Harald Hauglin, chief engineer of time and frequency measurement at the Norwegian National Measurement Institute, is one of the key figures at the "JamTest" hack festival. This festival, held in September 2024 on Andøya Island, examines the impact of disruptions in global navigation systems. The main goal of this event is to manipulate satellite signals to test the strength and resilience of receivers against such disruptions.
Challenges of Modern Technology and Infrastructure
The modern world is heavily reliant on time and location technologies. From power grids and telecommunications systems to stock markets, timing coordination is done through global navigation systems like GPS. However, due to the weakness of signals sent from satellites, any disruption can have serious consequences.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, disruptions in global navigation systems have significantly increased. For example, in May 2025, a Royal Air Force aircraft encountered GPS disruption, which is just one of many instances of problems arising in this area.
Experiments and Results of JamTest
At JamTest, engineers and physicists conduct their experiments publicly and in view. This event, similar to white-hat hackathons, provides a space to identify vulnerabilities in cybersecurity systems. Participants share the results of their experiments with government officials and representatives of commercial companies on the last night of the program.
During these experiments, Hauglin and his colleagues send false information to receivers in various devices and attempt to assess the impacts of disruptions. These disruptions can take the form of "interference" and "signal spoofing," each having different consequences.
Ultimately, any prolonged disruption in global navigation systems can lead to a complete shutdown of services and create a chain of problems in digital infrastructures. Therefore, the importance of these experiments for preparedness against attacks on critical infrastructures is increasing day by day.
