BlueSky GNSS Firewall

Product Information

Protect your GNSS systems against spoofing and jamming threats with BlueSky GNSS Firewall with SkyWire

Microchip’s latest innovation, SkyWire™ technology, is now available as part of BlueSky® GNSS Firewall. As critical infrastructure operators examine ways to better secure their timing networks, SkyWire technology delivers a cost-effective solution for measuring and verifying time alignment so that operations remain resilient.

Bluesky GNSS Firewall 2200 with SkyWire technology

The BlueSky GNSS Firewall is renowned for its robust protection against spoofing and jamming, ensuring the integrity and reliability of satellite-based timing for critical infrastructure. With the addition of SkyWire technology, this system provides time measurement and verification between clocks at dispersed geographical locations to improve timing resilience.

Offering a cost-effective, easy-to-deploy solution that safeguards your GNSS-dependent systems, Microchip’s BlueSky GNSS Firewall with SkyWire acts as an intelligent barrier between your existing GNSS antenna and systems so that only trusted, reliable signals are delivered, shielding your network from untrusted sky-based threats.

Microchip provides a portfolio of technologies, products, and services that enables operators of critical infrastructure to construct a secure and robust PNT network that is resilient to GNSS errors as well as errors coming from other sky-based delivery channels such as Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, or others.  Details of this complete portfolio are described in the vPRTC ³ vPRTC = virtual Primary Reference Time Clock   architecture which can be found here.

BlueSky GNSS Firewall software release 4.0

• Embedded SkyWire™ technology to measure and verify the accuracy and precision of geographically distributed clocks
• BlueSky technology anomaly detectors with enhanced charting for monitoring additional GNSS observables
• Enhanced interoperability with TimePictra software provides automated and real-time posting of performance data for BlueSky and SkyWire technologies

BlueSky GNSS Firewall software release 3.1

• Fortified network interface ensures the security of time in compliance with the fundamental pillars of Zero Trust
• Configurable user and device privileges with two-factor authentication using RADIUS, TACACS+ and LDAP directory services
• Hardened web GUI with X.509 CA-signed certificates and robust Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2

BlueSky GNSS Firewall 2200 second generation

• Identifies and protects GNSS systems from spoofing and jamming
• Integrates seamlessly between existing GNSS antenna and GNSS system(s)
• Built-in WebGUI provides simple to use tools for antenna surveying, cable compensation as well as quick access to dashboards containing GNSS observables

BlueSky GNSS Firewall with SkyWire technology

SkyWire technology utilses GNSS signals as a virtual wire, rather than a timing source to enable precise time comparison between geographically separated locations. It provides a cost-effective connection to ensure traceability to an authoritative time source.

Achieve the highest level of PNT resistance

The IEEE P1952 standard outlines resilience levels for equipment for Positioning Navigation and Timing (PNT). The BlueSky GNSS Firewall enables designers of systems for Critical Infrastructure to achieve the highest degree of resilience, including the requirements outlined in Level 5 of the P1952 standard.

Secure upgradeable software

A programmable anomaly detector, which detects suspicious time and position inconsistencies, is at the core of the BlueSky GNSS Firewall. This detector validates the GNSS subframes for spoofing incidents based on defined data validation rules built into the BlueSky GNSS Firewall. New validation rules are added to every new BlueSky GNSS Firewall software release.

Data visualisation with TimePictra software

TimePictra software provides data visualisation for BlueSky technology’s clock comparison measurements. Organisations can configure, monitor and visualise the health of their timing infrastructure to achieve a higher level of timing security and resilience. The software’s dashboard allows users to view GNSS threats detected by BlueSky technology and clock alignment verification by SkyWire technology all on the same screeen.

BlueSky GNSS Firewall’s performance monitoring

Integrated within TimePictra software suite, BlueSky GNSS Firewall’s performance monitoring feature provides visibility into GNSS reception parameters across wide scale deployments of the Firewall. You can plot GNSS signal measurements, such as GNSS phase deviation, and GNSS satellites in view and GNSS signal strength, for selected time periods to identify and isolate GNSS incidents quickly.

Optional MAC for enhanced threat detection

Upgrading the BlueSky GNSS Firewall with the MAC enhances anomalous GNSS detection capabilities while also extending holdover performance of the hardened GNSS signal output for multiple days.

External timing reference

The 10MHz or 1PPS input allows you to connect autonomous reference sources, such as Microchip’s 5071B or TimeCesium cesium clock products, to extend the holdover performance in case of a complete, long-term loss of GNSS reception.

Situational awareness

Just as a network firewall detects and protects against network attacks, a GNSS firewall identifies jamming and spoofing threats and alerts transportation operations of untrusted sky-based signals.

Real-time jamming and spoofing protection

GNSS interruptions can be either unintentional or intentional. Adversaries may attempt to disrupt Positioning, Navigation and Time (PNT) solutions derived from GNSS in one of two ways:

• Spoofing, which makes a GNSS receiver calculate a false position
• Jamming, which overpowers GNSS satellite signals locally so that a receiver can no longer operate

The BlueSky GNSS Firewall provides real-time protection against a wide range of these types of threats.

GNSS threat protection for all critical infrastructure

Critical infrastructure’s dependence on GNSS-based PNT continues to grow exponentially. Microchip’s BlueSky GNSS Firewall, in combination with network time protocol distribution, atomic clocks, timescale technology and software management and monitoring, provides a comprehensive solution for critical infrastructure operators.

Fortifying network management

To enhance the security provided by the BlueSky GNSS Firewall, the network management interface must meet the increasingly stringent security requirements of critical infrastructure. The BlueSky GNSS firewall now offers robust protection against live-sky jamming and spoofing threats, with Microchip’s highly secure Trusted Time network management interface to defend against cyber threats.

The Chronos difference

If GNSS reliability is a priority for your operations, talk to our team about how the BlueSky GNSS Firewall with SkyWire can strengthen your network and provide uninterrupted service. Contact our team today.