'Pokemon Go' Players May Have Uncovered New Russian Cyberweapon

Pokemon Go players are used to searching for hidden Pokemon in public places, but a new report suggests they may have stumbled across a new and potentially powerful Russian cyberweapon.

New Scientist magazine recently published an article on a potential new cyberweapon that has the ability to disrupt GPS systems, which was first uncovered by Pokemon Go players in Russia.

The cyberweapon's first documented use was earlier this summer, when over 20 ships on the Black Sea reported having issues with their GPS navigation software. All of the ships reported that their GPS stated they were nearly 30 kilometers away from their official location. However, New Scientist believes that the Russian military was testing the cyberweapon much earlier, thanks to Pokemon Go.

"Over the past year, GPS spoofing has been causing chaos for the receivers on phone apps in central Moscow to misbehave," the article states. "The scale of the problem did not become apparent until people began trying to play Pokemon Go. The fake signal, which seems to centre on the Kremlin, relocates anyone nearby to Vnukovo Airport, 32 km away." The article further notes that the spoofing is likely for defensive purposes, as weapons using GPS to find their target will be unable to function.

The article notes that while this new GPS spoofing system was previously only used near a fixed location like the Kremlin, this summer's incident in the Black Sea indicates that it's now being tested in the field.

Of course, Pokemon Go has its own problem with GPS spoofers that has nothing to do with advanced cyberweapons. Many Pokemon Go players use GPS spoofing to fake their location in order to find rare Pokemon without ever leaving their house.

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