About 99% of intercontinental internet communications, as well as financial transactions, government and military communications, come from submarine cables fiber optics installed at the bottom of the ocean. However, these systems are increasingly an attractive target for sabotage, espionage e ameaças.
Currently, and with around 529 cable systems in operation, the tendency is for their capacity to increase in line with the growing number of users and devices connected to the internet.
According to the Recorded Future report, cited by SecurityWeek. State-sponsored groups should be considered the greatest threat to submarine cables. Among the main players are a growing number of Chinese companies operating cables and Russia interested in mapping the systems.
The same document highlights the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the potential forcible unification of China with Taiwan and the deepening divide between Beijing and Washington as the main risk factors.
“Although much less frequent, intentional or sabotage damage represents a unique threat vector, as the timing of an attack and target can disproportionately affect the countries and companies that depend on this cable system”, recalls Recorded Future.
The positioning of companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft in the development and ownership of the global cable network hints at concerns about monopolies and digital sovereignty.
Landing stations are also a target for data collection and an alternative for countries that are not as capable of collecting information on submarine cables located in deep waters.
“State actors looking for an espionage advantage will almost certainly target the entire submarine cable ecosystem for intelligence gathering: the docking station infrastructure, the submarine cables themselves, third-party providers, the hardware and software that tie them together. all", concludes Recorded Future.
