Desensitization is a drop in receiver sensitivity caused by strong unwanted signals or excessive input power. Even if the interfering signal is on a different frequency, it can push the receiver’s front end past its linear operating range and make weak desired signals harder or impossible to detect.
In cyber security, this matters anywhere wireless links are part of the attack surface: radios, GPS, Wi-Fi, public-safety systems, and other RF receivers can be disrupted without being directly spoofed. An attacker may use a nearby high-power transmitter, jammer, or other out-of-band energy source to reduce reception quality and create denial of service. Defenses include bandpass filtering, better front-end filtering, antenna placement, shielding, gain control, and choosing hardware with enough dynamic range to survive strong local emitters.