Signal authentication in trusted satellite navigation receivers

Abstract

Physical location can be an important security parameter, whether for location-based access control or to audit the whereabouts of goods and people. In outdoor applications, location is often most easily determined with a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. This means today primarily GPS [9, 11], but the list is growing (GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou/Compass, etc.). Each of these operates a constellation of the Earth-orbiting satellites that broadcast a high-precision time signal, along with a low bit rate data stream (50–1,000 bit/s) that carries orbital position (ephemeris) predictions and calibration data.