ALISO VIEJO, Calif.—Sept. 26, 2017—Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced the recent development of a breakthrough approach to protecting critical infrastructure against GPS spoofing and jamming threats with the introduction of its BlueSky™ GPS Firewall. Designed to provide security protection for GPS delivered position, navigation and timing (PNT) data, the BlueSky GPS Firewall solution can be deployed in-line between any standard GPS antenna and stationary GPS receiver to provide protection against GPS signal incidents, both intentional or accidental, before they enter a GPS receiver system. In response to the growing number of GPS incidents and their potential threat to critical infrastructure, and to assist customers in rapid adoption, Microsemi is making BlueSky GPS Firewall Evaluation kits available in advance of the full production release of the solution.
The dependency on PNT is increasingly important to critical infrastructure sectors such as telecommunications, energy, transportation, emergency services, financial services and enterprise infrastructure, and is mainly provided through GPS. Published best practice documents by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) describe steps that can be taken to mitigate outages and disruptions with GPS reception. In alignment with these documents, Microsemi’s new BlueSky GPS Firewall provides critical infrastructure sectors with a first line of defense against GPS threats to help build out a secure, robust and resilient PNT platform for their infrastructures.
Microsemi’s BlueSky GPS Firewall filters the GPS signal in real time, removing anomalies from the GPS signal before it is consumed by the downstream GPS receiver. This creates an intelligent and secure barrier against jamming and spoofing, and prevents the GPS receiver from being impacted by such incidents. Deployment of the BlueSky GPS Firewall does not require any new cabling or alteration of the pre-existing antenna installation and is interoperable with standard GPS receivers. Additionally, the BlueSky GPS Firewall incorporates an Ethernet interface for remote management and monitoring and includes a secure web interface that any browser can use for configuration and set-up of the device.
“Worldwide critical infrastructure dependency on unprotected GPS receivers is a serious security risk. These receivers are susceptible to jamming and spoofing incidents and the industry recognizes this as an increasing threat,” said Randy Brudzinski, vice president and business unit manager of Microsemi’s Frequency and Time division. “The vast number of GPS systems already in operation means a significant investment would be required if every system was to be replaced. Microsemi’s BlueSky GPS Firewall is a cost-effective and easy-to-deploy solution to protect GPS without requiring replacement of deployed GPS systems.”
The BlueSky GPS Firewall includes a broad range of data validation rules based on real, live sky GPS threats, both intentional and unintentional. Similar to network security threats, new GPS vulnerabilities are on the rise and Microsemi is continuously tracking GPS signal manipulation including spoofing threats, jamming attacks, multipath signal interference, atmospheric activity and many other issues that can create GPS signal anomalies, disruptions and outages. These advancements are incorporated into the software platform of the BlueSky GPS Firewall, which can be updated remotely using Microsemi’s TimePictra™ management system.
According to the GNSS Market Report, Issue 5, copyright European GNSS Agency, 2017, professional market segments such as maritime, rail, telecom/utility/enterprise, surveying, aviation, agriculture and drones which use GNSS devices to operate their infrastructures, enable billions of people globally to benefit from them on a day-to-day basis—whether by enjoying the produce of sustainable and cost-effective agriculture, by using efficiently coordinated transport networks, or by leveraging on GNSS-synchronized telecommunications networks. The total installed base of GNSS devices in these professional segments was estimated at 14.4 million units in 2015 and is expected to grow to 97.8 million units by 2025.
Product Availability
Microsemi’s BlueSky GPS Firewall Evaluation Kit is available for order now with delivery beginning in November 2017. For more information, visit http://www.microsemi.com/product-directory/gps-instruments/4398-bluesky-gps-firewall-evaluation-kit or contact sales.support@microsemi.com.
Microsemi to Showcase the BlueSky GPS Firewall at ION-GNSS+
Microsemi’s technical experts will be showcasing the BlueSky GPS Firewall, along with its full range of timing and synchronization solutions including the latest advancements in atomic clocks, timescale solutions, and PTP and NTP server systems in booth #116 at the 30th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation – ION GNSS+, taking place Sept. 25-29, 2017 in Portland, Oregon.
About Microsemi’s Product Portfolio for Communications
Microsemi is a premier supplier of high value-add semiconductor, system and services for the enterprise, data center and telecom markets. Microsemi products enable customers to build secure, reliable and low power systems that can meet stringent requirements of next generation communication networks. Customers leverage Microsemi technologies to drive innovation in a range of applications including edge and core routers, Ethernet switches, optical transport network (OTN), wireless infrastructure including LTE-Advanced, small cells and Wi-Fi access points; access aggregation and broadband gateways including fiber/PON, G.fast and DOCSIS3.1.
Microsemi’s comprehensive communications portfolio offers market-leading advancements in multiple product categories including high accuracy timing and synchronization systems, software, components and services; feature-rich Carrier Ethernet switches and PHY, power-efficient and multi-standard compliant Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) systems and components, G.hn, G.fast and xDSL line drivers; innovative voice and audio intelligence, lowest power FPGAs with highest security and single event upset (SEU) immune fabric, security portfolio of hardware and software products including state-of–the-art multi-layer encryption, sophisticated key management, secure authentication with anti-tamper and anti-cloning capabilities; 100 Gigabits optical drivers and the most integrated Wi-Fi front-end modules (FEM). For more information, visit http://www.microsemi.com/applications/communications.
About Microsemi
Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world’s standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California and has approximately 4,800 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.
