Optic Cyber Attacks - How Vulnerable Is Our Connected World?
April 03, 2014 | Tom Olago
Share this article
Imagine not being able to use your smartphone. Find a functional hospital. Access your bank accounts. Obtain groceries from your local grocery store. Be disconnected from being able to access your investment records or make any other type of connection online. Wall Street closing down and the U.S military paralyzed. Telephone lines slowed down or disconnected.
That’s the ‘clear and present danger’ currently being faced by the U.S in the ‘war of the pipelines’.
This war is about Fiber Optics, transmitting transcontinental Internet connections and arguably America’s “most important pipeline”. In a recent report, OS Net Daily reported that the entire world is interconnected with the U.S. having more fiber optic pipelines going to and fro than any other country.
These modern undersea cables are high-tech fiber-optic lines capable of moving almost unimaginable amounts of data at ever-increasing speeds. The cables are responsible for more than 90 per cent of Internet traffic, according to the Economist.
Terrorists or a hostile foreign government could potentially take down these critical systems via ‘cyber-terrorist’ attacks, thereby wreaking havoc on global economy, military, local infrastructures and facilities in general. And although this may sound difficult to achieve, it’s worth noting that these pipelines are reportedly largely unprotected and mostly outside the watch of security and law enforcement agencies.
Besides the intent to weaken the security of the U.S or other country, some of the other identified ‘end –game’ strategies in progress include corporate/industrial espionage – where fiber optic cables are ‘hacked’ into or tapped for valuable information, and not necessarily destroyed in the process.
The optic fiber attack is actually already a historical event: In January 2008, three different undersea cables were attacked and cut. The first attack, on January 30th, severed the SeaMeWe-4 and the FLAG Europe-Asia cables, causing an instant slowdowns and disconnections of Internet and telephone services over a 3,000-mile stretch between Cairo and New Delhi, resulting in 70% of Egypt’s and 60% of India’s Internet connections being disrupted.
After investigations ruled out an accident, foul play was ‘ruled in’ - yet the true identities of the attackers were never uncovered.
Hardly a remote risk, given the fact that it has already happened albeit on a limited scale, and in the absence of clarity as to how these types of incidents could be minimized or prevented from recurring.
If modern technologies, including satellites and naval vessels could not locate missing flight MH370 or find any debris over two weeks, imagine what likelihood they would be of policing an extensive global network of undersea cables. Not much reason for optimism there.
Agorafinancial.com recently expounded on this ‘physical cyber-defense’ risk: “We can’t stations ships near every vulnerable cable. No airplane can remain airborne long enough. So ‘old’ types of answers will not work in the new environment…they’re working on a system to deploy cheap, unmanned aircraft from all kinds of U.S. Navy platforms— even submarines…
An even more cost-effective solution in the works is an array of fiber-optic sensors that can be deployed in shallow coastal waters. That’s where submarine Internet cables are most vulnerable to attack, especially from low-tech terrorists who could reach them with basic scuba equipment.”
In essence it appears as though the levels of protection that can be offered through policing and remote controlled or monitored technologies are still under development, and even when finalized would only offer limited protection to the fiber optic networks.
Not surprising considering the sheer geographical scope and length of the optic cables.
An attack on the U.S electrical grid could also be conducted with similar devastating impact, as recently covered in a Prophecy News Watch article. It is therefore highly alarming that terrorist groups, criminal organizations and rogue nations also have a sea-based fiber optic attack option that could be carried out either separately or simultaneously with, a land based U.S grid attack.
The fact that the attackers of the U.S electrical grids, as well as those involved in the destruction of fiber optic cables, are in many cases yet to be detected or arrested is perhaps the greatest cause for concern.
Given the open vulnerabilities, it is just a matter of when and where will they strike next.
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/April03/034.html#vU1w5sV7gDoDBH6I.99
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/April03/034.html#vU1w5sV7gDoDBH6I.99
April 03, 2014 | Tom Olago
Share this article
Imagine not being able to use your smartphone. Find a functional hospital. Access your bank accounts. Obtain groceries from your local grocery store. Be disconnected from being able to access your investment records or make any other type of connection online. Wall Street closing down and the U.S military paralyzed. Telephone lines slowed down or disconnected.
That’s the ‘clear and present danger’ currently being faced by the U.S in the ‘war of the pipelines’.
This war is about Fiber Optics, transmitting transcontinental Internet connections and arguably America’s “most important pipeline”. In a recent report, OS Net Daily reported that the entire world is interconnected with the U.S. having more fiber optic pipelines going to and fro than any other country.
These modern undersea cables are high-tech fiber-optic lines capable of moving almost unimaginable amounts of data at ever-increasing speeds. The cables are responsible for more than 90 per cent of Internet traffic, according to the Economist.
Terrorists or a hostile foreign government could potentially take down these critical systems via ‘cyber-terrorist’ attacks, thereby wreaking havoc on global economy, military, local infrastructures and facilities in general. And although this may sound difficult to achieve, it’s worth noting that these pipelines are reportedly largely unprotected and mostly outside the watch of security and law enforcement agencies.
Besides the intent to weaken the security of the U.S or other country, some of the other identified ‘end –game’ strategies in progress include corporate/industrial espionage – where fiber optic cables are ‘hacked’ into or tapped for valuable information, and not necessarily destroyed in the process.
The optic fiber attack is actually already a historical event: In January 2008, three different undersea cables were attacked and cut. The first attack, on January 30th, severed the SeaMeWe-4 and the FLAG Europe-Asia cables, causing an instant slowdowns and disconnections of Internet and telephone services over a 3,000-mile stretch between Cairo and New Delhi, resulting in 70% of Egypt’s and 60% of India’s Internet connections being disrupted.
After investigations ruled out an accident, foul play was ‘ruled in’ - yet the true identities of the attackers were never uncovered.
Hardly a remote risk, given the fact that it has already happened albeit on a limited scale, and in the absence of clarity as to how these types of incidents could be minimized or prevented from recurring.
If modern technologies, including satellites and naval vessels could not locate missing flight MH370 or find any debris over two weeks, imagine what likelihood they would be of policing an extensive global network of undersea cables. Not much reason for optimism there.
Agorafinancial.com recently expounded on this ‘physical cyber-defense’ risk: “We can’t stations ships near every vulnerable cable. No airplane can remain airborne long enough. So ‘old’ types of answers will not work in the new environment…they’re working on a system to deploy cheap, unmanned aircraft from all kinds of U.S. Navy platforms— even submarines…
An even more cost-effective solution in the works is an array of fiber-optic sensors that can be deployed in shallow coastal waters. That’s where submarine Internet cables are most vulnerable to attack, especially from low-tech terrorists who could reach them with basic scuba equipment.”
In essence it appears as though the levels of protection that can be offered through policing and remote controlled or monitored technologies are still under development, and even when finalized would only offer limited protection to the fiber optic networks.
Not surprising considering the sheer geographical scope and length of the optic cables.
An attack on the U.S electrical grid could also be conducted with similar devastating impact, as recently covered in a Prophecy News Watch article. It is therefore highly alarming that terrorist groups, criminal organizations and rogue nations also have a sea-based fiber optic attack option that could be carried out either separately or simultaneously with, a land based U.S grid attack.
The fact that the attackers of the U.S electrical grids, as well as those involved in the destruction of fiber optic cables, are in many cases yet to be detected or arrested is perhaps the greatest cause for concern.
Given the open vulnerabilities, it is just a matter of when and where will they strike next.
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/April03/034.html#vU1w5sV7gDoDBH6I.99
Optic Cyber Attacks
- How Vulnerable Is Our Connected World?
Share this article
Imagine
not being able to use your smartphone. Find a functional hospital.
Access your bank accounts. Obtain groceries from your local grocery
store. Be disconnected from being able to access your investment records
or make any other type of connection online. Wall Street closing down
and the U.S military paralyzed. Telephone lines slowed down or
disconnected.
That’s the ‘clear and present danger’ currently being faced by the U.S in the ‘war of the pipelines’.
This
war is about Fiber Optics, transmitting transcontinental Internet
connections and arguably America’s “most important pipeline”. In a
recent report, OS Net Daily reported that the entire world is
interconnected with the U.S. having more fiber optic pipelines going to
and fro than any other country.
These modern undersea cables are high-tech fiber-optic lines capable of
moving almost unimaginable amounts of data at ever-increasing speeds.
The cables are responsible for more than 90 per cent of Internet
traffic, according to the Economist.
Terrorists
or a hostile foreign government could potentially take down these
critical systems via ‘cyber-terrorist’ attacks, thereby wreaking havoc
on global economy, military, local infrastructures and facilities in
general. And although this may sound difficult to achieve, it’s worth
noting that these pipelines are reportedly largely unprotected and
mostly outside the watch of security and law enforcement agencies.
Besides
the intent to weaken the security of the U.S or other country, some of
the other identified ‘end –game’ strategies in progress include
corporate/industrial espionage – where fiber optic cables are ‘hacked’
into or tapped for valuable information, and not necessarily destroyed
in the process.
The
optic fiber attack is actually already a historical event: In January
2008, three different undersea cables were attacked and cut. The first
attack, on January 30th, severed the SeaMeWe-4 and the FLAG Europe-Asia
cables, causing an instant slowdowns and disconnections of Internet and
telephone services over a 3,000-mile stretch between Cairo and New
Delhi, resulting in 70% of Egypt’s and 60% of India’s Internet
connections being disrupted.
After investigations ruled out an accident, foul play was ‘ruled in’ -
yet the true identities of the attackers were never uncovered.
Hardly
a remote risk, given the fact that it has already happened albeit on a
limited scale, and in the absence of clarity as to how these types of
incidents could be minimized or prevented from recurring.
If
modern technologies, including satellites and naval vessels could not
locate missing flight MH370 or find any debris over two weeks, imagine
what likelihood they would be of policing an extensive global network of
undersea cables. Not much reason for optimism there.
Agorafinancial.com
recently expounded on this ‘physical cyber-defense’ risk: “We can’t
stations ships near every vulnerable cable. No airplane can remain
airborne long enough. So ‘old’ types of answers will not work in the new
environment…they’re working on a system to deploy cheap, unmanned
aircraft from all kinds of U.S. Navy platforms— even submarines…
An
even more cost-effective solution in the works is an array of
fiber-optic sensors that can be deployed in shallow coastal waters.
That’s where submarine Internet cables are most vulnerable to attack,
especially from low-tech terrorists who could reach them with basic
scuba equipment.”
In essence it appears as though the levels of protection that can be
offered through policing and remote controlled or monitored technologies
are still under development, and even when finalized would only offer
limited protection to the fiber optic networks.
Not surprising considering the sheer geographical scope and length of the optic cables.
An
attack on the U.S electrical grid could also be conducted with similar
devastating impact, as recently covered in a Prophecy News Watch
article. It is therefore highly alarming that terrorist groups, criminal
organizations and rogue nations also have a sea-based fiber optic
attack option that could be carried out either separately or
simultaneously with, a land based U.S grid attack.
The
fact that the attackers of the U.S electrical grids, as well as those
involved in the destruction of fiber optic cables, are in many cases yet
to be detected or arrested is perhaps the greatest cause for concern.
Given the open vulnerabilities, it is just a matter of when and where will they strike next.
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/April03/034.html#vU1w5sV7gDoDBH6I.99
No comments:
Post a Comment