Todd Humphreys: How to fool a GPS

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Jing Gao 校对人员: Myra Wang

Something happened in the early morning hours

在2000年5月2号的一大早

of May 2nd, 2000, that had a profound effect

发生了一件事，这件事

on the way our society operates.

对我们的社会是如何运作的有着极大的影响。

Ironically, hardly anyone noticed at the time.

很讽刺的是，几乎没有人注意到它。

The change was silent, imperceptible,

那个改变是静悄悄的，难以察觉的，

unless you knew exactly what to look for.

除非你非常清楚要注意什么。

On that morning, U.S. President Bill Clinton

那天早上，美国总统比尔.克林顿

ordered that a special switch be thrown

命令在全球定位系统（GPS）的轨道卫星中

in the orbiting satellites of the Global Positioning System.

开启一个特殊的开关。

Instantaneously, every civilian GPS receiver

立刻，全球的每一个民用GPS的误差

around the globe went from errors the size of a football field

从足球场那么大

to errors the size of a small room.

变成了一个小房间那么大。

It's hard to overstate the effect that this change

这个准确度的变化带给我们的影响

in accuracy has had on us.

怎么强调都不过分。

Before this switch was thrown, we didn't have

在这个开关开启前，我们没有

in-car navigation systems giving turn-by-turn

车载导航系统给我们一个转弯接转弯的指向，

directions, because back then, GPS couldn't tell you

因为在过去，GPS连你在哪个街区都不知道，

what block you were on, let alone what street.

更不用说街道了。

For geolocation, accuracy matters,

对地理定位来说，准确度非常重要，

and things have only improved over the last 10 years.

而情况只在过去10年中有所改善。

With more base stations, more ground stations,

随着更多基站、地面接收站的建设，

better receivers and better algorithms,

更好的接收器和算法的发展，

GPS can now not only tell you what street you are on,

GPS现在不仅能告诉你你在哪条街，

but what part of the street.

还能告诉你你在街道的哪部分。

This level of accuracy

这种程度的准确度

has unleashed a firestorm of innovation.

引发了一系列的创新。

In fact, many of you navigated here today

事实上，在座的很多人今天都是靠

with the help of your TomTom or your smartphone.

TomTom或者智能手机的导航摸到这儿的。

Paper maps are becoming obsolete.

纸地图变得过时了。

But we now stand on the verge of another revolution

但现在我们站在地理精确定位的

in geolocation accuracy.

另一场革命的边缘。

What if I told you that the two-meter positioning

如果我告诉你，我们现有的手机和TomTom

that our current cell phones and our TomToms give us

给我们的两米定位跟我们接下来能有的

is pathetic compared to what we could be getting?

定位系统比逊色得多，你会怎么想？

For some time now, it's been known that if you pay attention

相当一段时间以来，我们都知道如果

to the carrier phase of the GPS signal,

你注意GPS的载波相位，

and if you have an Internet connection,

而且有网络连接的话，

then you can go from meter level to centimeter level,

你的定位精准度可以从米提到高厘米，

even millimeter-level positioning.

甚至毫米。

So why don't we have this capability on our phones?

那么为什么我们的手机不能有这种功能？

Only, I believe, for a lack of imagination.

这仅仅是——我认为——缺乏想象力罢了。

Manufacturers haven't built this carrier phase technique

制造商还没有把这种载波相位技术

into their cheap GPS chips

装进他们便宜的GPS芯片中，

because they're not sure what the general public would do

因为他们不确定公众会怎么想，

with geolocation so accurate that you could pinpoint

如果地理定位精确到

the wrinkles in the palm of your hand.

你可以精准找到你手掌中的皱纹。

But you and I and other innovators,

但是你和我和其他的创新者，

we can see the potential in this next leap in accuracy.

我们都能看到这个精准度的再次飞跃的潜能。

Imagine, for example, an augmented reality app

想象一下，比如说，一个放大现实的应用程序。

that overlays a virtual world to millimeter-level precision

它能在现实世界之上

on top of the physical world.

覆盖一个精确到毫米的虚拟世界。

I could build for you a structure up here in 3D,

我可以在这儿给你造一个3D的结构，

millimeter accurate, that only you could see,

精准到毫米，只有你能看见，

or my friends at home.

或者只有我在家的朋友能看见。

So this level of positioning, this is what we're looking for,

这个程度的定位，才是我们想要的，

and I believe that, within the next few years, I predict,

我相信，在接下来的几年中，我预测，

that this kind of hyper-precise, carrier phase-based positioning

这种极其精准、基于载波相位的定位

will become cheap and ubiquitous,

会变得便宜而普及，

and the consequences will be fantastic.

其影响将会是无比奇妙的。

The Holy Grail, of course, is the GPS dot.

圣杯，当然了，就是那个GPS点。

Do you remember the movie "The Da Vinci Code?"

你们记得电影《达芬奇密码》么？

Here's Professor Langdon examining a GPS dot,

这是Langdon教授在检查一个GPS点，

which his accomplice tells him is a tracking device

他的同谋告诉他这是一个跟踪仪器，

accurate within two feet anywhere on the globe,

能精确到全球任何地方两英尺之内。

but we know that in the world of nonfiction,

但我们知道在真实世界中，

the GPS dot is impossible, right?

GPS点是不可能的，对吧？

For one thing, GPS doesn't work indoors,

问题之一就是，GPS不能在室内工作。

and for another, they don't make devices quite this small,

还有一个问题，就是他们造不出这么小的仪器，

especially when those devices have to relay

特别是当这些仪器需要依靠

their measurements back over a network.

后方网络的测量时。

Well, these objections were perfectly reasonable

这些反对意见在几年前是充分合理的，

a few years ago, but things have changed.

但现在事情不一样了。

There's been a strong trend toward miniaturization,

现在的潮流是往小的造，

better sensitivity, so much so that, a few years ago,

往更精确的造。几年前，

a GPS tracking device looked like this clunky box

一个GPS定位器大小和钥匙左边那个

to the left of the keys.

笨重的盒子差不多。

Compare that with the device released just months ago

对比一下几个月前刚出的新仪器，

that's now packaged into something the size of a key fob,

跟钥匙袋差不多大。

and if you take a look at the state of the art

如果我们再来看看最先进的完整的GPS接收器，

for a complete GPS receiver, which is only a centimeter

它边长只有一厘米，

on a side and more sensitive than ever,

比以往都更灵敏。

you realize that the GPS dot will soon move

我们就会意识到，GPS点将很快

from fiction to nonfiction.

从虚构变成现实。

Imagine what we could do with a world full of GPS dots.

想象一下如果我们生活在一个满是GPS点的世界里会怎么样。

It's not just that you'll never lose your wallet or your keys

不仅仅是我们再也不会丢钱包丢钥匙了，

anymore, or your child when you're at Disneyland.

或者在迪士尼公园把小孩搞丢了。

You'll buy GPS dots in bulk, and you'll stick them on

我们会成批量地买GPS点，把它们贴到

everything you own worth more than a few tens of dollars.

我们所有的价值超过几十美元的东西上。

I couldn't find my shoes one recent morning,

不久前一个早上，我找不到我的鞋子了。

and, as usual, had to ask my wife if she had seen them.

和往常一样，我只好问我妻子有没有看见我的鞋子。

But I shouldn't have to bother my wife with that kind of triviality.

但我不应该用这种小事来麻烦我妻子。

I should be able to ask my house where my shoes are.

我应该能问我的房子，我的鞋子在哪里。

(Laughter)

（笑）

Those of you who have made the switch to Gmail,

在座的改用Gmail的人，

remember how refreshing it was to go from

你们还记得从整理你们的所有邮件

organizing all of your email to simply searching it.

到简单地搜索邮件，那感觉是多么得耳目一新么？

The GPS dot will do the same for our possessions.

GPS点会为我们的财产做同样的事。

Now, of course, there is a flip side to the GPS dot.

当然，GPS点也有不好的一面。

I was in my office some months back

几个月前，我在我的办公室里，

and got a telephone call.

接到一个电话。

The woman on the other end of the line, we'll call her Carol,

电话另一头的女士，我们管她叫Carol，

was panicked.

非常惊慌。

Apparently, an ex-boyfriend of Carol's from California

很显然，Carol的一个来自加州的前男友

had found her in Texas and was following her around.

在德州找到了她，然后一直跟着她不放。

So you might ask at this point why she's calling you.

你可能会问，那她给你打电话干吗。

Well, so did I.

好吧，我也问了同样的问题。

But it turned out there was a technical twist to Carol's case.

原来在Carol的事件中有个技术上的难题。

Every time her ex-boyfriend would show up,

每次她的前男友出现，

at the most improbable times and the most improbable locations,

在最不合适的时间和最不合适的地点，

he was carrying an open laptop,

他都带着一台开着的笔记本电脑。

and over time Carol realized that he had planted

一段时间后，Carol意识到他在她车上

a GPS tracking device on her car,

放了一个GPS跟踪器。

so she was calling me for help to disable it.

她打电话给我，希望我能把跟踪器拆了。

"Well, you should go to a good mechanic

“你应该找一个好的技工，

and have him look at your car," I said.

让他看下你的车。”我说。

"I already have," she told me.

“我已经找过了。”她告诉我。

"He didn't see anything obvious,

“他没找到任何明显的东西，

and he said he'd have to take the car apart piece by piece."

他说除非他把车一块儿一块儿地拆了。”

"Well then, you'd better go to the police," I said.

“那么，你最好去见警察。”我说。

"I already have," she replied.

“我已经见过了。”她回答。

"They're not sure this rises to the level of harassment,

“他们不确定这是否构成骚扰，

and they're not set up technically to find the device."

而且他们在技术上无能为力，找不到跟踪器。”

"Okay, what about the FBI?"

“好吧，联邦调查局怎么样？”

"I've talked to them too, and same story."

“我也问过他们了，同样的故事。”

We then talked about her coming to my lab

我们接下来谈到让她到我的实验室，

and us performing a radio sweep of her car,

给她的车做个无线电扫描。

but I wasn't even sure that would work,

但我甚至不确定这有没有用，

given that some of these devices are configured

因为有些跟踪器的设置是

to only transmit when they're inside safe zones

只有它们在安全区、或只有在车移动时

or when the car is moving.

才会传输信号。

So, there we were.

好吧，问题出现了。

Carol isn't the first, and certainly won't be the last,

Carol不是第一个，也肯定不会是最后一个，

to find herself in this kind of fearsome environment,

处于因GPS跟踪而造成的

worrisome situation caused by GPS tracking.

可怕的情形中的人。

In fact, as I looked into her case,

事实上，在我研究她的事件时，

I discovered to my surprise that it's not clearly illegal

我很吃惊地发现，在别人的车上装跟踪仪器

for you or me to put a tracking device on someone else's car.

并没有被明确得规定为非法行为。

The Supreme Court ruled last month that a policeman

最高法院上个月判决，一个警察如果要延长对某个人的跟踪时。

has to get a warrant if he wants to do prolonged tracking,

必须得到授权。

but the law isn't clear about civilians doing this to one another,

但是法律没有明确规定平民这样做会如何。

so it's not just Big Brother we have to worry about,

我们要担心的不仅仅是“老大哥”，

but Big Neighbor. (Laughter)

还有“老大邻居”。（笑）

There is one alternative that Carol could have taken,

Carol可选的另一个做法会非常有效。

very effective. It's called the Wave Bubble.

它叫做电波气泡。

It's an open-source GPS jammer,

它是个开放源码的GPS干扰，

developed by Limor Fried,

是Limor Fried研发的。

a graduate student at MIT, and Limor calls it

Limor是麻省理工的一个研究生，她把它叫做

"a tool for reclaiming our personal space."

“一个收回我们的私人空间的工具”。

With a flip of the switch you create a bubble around you

一旦开启开关，你就在你的周围创造了一个气泡，

within which GPS signals can't reside.

GPS信号进不了这个气泡。

They get drowned out by the bubble.

它们被气泡排除在外。

And Limor designed this, in part, because, like Carol,

Limor设计这个东西的原因之一就是，像Carol一样，

she felt threatened by GPS tracking.

她觉得GPS跟踪是个很大的威胁。

Then she posted her design to the web,

她把她的设计发布到了网上。

and if you don't have time to build your own,

如果你没有时间自己造一个的话，

you can buy one.

你可以买一个。

Chinese manufacturers now sell thousands

中国的制造商现在在网上出售

of nearly identical devices on the Internet.

成千的几乎一模一样的仪器。

So you might be thinking, the Wave Bubble sounds great.

你也许会想，电波气泡听起来棒极了。我应该买一个。

I should have one. Might come in handy if somebody ever puts a tracking device on my car.

如果有人在我的车上放个跟踪器，这个气泡就派上大用场了。

But you should be aware that its use is very much illegal

但你需要知道，使用气泡在美国

in the United States.

是违法的。

And why is that?

为什么呢？

Well, because it's not a bubble at all.

因为它根本不是一个气泡。

Its jamming signals don't stop at the edge

它的干扰信号并不限于

of your personal space or at the edge of your car.

你的私人空间或你的车。

They go on to jam innocent GPS receivers for miles around you. (Laughter)

它们还干扰到你周围数英里的无辜的GPS接收器。（笑）

Now, if you're Carol or Limor,

如果你是Carol或Limor，

or someone who feels threatened by GPS tracking,

或是受GPS跟踪威胁的某个其他人，

it might not feel wrong to turn on a Wave Bubble,

开启电波气泡也许并不感觉不妥，

but in fact, the results can be disastrous.

但事实是，其结果将是灾难性的。

Imagine, for example, you're the captain of a cruise ship

想象一下，假设你是一艘游轮的船长，

trying to make your way through a thick fog

你试图在大雾中找到方向。

and some passenger in the back turns on a Wave Bubble.

这时游轮上某个乘客开启了气泡。

All of a sudden your GPS readout goes blank,

突然之间，你的GPS读数一片空白，

and now it's just you and the fog

只剩下你和雾，

and whatever you can pull off the radar system

和你能从雷达系统中得到的随便什么东西，

if you remember how to work it.

如果你还记得怎么使用雷达系统。

They -- in fact, they don't update or upkeep lighthouses

他们——事实上，他们早已不再更新和保养灯塔了，

anymore, and LORAN, the only backup to GPS,

LORAN，GPS的唯一备用，

was discontinued last year.

在去年停止了。

Our modern society has a special relationship with GPS.

我们的现代社会和GPS有个特别的关系。

We're almost blindly reliant on it.

我们几乎是盲目地依赖它。

It's built deeply into our systems and infrastructure.

它深深地被建入到我们的系统和设施中。

Some call it "the invisible utility."

一些人管它叫“看不见的工具”。

So, turning on a Wave Bubble might not just cause inconvenience.

所以说，开启一个电波气泡造成的可能不止是不便。

It might be deadly.

其后果可能是致命的。

But as it turns out, for purposes of protecting your privacy

但事实上是，为了保护个人隐私

at the expense of general GPS reliability,

而牺牲普通GPS的可靠性，

there's something even more potent

有一个比电波气泡更有效、

and more subversive than a Wave Bubble,

更颠覆性的东西，

and that is a GPS spoofer.

它就是GPS欺骗器。

The idea behind the GPS spoofer is simple.

GPS欺骗器背后的原理很简单。

Instead of jamming the GPS signals, you fake them.

它不发射干扰信号，它发射假信号。

You imitate them, and if you do it right, the device

你模仿这些信号，如果你做得好的话，

you're attacking doesn't even know it's being spoofed.

你攻击的仪器甚至都不知道它被骗了。

So let me show you how this works.

我来给大家展示一下它是怎么工作的。

In any GPS receiver, there's a peak inside

任何GPS接收器中都有一个高峰，

that corresponds to the authentic signals.

它对应的是真实的信号。

These three red dots represent the tracking points

这三个红点代表跟踪点，

that try to keep themselves centered on that peak.

它们会尽量地保持在高峰中央。

But if you send in a fake GPS signal,

但如果你发射一个假GPS信号，

another peak pops up, and if you can get these two peaks

另一个高峰就出现了。如果你能让这两个高峰

perfectly aligned, the tracking points can't tell the difference,

完全重合，跟踪点就分别不出差别，

and they get hijacked by the stronger counterfeit signal,

它们就被更强的假信号劫持了，

with the authentic peak getting forced off.

真实的信号被逼走了。

At this point, the game is over.

到这会儿游戏就结束了。

The fake signals now completely control this GPS receiver.

假信号完全控制了GPS接收器。

So is this really possible?

这真得可能么？

Can someone really manipulate

有人真得能用一个欺骗器，

the timing and positioning of a GPS receiver

控制一个GPS接收器的时间和位置，

just like that, with a spoofer?

就像图中那样？

Well, the short answer is yes.

简单的回到是，可以。

The key is that civil GPS signals

问题的关键是，民用GPS信号

are completely open.

是完全开放的。

They have no encryption. They have no authentication.

它们没有加密。它们没有验证。

They're wide open, vulnerable to a kind of spoofing attack.

它们完全开放，对欺骗性的攻击完全没有抵抗力。

Even so, up until very recently,

即使这样，直到最近，

nobody worried about GPS spoofers.

还没有人担心过GPS欺骗器这回事儿。

People figured that it would be too complex

人们知道，造这样一个欺骗器

or too expensive for some hacker to build one.

太复杂，或者太贵。

But I, and a friend of mine from graduate school,

但是我，和我同一个研究生院毕业的朋友，

we didn't see it that way.

我们不这么认为。

We knew it wasn't going to be so hard,

我们知道它不会很难，

and we wanted to be the first to build one

我们想成为最先造欺骗器的人。

so we could get out in front of the problem

这样我们就可以走在问题前面，

and help protect against GPS spoofing.

打击不良GPS欺骗。

I remember vividly the week it all came together.

我清晰地记得我们成功的那一周。

We built it at my home, which means that

我们在家里造了一个欺骗器。

I got a little extra help from my three-year-old son Ramon.

我三岁的儿子Ramon帮了我点儿小忙。

Here's Ramon — (Laughter) —

这是Ramon——（笑）——

looking for a little attention from Dad that week.

他那个星期一直在试图得到爸爸的关注。

At first, the spoofer was just a jumble of cables

起初，我们的欺骗器只是一堆电线，

and computers, though we eventually got it packaged

还有电脑，虽然最后我们把它

into a small box.

装进了一个小盒子里。

Now, the Dr. Frankenstein moment,

科学怪人一刻——

when the spoofer finally came alive

当欺骗器终于成真，

and I glimpsed its awful potential,

我瞥见了它的可怕潜力，

came late one night when I tested the spoofer

在我拿欺骗器对着我的iPhone实验时

against my iPhone.

在一个深夜——成为了现实。

Let me show you some actual footage from that

我来给大家展示几个第一次实验的

very first experiment.

真实片段。

I had come to completely trust this little blue dot

我完全信任这个蓝色小点，

and its reassuring blue halo.

和它周围令人放心的光晕。

They seemed to speak to me.

它们好像是在对我说话。

They'd say, "Here you are. Here you are." (Laughter)

它们会说：“你在这儿。你在这儿。”（笑）

And "you can trust us."

和“你可以相信我们。”

So something felt very wrong about the world.

这个世界感觉不太对劲。

It was a sense, almost, of betrayal,

那种感觉几乎是一种背叛，

when this little blue dot started at my house,

当这个小蓝点从我家开始

and went running off toward the north

往北跑，

leaving me behind. I wasn't moving.

把我抛在后面。我没有动。

What I then saw in this little moving blue dot

我接下来在这个移动的小蓝点中看到的

was the potential for chaos.

是潜伏的混乱。

I saw airplanes and ships veering off course, with the captain

我看到飞机和轮船偏离航线，而机长和船长

learning only too late that something was wrong.

发现事情不对劲时已为时太晚。

I saw the GPS-derived timing

我看到依靠GPS衍生的

of the New York Stock Exchange

纽约证券交易所时间

being manipulated by hackers.

被黑客控制。

You can scarcely imagine the kind of havoc

我们根本想象不到我们能造成的肆虐，

you could cause if you knew what you were doing

如果我们有一个GPS欺骗器，

with a GPS spoofer.

而且知道怎么用它。

There is, though, one redeeming feature

然而，GPS欺骗器确实有

of the GPS spoofer.

将功赎罪的作用。

It's the ultimate weapon against an invasion of GPS dots.

它是对付GPS点入侵的最终武器。

Imagine, for example, you're being tracked.

想象一下，假设你被攻击了。

Well, you can play the tracker for a fool,

你可以愚弄攻击者一番。

pretending to be at work when you're really on vacation.

你假装在工作，实际上你在度假。

Or, if you're Carol, you could lure your ex-boyfriend

或者，如果你是Carol，你可以把你的前男友

into some empty parking lot

骗到一个空荡荡的停车场，

where the police are waiting for him.

只有警察在那里等候他。

So I'm fascinated by this conflict, a looming conflict,

这个冲突，这个开始隐现的冲突，让我十分着迷。

between privacy on the one hand

一方面，我们想要隐私。

and the need for a clean radio spectrum on the other.

另一方面，我们需要清晰的电波谱。

We simply cannot tolerate GPS jammers and spoofers,

我们不能就这样纵容GPS干扰器和欺骗器。

and yet, given the lack of effective legal means

但是，想到人们缺失有效的法律手段

for protecting our privacy from the GPS dot,

来保护自己的隐私免遭GPS点的侵害，

can you really blame people for wanting to turn them on,

我们真的能谴责想开启它们、

for wanting to use them?

想使用它们的人么？

I hold out hope that we'll be able to reconcile

我满怀希望，相信我们能够运用某种技术，

this conflict with some sort of,

某种还待开发的技术，

some yet uninvented technology.

来解决这个冲突。

But meanwhile, grab some popcorn,

与此同时，拿些爆米花，准备看好戏吧，

because things are going to get interesting.

因为事情开始变得非常有趣。

Within the next few years,

在接下来的几年中，

many of you will be the proud owner of a GPS dot.

在座的许多都会成为骄傲的GPS点拥有者。

Maybe you'll have a whole bag full of them.

也许你会有一整袋的GPS点。

You'll never lose track of your things again.

我们再也不会找不到东西了。

The GPS dot will fundamentally reorder your life.

GPS点基本上记录着我们的生活。

But will you be able to resist the temptation

但是我们能经受住

to track your fellow man?

跟踪他人的诱惑么？

Or will you be able to resist the temptation

或者，我们能经受住

to turn on a GPS spoofer or a Wave Bubble

开启GPS欺骗器或电波气泡

to protect your own privacy?

来保护我们的隐私的诱惑么？

So, as usual, what we see just beyond the horizon

像往常一样，我们看到前方地平线

is full of promise and peril.

充满了希望和危险。

It'll be fascinating to see how this all turns out.

整个事情最后会变成什么样将会非常有趣。

Thanks. (Applause)

谢谢。（掌声）