghanistan, where ISIS has sought to stage a comeback in a country the U.S. first entered in response to 9/11.

 

"We see another rise of terror, and I'll say, being both humble and appreciative to the U.S., but after Afghanistan, we do see a rise in what potentially could come again with the terror activities and the kind of backing that some of the terror organizations feel stronger and maybe even more courageous," the Israeli security official said. "This tool of drones can definitely be something that we might be seeing more."

 

One man who has written and spoken extensively on the potential impact of drones in the wrong hands is Zachary Kallenborn.

Kallenborn is a policy fellow at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government and a research affiliate with the University of Maryland's Unconventional Weapons and Technology Division of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. He has also served as a national security consultant and contributed to the U.S. Army as part of its Mad Scientist Laboratory.

 

"Drones are definitely capable of causing mass casualties," Kallenborn told Newsweek

 

Echoing the example put forth by the U.S. military official with whom Newsweek spoke, he imagines a crowded event as a potential target.

 

"Growing drone technology also increasingly allows drones to be flown autonomously or in collaborative swarms," Kallenborn said. "That increases the damage potential significantly. Imagine a terrorist air raid: a group of drones dropping bombs on a concert or stadium crowd."

 

Even more damaging, attackers could vastly multiply casualties by employing weapons of mass destruction, Kallenborn warned.

"Drones would be highly effective delivery systems for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons," he said. "Drones could, say, spray the agent right over a crowded area."

 

Kallenborn said he was "also quite concerned about drone attacks on airplanes, because aircraft engines and wings are not designed to survive drone strikes."

 

But he notes that "who the attacker is matters a lot," adding that "a big limiter" for the worst-case scenarios "is the ability of terrorists to acquire the chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agent, which they have historically struggled with."

 

He pointed out the difficulty of a militant group acquiring both the material and manpower to fly a larger swarm-sized fleet while avoiding detection.

 

"But that limitation is not an issue for state militaries," Kallenborn said. "Militaries have the resources and technology to make truly massive swarms that could rival the harm of traditional weapons of mass destruction, including small nuclear weapons."

 

"Not only is such a weapon massively powerful, it would be quite difficult to control," he added. "If you have 1,000 drones working together without human control, that's 1,000 opportunities for failure. And even more, because in a true drone swarm, the drones talk. As we've seen with COVID vaccine paranoia, misinformation can spread easily even among beings far smarter than an algorithm-guided drone."

 

As humans and machines are wont to err, so are defenses, and drones add a new level of difficulty in their ability to conduct random, difficult-to-detect operations. The U.S. military official with whom Newsweek spoke expressed a level of skepticism regarding existing defenses being acquired by the Department of Defense.

 

"The DOD is pouring a lot of money and effort into counter-UAS technology, but I think the DOD's PR exceeds the actual capability of these devices," the U.S. military official said.

 

One of the agencies keeping an eye out for UAS and drone activity on the domestic side is the Federal Aviation Authority. An FAA spokesperson told Newsweek that "the FAA is tasked with ensuring the safety of the National Airspace System (NAS) as well as people and property on the ground."

 

"When criminal activity is suspected, we work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners by providing them assistance with their investigations and prosecutions," the spokesperson said.

 

One way in which the FAA is seeking to improve the ability for authorities to determine potential problems posed by UAS is by enforcing remote identification, through which drones would be required to provide key information such as identity, altitude and current location as well as the location of its operator and take-off point.

 

"Remote identification requirements for all UAS operators, when combined with our current registration requirement, will enable more effective detection and identification," the FAA spokesperson said. "This will also help law enforcement to connect an unauthorized drone with its operator. Remote identification will help law enforcement determine if a drone poses an actual threat that needs to be mitigated, or if it's an errant drone that got away from someone but means no harm."

 

The rise of the drone threat has given birth to a booming new industry of counter-drone technologies. Among the leading companies in this field is DroneShield, an Australian firm that has supplied cutting-edge tools to the likes of the NATO military alliance and the United Nations.

 

DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik shared Kallenborn's concerns about WMD-strapped UAS in large numbers.

 

"Small UAS can be seen as a highly effective and cheap platform for surveillance and payload delivery," Vornik told Newsweek. "For payload delivery, a small UAS can easily carry up to a few pounds of weight — this is a lot of explosive or biological or chemical weapons."

 

"What's more," he added, "at $1,000-$2,000 per UAS, and swarming technologies available today (think of giant figures in the sky or fireworks, all generated by choreographed drones), this can be easily in 100s of drones, each carrying a dangerous substance."

 

These figures may seem high, but Vornik argued that the general lack of oversight would make it hard to track acquisition. And even if suggested controls were put in place, he said, the threat would only partially be addressed.

 

"UAS can be purchased today in a completely unrestricted way, being considered toys, essentially. Registration would solve some of the issue, but consider how many unregistered firearms get used for terrorism," Vornik said. "The pilot of the drone would also be invisible/difficult to catch in an attack, making it more appealing to use"

 

In addition to the kinetic threat, he warned of potential cyber attacks employing UAS

 

"Call it a conspiracy, but we received reports that the Ever Given container ship (yes, the one that blocked Suez Canal and stopped much of sea traffic) was due to a cyber hacking from a drone, when a request for ransom was denied," Vornik said. "We are now hearing of this commonly from ship customers, especially in areas close to the better-known rogue states."

 

Last week, DroneShield released the 6th edition of its C-UAS, or counter-UAS, factbook, which details the scope of potential threats posed by small drones.

 

The guide covers recent events in drone warfare, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the 2019 attacks on Saudi Aramco oil sites, claimed by Yemen's Ansar Allah, or Houthi, movement but blamed by Saudi Arabia and the U.S. on Iran. It also gives examples of the latest innovations by China and Russia, and identifies some of the most popular heavy-lifting UAS that could be used even more discretely than their larger cousins.

 

The report provides potential solutions as well, including a range of detection capabilities such as radio frequency, radar, acoustic, optics and multi-sensor systems. It also lists neutralizing assets including drone radio frequency jammer, GPS jammers, cyber tactics, directed energy attacks, counter-UAS drones and kinetic systems capable of blasting UAS out of the sky.

 

"Without dedicated C-UAS system (for detection and defeat of such UAS)," Vornik said, "there would be no warning and no time to react, until it is too late and the damage is done."

 

As to whether such tools and methods would be employed before the next attack, he has expressed a note of skepticism.

"We live in a reactive society," Vornik said. "Boulders across the pathways have only started to be placed after terrorists used vehicles to bulldoze through crowds, as an example."

 

He warned that governments and their law enforcement and security agencies must start setting up systems now to defend against UAS attacks.

 

"We need to be more proactive in setting up UAS detection and defeat systems across areas where large gatherings of people are likely, the high profile places, sort of areas which would be terror sweet spots," Vornik said. "Law enforcement and homeland security personnel need to be trained for this threat, much like more conventional attacks."

As drones rise, so does counter-drone technology. While there are a variety of potential drone defense solutions, including surveillance equipment such as radars, radio frequency analyzers, or acoustic and optical sensors, as well as high-power microwave devices (HPMs), drone networks, and lasers, there is another Solution A hot topic in the drone industry recently: drones interfering with GPS.

 

Many drones (as well as other technologies such as transportation and freight fleets, and even smartphones) rely on GPS for navigation and tracking. But some criminals are trying to jam these GPS signals.

 

InfiniDome is an Israeli GPS security company founded in 2016 that produces a variety of products, but its main focus is on developing GPS signal protection systems. This summer, Infinidome published a white paper that clarified how drone gps jamming works and provided a very sobering demonstration of how vulnerable GPS systems (GNSS) are to jamming attacks.

 

You can download and read infiDome’s full GPS interference white paper here. I use it to give a quick overview of the most important things you should know about drone GPS interference. Here are the reasons why people try to jam drone GPS signals, how to jam them, and what to do about them.

Why does drone interference occur and why is it a problem?

 

There are many reasons why people would want to jam a drone’s GPS signal, including defense applications to prevent enemy drones from getting lost or crashing. While drones are used in systems such as aerial surveillance to catch drug traffickers, drug cartel criminals use drone jammers to prevent this from happening. In fact, Mexico reports that jamming was used in 85 percent of all recorded truck thefts, according to the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, a science and education nonprofit based in Virginia. device. The foundation aims to protect critical infrastructure through technologies such as InfiniDome.

 

This isn't just about large military or serious legal use cases. A drone light show over a shopping mall in Zhengzhou, China, fell from the sky after someone used a drone jammer, putting 5,000 spectators at risk.

 

In short, even if you don’t necessarily believe there is an obvious enemy trying to destroy your drone, it’s crucial to be prepared for a drone GPS jammer attack. This also happens with drone light shows.

 

Jamming drone may not be all bad

 

This is not to say that all drone interference is necessarily bad or evil. In fact, it may sometimes be considered the opposite. The Federal Aviation Administration, for example, turned to counter-drone company Dedrone to help work on drone jammers to ensure unwanted drones aren't flying near airports and posing a safety risk to flights full of passengers. The Department of Defense also uses drones to protect secret areas or other locations that require security. InfiniDome created a video about drone interference (which also serves as an ad for their product), which you can watch here:

 

How does drone GPS jamming actually work?

 

So how does drone GPS jamming actually work?

 

The GNSS receiver used by the drone GPS jammer uses GPS signals (along with GLONASS, Galileo and other constellations - hence the name "GNSS" - Global Navigation Satellite System), but is known to be vulnerable to attack and easily jammed regardless of There is intentional interference - but often even unintentional interference occurs (like you may have experienced while driving through a tunnel in a mountain, or sometimes even in certain areas of your home where cell phone blocker reception is interrupted).

 

Purchasing jamming equipment is easy and cheap. You don’t need an entire mountain to block GPS signals—you can find GPS jamming device online for less than $100. As long as the jammer is able to emit a stronger signal on the same frequency as yours, it will gain the upper hand and jam your drone.

 

Of course, it’s not that simple. There are all sorts of jamming attacks and signals, including Continuous Wavelength, where a single frequency is jammed and anything transmitted in that same frequency will be blocked. And with another method called narrow band, power is spread and diluted throughout the different frequencies making up a band (a range of around 2MHz). To attack, jammers “barrage” the bad by creating a series of narrow-band signals that transmit shortly one after each other.

WashingtonCNN — Russia has been hindering US-created mobile rockets more frequently in Ukraine recently, using electronic jammers to overthrow its GPS-based targeting system, this causes rockets to misfire their targets, multiple people who were involved with the project told CNN.

 

Ukrainian military officials have had to invent multiple different solutions to the problem of their own equipment, with the American help, they have employed the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) as the most celebrated and feared piece of military hardware in Ukraine's conflict.

 

The medium-range rocket systems were touted as a significant game changer in the conflict, and have had a significant role in the past year since their arrival in Ukraine last summer, including in the offensive that led to the takeover of territory that was significant to Ukraine last year.

 

However, recent months have seen the systems become increasingly less effective as a result of the Russians' increasing blocking, five American, British and Ukrainian sources tell CNN that the HIMARS have been modified to counter the Russians' increasing jammer device.

 

It's a constant pursuit of a solution to the cell phone jamming, a Pentagon official said, only for the Russians to then reverse the solution. And it's not clear how long-term the game is sustainable.

 

With a large-scale Ukrainian offensive expected to begin soon, and the country's reliance on HIMARS, solutions are now more important to make sure Ukrainian soldiers can gain significant advantage.

 

It's still one thing to successfully oppose the Russians at their current location. Another goal for them is to drive out the Americans, the retired US Army Brig. said. Gen. Steven Anderson explained to CNN. They're sunk in, they've been there for a year.

Ukraine needs to keep HIMARS in the game

 

HIMARS has been of great importance, he said. They must have the capacity to preserve these HIMARS and utilize them to perform effective punches.

 

Ukraine has currently received 18 American HIMARS, and the U.S. has pledged to send 20 more. Other members of NATO have given 10 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems to the State Department, according to the Department of State.

 

The common proclamations from the Biden administration regarding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine, including one on Wednesday, typically include HIMARS weapons, called GMLRs, as the most significant item. However, the exact number is not revealed.

 

The U.S. has also assisted the Ukrainians in locating the Russian jammers and destroying them, a “important priority” task, according to a concealed document in the Pentagon that was part of a volume allegedly leaked by Airman Jack Teixeira.

 

The document continues by advocating for the continued destruction of jammers as much as possible.

 

GPS jamming can adversely affect other "intelligent'' US weapons like the guided Excalibur artillery shells that are fired from Howitzers and the air-dropped bombs called JDAMs. The document with the leaked Pentagon described the JDAMS as being particularly vulnerable to the disruption.

 

A U.S. official acknowledged that the U.S. has advised the Ukrainians on how to recognize and destroy the Russian jammers, because there is only a limited number of ways to alter HIMARS and their rockets.

The Russian Navy has installed temporary GPS jammers on at least one of its warships ahead of a high-profile naval parade in St. Petersburg, according to experts.

 

An image published Wednesday by military and open source intelligence analyst H I Sutton shows a photo of a Russian Navy frigate taken in Russia's second largest city on July 14 that appears to show multiple sets of GPS network jammer installed on the ship's exterior.

 

Newsweek could not independently verify the date and location of the video. However, military expert David Hamblin said the presence of GPS jammers on the ship does indicate that the Kremlin fears that Kiev, Ukraine supporters or anti-Putin groups will plot drone attacks. Samuel Bentt of the Center for Naval Analysis said it was "entirely feasible" that Moscow chose to use cell phone jammer and had done so before the war in Ukraine. But he told Newsweek that the evidence is limited and it's hard to judge.

The drone threat: GPS jamming systems and available countermeasures

 

While GPS jamming may not be the first thing on the minds of many drone operators, government and civilian customers around the world are vulnerable to GPS jamming technology, which can cause expensive drones to drop from the sky when hackers attack GPS access with easily accessible tools. Because the satellite GPS signals that actually reach vehicles and drones are quite weak, using radio frequency transmitters that operate at the same frequency as GPS can have catastrophic effects, as seen in the attack on a light show in Zhengzhou, China, where hundreds of drones crashed to the ground.

 

Typically, denial-of-service attacks on GPS networks are launched by powerful radio frequency transmitters that can use a variety of methods to try to interfere with satellite connections between drones or vehicles and satellite networks above them. To solve this problem, anti-jamming devices can try to change the direction of the high-frequency beam (using beamforming or steering), or dampen the attack frequency and create "invalid zones," which are more effective but more difficult to roll out.

Other experts were skeptical about the extent to which the images revealed possible interfering features on board.

It has been speculated that the potential jamming system could be part of the R-330Zh Zhitel(on-board system), or it could be part of the Pole-21E jamming system. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email for comment.

 

Hamblin told Newsweek that Russia has an "extensive" track record of using GPS jamming - blocking GPS reception and "spoofing," showing the wrong location on trackers - to fend off drone attacks.

 

The first military parade was held in Russia's second largest city in 2017, TASS reported.

 

Drones and rapidly developing unmanned technology have played a major role in the war in Ukraine. Both sides want to use drone technology to inflict damage on critical infrastructure at low cost, and experts say the ongoing conflict has sparked drone innovation at "lightning speed."

 

But the Kremlin has said in recent months that beyond Ukraine's borders, Moscow itself has been repeatedly targeted by drone strikes.

 

On May 3, Russia said two drones had struck the Kremlin in what it called a "planned terrorist attack and assassination attempt against the president" ahead of annual Victory Day military celebrations. The Russian leader said in a statement that the drones were "intercepted on Kremlin territory, with debris scattered and without causing any casualties or damage".

 

"Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures at the time and place it deems appropriate," the Kremlin added.

Moscow has blamed Kiev for the attack, but Kiev has denied carrying out the drone strike

 

Later that month, the Russian military said eight Ukrainian drones had struck wealthy neighborhoods in Moscow, damaging several buildings. Three of the drones were neutralized by electronic warfare, the Russian Defense Ministry said at the time, adding that the remaining five were intercepted by the Pantsier-S air defense system.

 

On July 4, Moscow accused Ukraine of firing five drones at the Russian capital, saying four of them were destroyed by Russian air defense systems and the fifth was "neutralized by electronic warfare."

 

Russia's defence ministry said flights at Vnukovo airport, one of Moscow's main transport hubs, had been disrupted but there was no damage to infrastructure.

 

"Given the recent spate of drone strikes in Moscow, the main concern may be an aerial attack," Hamblin said of the Navy Day parade. But Russia has also accused Ukraine of using unmanned surface ships to carry out attacks on annexed territory in Crimea, attacking Russia's Black Sea naval base in Sevastopol and the Kerch Bridge, a key crossing point connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland.

 

Experts told Newsweek earlier this week that this type of attack, which typically uses improvised water drones, is one that Russia's defenses are inadequate for.

 

Hamblin said, however, that an attack on Russian forces in St. Petersburg on Navy Day seemed unlikely due to the distance between Ukrainian territory and the Baltic city.

New Delhi: The telecom department has warned e-commerce platforms not to sell some telecom equipment such as wireless jammer and network boosters that require government permission for sale, an official statement said on Monday. Over the past 4-5 years, the Department of Transportation has raised this issue several times and even conducted surprise inspections to check for illegal sales of these devices.

 

"It is stated that the use of cellular signal jammers, GPS interceptors or other signal jamming devices is generally illegal unless specifically permitted by the Government of India. Private sector organizations and/or individuals cannot procure or use cell phone jammer in India." DoT in stated is a statement.

 

The Ministry of Transport also stated that it is illegal to advertise, sell, distribute, import or otherwise market signal jamming devices in India unless permitted by the above guidelines.

 

"Regarding signal boosters/repeaters, it is illegal for any person/entity other than a licensed telecommunications service provider to possess, sell and/or use mobile signal boosters/repeaters," the statement said.

 

The department also issued a notice on Jan. 21 warning all e-commerce companies not to sell or facilitate the sale of wireless jammers on their online platforms.

 

Copies of the above notification have also been distributed to the Ministry of Commerce, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Customs for appropriate action.

Telecom industry body Indian Cellular Operators said citizens who are unaware that the purchase, sale, installation and possession of mobile signal boosters (MSBs) are illegal and punishable under the Wireless Telegraph Act, of 1933 and the Indian Telegraph Act, of 1885.

 

“Unauthorized usage can adversely interfere with telecom services and we are happy that the Indian government recognizes its importance in providing flawless network and telecom experience to citizens across the country. The advisory will help spread awareness and make citizens aware of The impact of this debilitating repeater on the entire network," said COAI Director General SP Kochhar.

A resident of the town of Messanges in southwestern France could spend six months behind bars after unwittingly taking down telephony and mobile internet services in his neighborhood with a signal jammers.

 

Surprisingly, though, his actions were not malicious. He only wanted to prevent his teenage kids from using their mobile devices to go online after bedtime.

 

Are you a parent struggling to manage your kids creen time?

 

Bitdefender’s Parental Control feature offers digital help to parents and guardians who wish to ensure extra online safety for children who use internet-enabled devices. The software filters out inappropriate digital content while allowing the parent to limit screen time and keep up with the child’s online activities.

 

The Parental Control feature can be found in our Total Security product, allowing you to manage and restrict access to the internet and specific apps, especially after bedtime. Check it now for free for up to 90 days with our extended Total Security trial.

According to the French planning and radio frequency management agency (ANFR), a local mobile phone operator filed an unusual complaint this month – just before midnight and until 3 AM every of the week, the residents of Messanges could not use their cellular and mobile internet services.

 

Following an investigation, the ANFR determined that a signal phone jammer, a device prohibited in many European countries including France, was blocking radio frequencies in the area.

 

Around 1:30 am, a technician traced the source of the signal to a residence in the coastal town. The next day investigators, accompanied by police, knocked on the door of the man, who immediately admitted he was using a multi-band jammer.

 

“The gps blocker had been installed by the father of the family to prevent his teenagers from accessing the internet with their smartphone instead of going to bed,” the ANFR explained. “His children had indeed become addicted to social networks and other applications, in particular since the confinement imposed due to Covid-19. After consulting forums on the internet, the father decided that a jammer was the best solution to put an end to his kids’ excessive screen time.”

 

On top of possible jail time, the illicit possession and use of a jammer bring a financial penalty of up to €30,000.

 

“The ANFR agent, in addition to demanding that he turn off the wifi blocker and no longer use it, reminded the owner of the equipment of the regulatory framework,” the agency added.

 

The man also had to pay an intervention fee of 450 euros.

Signal jamming is an attempt to interfere with and stop wireless communications. The culprit transmits noise on a specific radio frequency. Then, no one in the affected area can use services that rely on that frequency.

 

Confusingly, cellphone jammers do not prevent devices from getting good reception. However, they prevent the target from initiating or receiving calls or messages. Signal interference can also affect Internet services, leaving people without access to the Internet.

 

Is it possible to stop bomber drones?

 

As the name suggests, a bombing drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can be used for drone attacks. They are part of a larger subset of combat UAVs used for target acquisition, surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence gathering purposes.

Although bomber drones are unmanned, they have never been fully automated. Instead, humans tend to control them in real time from remote locations.

 

This, of course, means a significant reduction in weight compared to a typical aircraft, since all the necessities of a human pilot are no longer a factor here.

 

Anti-Drone Gun

 

The anti-drone gun is exactly what it sounds like. These are used to shoot at drones. A shot in this case could be physically destructive or could provide a burst of radio-frequency signal technology.

 

Perfect example of an anti-drone gun: It's a gps blocker that can neutralize all drones, even their GPS. By simultaneously interrupting signal types such as GPS-L1, GPS-L2, and ISM, all frequencies can be safely neutralized for up to 10 minutes on a single charge.

 

The design requires manual operation and has a surprisingly flat learning curve, meaning that it is little inconvenience for new operators to use. Given that the gun is equipped with a compass and GPS, which is advantageous for the operator, aiming at the target is not much of a challenge.

 

Electromagnetic pulse

 

The anti-drone EMP is very similar to the traditional EMP type, providing a destructive function to the electronic circuits in the drone. By using an antenna, the pulse can be properly focused and collateral damage prevented.

 

In movies, tracking devices are a writer's favorite gadget - a simple (and cliched) plot device that instantly foils villains. While the use of GPS tracking in the film is largely based on reality, the film doesn't show you the bureaucracy involved in making it legal. In addition, the films depict tracking devices as high-tech and sophisticated, using hardware and software that would not exist today.

 

Fiction: Hackers use GPS tracking devices to remotely disable and crash targeted cars.

 

Fact: Yes, car hacking is possible, as two hackers proved in 2015. However, it is important to know that they hacked the car through an onboard computer connected to the Internet. Aftermarket GPS tracking devices are only connected to the car's power supply and are not integrated with any other on-board electronics. That being said, there are some tracking devices for sale that advertise remote engine disabling.

 

The reality of GPS tracking is far less complicated than the movies show. Movies and other works of fiction may treat tracking devices as malicious tools that can be used to analyze and spy on unassuming innocents. In fact: If the police want to use GPS to track suspects, they need to obtain legal permission. A GPS tracker is a simple device that combines GPS coordinates with map data. While Black Knight does have additional features, our trackers will never integrate with your vehicle's computer and adversely affect its performance. In other words, they don't make your vehicle vulnerable to hacking.

 

Protect yourself from signal interference

 

In addition to detecting when someone is trying to interfere with your signal, there are a number of prevention methods you can consider.

 

First, you can change the Wi-Fi frequency and channel. Most signal wifi jamming devices block the 2.4 GHz frequency. So, by choosing 5 GHz, you can restore your Internet connection.

 

For home security systems, you can use tools that use proprietary algorithms that can identify interference. Such programs then alert the owner that someone is trying to interfere with the security system.

 

Finally, if you are unable to send a message or call, you can try using a VoIP service. This should help avoid attempts to interfere with radio frequencies.

Don let phone notifications stress you out

 

With all those smartphone notifications, it's no wonder you lose focus on whatever you're trying to do.

 

Your phone doesn't even need to ping to distract you. It's well-documented that just the presence of your phone, silent or not, is enough to distract you.

 

what happens? More importantly, how can you refocus your attention without missing out on what’s important?

Is it really such a big deal?

 

While estimates vary, the average person checks their phone about 85 times a day, about once every 15 minutes.

 

In other words, every 15 minutes or so, your attention may drift away from what you're doing. The problem is, it can take a few minutes to fully regain your focus after being interrupted by your phone.

 

If you're watching TV, getting distracted (and refocused) is no big deal. But if you're driving, trying to study, work, or spend time with loved ones, it can cause some pretty serious problems.

 

Cellphone Jammer, a DIY endeavor for the darker crowd. I'm pretty sure we've all considered having one at some point: whether the obnoxiously loud woman next to you is announcing private bedroom stories to a crowd on the subway, or your kids are grounded from using the phone (and consequently snagged a hidden prepaid phone), sometimes having a cell phone signal jammer comes in handy.

What do all these disruptions mean for cognition and well-being?

 

There is growing evidence that push notifications are associated with reduced productivity, poor concentration, and distraction at work and school.

 

But is there evidence that our brains are working harder to handle the frequent switches of attention?

 

A study of people's brainwaves found that those who described themselves as heavy smartphone users were more sensitive to push notifications than those who described themselves as light users.

 

Heavy users were significantly worse than light users at regaining focus on the task after hearing a push notification. Although push notifications interrupted the concentration of both groups, heavy users took longer to refocus.

 

Frequent interruptions from your phone can also make you feel stressed out by the need to respond. Frequent smartphone interruptions have also been linked to increased FOMO (fear of missing out).

 

If you get distracted by your phone after responding to a notification, any subsequent delays in getting back to the task can also make you feel guilty or frustrated.

 

There is certainly evidence that the longer you use your phone in an unproductive way, the lower your rating of your own happiness is.

 

Mr. Larson of the cellular industry group said that while the industry objected to imposed controls on cellphone ringing, it did not oppose measures left to the customers' discretion. ''They are certainly less odious than gps blocker,'' he said.

How can I stop?

 

We know that turning your phone to silent won't magically solve the problem, especially if you're already checking it frequently.

What is needed is behavior change, but it is difficult. It may take several attempts to see lasting changes. If you've ever tried to quit smoking, lose weight, or start an exercise program, you know what I mean.

 

An company Perfectjammer, makes a detector called Wireless Signal Detector Prevents Monitoring, a hand-held device that is used to monitor and detect cellular communication activity in a given area. (It is offered at www.perfectjammer.com for $100-$380.) Other smaller detector models include the RF Signal Detector from TG-007B, about the size of a beeper, which costs less than $100. As with wifi jammers, the larger the detector, the greater its range.

 

Start by turning off all unnecessary notifications. If you want to check your phone less often, here are some things you can try:

In that moment, interrupt the urge to check and actively decide whether it will work in your favor. For example, when you turn to reach for your phone, stop and ask yourself if this action serves a purpose other than to distract.