14 DAY TRIAL // Over the past year, Internet cables in the San Francisco Bay Area have been cut at least 11 times by unknown individuals, the latest attack occurring this Tuesday.
The motive behind the incidents remains unknown, but the FBI has opened investigations for all cases.
Cutting Internet cables is not an easy job
The importance of the Internet infrastructure is undeniable, especially to companies whose business relies entirely on connectivity to the web. In their case, however, most of the times there are fallback solutions from other providers.
On the other hand, backup services do not offer the same performance as that provided by the main connection, and the effect can in some cases translate into financial losses.
Unlike other wires that may be easily accessible, Internet cables benefit from protection, and access to them is through underground vaults.
Although fiber-optic lines themselves are slim, they are encased in multiple protective layers that would require special tools to cut through.
The FBI told USA Today that it is currently searching for the perpetrators. The attack on Tuesday was on a vault with fiber-optic cables belonging to service providers Level 3 and Zayo.
Some attacks could target particular companies
It is not clear what motivated the attackers, but JJ Thompson, CEO of Rook Security, has said that there is reason for concern especially when a pattern of strikes is observable in one geography.
This could indicate that the attackers “are testing out capabilities, response times and impact,” Thompson says, adding that such situations are a security person’s nightmare.
Some vault locations with Internet cables benefit from security cameras, but this does not apply to all of them, and attackers can pick less protected vaults and disrupt the activity of a targeted company.
Whether an attack with a purpose or simply an act of vandalism, repairs are far from being cheap, not to mention the impact on customer satisfaction.